One of the most difficult identities to figure out this season on The Masked Singer has been Mushroom. His versatility has led to a variety of incorrect predictions but we have finally figured out who is behind the mask.
From the start, everyone has had trouble pinning down which anonymous celebrity has taken on the persona of this glamourous fungi. A YouTube video uncovered lead us to predict that Mushroom was Hamilton actor Jordan Fisher. However, this week's clues shed some light on the identity of Mushroom and they ruled out our previous prediction. Fans found out this week that Mushroom was either using a stage name or had changed his name when he told the viewers that the name he goes by now is not the one he started out with. Jordan Fisher was born Jordan William Fisher so that, along with a few other clues, rules him out. But some of this week's other clues including Mushroom's song choice helped confirm his identity.
Mushroom is "Wake Me Up" singer Aloe Blacc. Born Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III, Aloe Blacc is a stage name. In addition to having a stage name, we know that Mushroom is a bit shorter than Nick Cannon making him roughly 5'8" to 5"10. This fits with 5'9" tall Blacc. The other clues this week involved Mushroom being a go-getter with a 4.0 GPA who was class president. Blacc was in fact his senior class president and his 4.0+ GPA got him a full ride to USC. He's definitely talented enough to sing like Mushroom. Mushroom's smackdown song choice this week was "A Song for You" by Donny Hathaway. Blacc has mentioned Donny Hathaway as being one of his early inspirations and has even covered him before. Aloe Blacc singing Donny Hathaway's song "Someday We'll All Be Free" sounds a lot like Mushroom:
Some of this week's clues tied in with earlier ones as well. There were hat references or visuals in almost all the clue packages and the 41 yr old singer is usually sporting a hat as part of his signature look. There was a visual this week of a charging bull, much like the one found in the financial district of Manhattan known as the Wall Street Bull. Earlier on we saw a briefcase and Mushroom said he started out in the rat race in a job that might surprise people. Blacc worked briefly after college for the financial firm of Ernst & Young. All of these clues together point directly to that position. This week there was a visual of a boxing ring. The singer performed his song “King Is Born” at the Mayweather vs. McGregor press tour back in 2017.
There was also a baby doll which was most likely a nod to his song "Baby" with Alice Smith. A previous clue package included several Mean Girl references. It's possible this Chicago suburb based story was meant to remind fans that he performed with the band Chicago. He also spoke of being surrounded by strange foods and customs. Early on Blacc toured Europe, worked with a French jazz band, collaborated with a Japanese hip hop producer, and attended a workshop program in Australia. There was a clue before his first performance that had a singing competition. The duo Emanon that he belonged to appeared as contestants on MTV's The Cut.
Mushroom spoke of having the chance to turn a hobby into a career. Blacc has spoken openly of how for him when he was choosing between college and music that at the time music had always been a hobby for him. We saw a Santa Clause which points to the hip hop artist's Christmas album. There were also more clues about being a nerd in high school and being smart. There were a lot of Hamilton red herring clues this season that threw people off with several of the predictions. We fell into that trap as well. However now with the overwhelming number of clues that point to him, it's pretty hard to deny the identity of Mushroom. Mushroom is "I Need a Dollar" singer Aloe Blacc.
The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 8pm EST on Fox.
Source: Aloe Blacc