Another season of The Masked Singer Australia has officially come to an end; all the celebrities are now unmasked and one has reigned supreme.
This year, it was American musician Anastacia who took out the competition as Vampire, with Em Rusciano (Dolly) and Axle Whitehead (Mullet) in second and third place, respectively.
WATCH: Mullet loses their prop head in The Masked Singer Australia
Anastacia, 53, tells New Idea that she’s used to “getting put in situations that aren’t really normal” and so The Masked Singer was completely up her alley.
As for how she managed to keep her Australian gig under wraps from her American friends and family, the singer tells us she implemented quite the ruse to keep them in the dark.
“There were a few people who did know I was going to Australia, but they thought I was going to record music because it leaked out. And everybody else thought I was recovering from my neck surgery, because I postponed my social media posts to not let anybody know about it until then.
“So once people saw that I had surgery, my friends were reaching out going: ‘How are you feeling?’ and I’m in Australia doing The Masked Singer. I was like: ‘I’m fine, I’m fine’. The ruse was bigger than I realised it was going to be because they all did think I was at home recovering, because my whole timeline was switched.”
Of course, Anastacia is no stranger to surgeries. At age 13, the Left Outside Alone singer was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. When she was 34, she discovered she had breast cancer. And five years later, she was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia.
During her stint on The Masked Singer, we saw many clues related to her health struggles, including: “I was scarred by my childhood,” Vampires “stand tall and carry on”, and more.
When discussing her surgeries after her reveal last night, Anastacia told the judges that she has learned to “bounce back” from the adversity.
According to the performer, this resilience comes from her passion for life.
“I just love life, I really do,” she enthuses to New Idea. “I actually have a tattoo on my lower back that means ‘eternal life’ and I didn’t know that that’s what it meant when I picked it out. I was like, ‘I like this cross, I’m going to put it on my lower back’.
“I love living (life) and when things are in your way, whether it’s a bad relationship or a health condition, I try to do my best at not tapping out but making sure that I get another round in, because we don’t really appreciate life the way that we should. And I think all my weird roads that I’ve gone down, I’ve just made them look a lot nicer because I try to be happy within it.”
Not tapping out has certainly been Anastacia’s philosophy when it comes to her career as well. When the singer was just starting out, she worked hard to get her music heard, being reportedly told that her voice didn’t fit into any category.
Anastacia explains that covering songs on The Masked Singer reminded her of a time when she was trying to establish herself as an artist.
“Before I got my record deal, I was singing other people’s songs. I was singing in a band and doing anything I could to try and get myself out there as a singer in my 20s. And now it’s kind of like I’m singing other people’s music,” the 53-year-old tells us.
“It was just one of those moments where I felt a flashback but in such a beautiful way. I’m so grateful to be on a show that is holding up the value of singing at all as a sport in this quirky bubble of costumes and dance moves.”
Speaking of quirky costumes, Anastacia confesses she struggled to manoeuvre her Vampire gear, which altered the way she usually takes the stage.
“I couldn’t even control my arms and I could not move past my shoulders. I could only swing my arms in a strange way.
“When I sing high notes, I push my chest out and my head goes out a little bit. In this outfit I could not because I would be flat on my back. Gravity would have taken me straight down horizontal.”
WATCH: Vampire performs Gangsta’s Paradise on The Masked Singer Australia (Article continues after video)
As well as battling with gravity, Anastacia tells us that the costume added “another layer of difficulty” in that she wasn’t able to “connect the way that, for (her), it’s normal to connect immediately to the song(s)”.
On top of this, the I’m Outta Love singer deviated from her usual performance style through changing up her voice to avoid recognition. Though, this plan didn’t last all that long.
“At the beginning I definitely did change my voice, and then I got scared that maybe I sounded too scary. Sometimes I can be my own worst enemy; my inner dialogue is really annoying.
“I’m like trying all these voices and eventually on the third song I just said: ‘I want to sing Bonnie Tyler like Bonnie Tyler would sing Bonnie Tyler’, so I sang it like Anastacia singing Anastacia, and immediately the girls were like: ‘Are you Anastacia?’ and I’m like: ‘Oh nooo, I went too far’.”
But using her real voice wasn’t the only way Anastacia’s identity could have been revealed, with the musician confessing she broke a rule that was in place to keep the celebs’ identities under wraps.
Both Mahalia Barnes and Ella Hooper spoke to New Idea about a “no perfume” rule on set, lest host Osher Günsberg smell his way into a correct guess. Anastacia confirms the rule but also admits she wasn’t too strict in following it.
“There was that rule and, to be honest, by the first song, I broke it because I can’t handle not being able to do everything and then not smell OK. But he had no idea who I was.”
The 53-year-old, however, commends Osher’s incredible hosting skills, explaining that waiting to find out who would be leaving the competition each night was very suspenseful.
“I don’t know what they wanted… I don’t know if they want to know it’s me… I don’t know if they want to get rid of me. Every time I was in the bottom, or ready to get voted out, I was assuming I was going home,” she tells us.
“On the finale, I knew I’d eventually go home I just didn’t know when. Osher’s got it going on. He’s like: ‘annnd theee persooon goiiing…’. I mean, he just milks every syllable out. He’s very good at his job.”
Osher, if you ever need a job reference, you know who to call.
Congrats on your Masked Singer win Anastacia!
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