Legendary actress and singer Amber Riley won The Masked Singer as Harp, thanks to her powerhouse vocals, and she now reveals why she wanted to join the show in the first place. The Glee star blew the audience away week after week with her incredible songs. From her first performance of "Perfect" by P!nk to her finale routines ("The Edge of Glory" by Lady Gaga and "Gravity" by John Mayer), Amber moved and inspired the audience with her emotional singing.
Although her fans recognized her voice immediately, Nicole Scherzinger was the only panelist who guessed her correctly on the Masked Singer finale. With this win, Amber made history as the first celebrity to win both The Masked Singer and Dancing with the Stars. She won the latter show in season 17, in 2013, with her professional dance partner, Derek Hough. Amber was one of the greatest performers ever to grace The Masked Singer stage.
Amber Riley Joined The Masked Singer Due To Nostalgia
In an interview with People, Amber explained why she wanted to join The Masked Singer. She said, "Honestly, any time that I get the opportunity to sing, I'm pretty much in." Amber also shared that her mom is such a big fan of the show. During the COVID-19 pandemic, "my friends and I and my mom, we used to watch The Masked Singer, so it was a way for me and my friends to connect even though we couldn't be around or see each other. So kind of nostalgia purposes." During The Masked Singer semi-finals, Amber revealed that her mom was the only one who knew that she was on the show, and that she is her rock.
Amber Riley's Masked Singer Costume Fit Like A Second Skin
Amber discussed what it was like to perform as Harp on The Masked Singer. She admitted that, "it honestly depended on the day." She said that some days she thought, "Oh my God, get me out of this." However, on other days, she thought, "maybe towards the end, it almost felt like a weird comfort thing. I got so used to it that it just felt like second skin eventually. But the mask was always hot though. I did not enjoy the hot mask."
Amber Riley Didn't Know Where She Stood During The Masked Singer
Amber revealed that she did not know who her biggest Masked Singer competition was, because she, "didn't really get to hear anyone. They kept everyone pretty separate. I would hear a little bit of something on the battles. I didn't really know where I stood in the competition, and whenever I won a round, I was just as surprised as everyone else. I didn't know who voted for me." When asked if there was anyone from her season with whom she would have liked to spend time, she replied, "I love Montell Jordan. That was really cool to know the day he was the one that was behind the mask. I was like, what? Just my whole childhood. That's really wild." Amber defeated Montell as Panther during the first Battle Royale, when they both sang "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf.
Amber was the clear front-runner throughout the entire Masked Singer season 8. She was a strong presence, even in rounds during which she did not compete, because fans wondered if anyone would be able to beat Harp in the end. She brought a whole new level of perfection to The Masked Singer, which will be very hard for future competitors to top. As Harp, Amber tugged on everyone's heartstrings with her stunning performances, and truly earned her much-deserved win.
The Masked Singer's "Seasonal Sing-A-Long Spectacular!" airs Wednesday, December 7 at 8 p.m. EST on FOX.
Sources: People, The Masked Singer/YouTube, The Masked Singer/YouTube