These performances unearthed the humanity behind the masked singers. For this list, we’ll be looking at the greatest vocals ever heard on “The Masked Singer.”
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00:00 ♪ Almost the deepest waters I dive in ♪
00:05 ♪ I'll never meet the ground ♪
00:09 - Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:10 And today we're counting down our picks
00:12 for the top 10 best performances on "The Masked Singer."
00:15 ♪ If you believe in things ♪
00:18 ♪ That you don't understand ♪
00:20 ♪ Then you suffer ♪
00:23 ♪ But the bus station ain't the way, no ♪
00:26 - For this list, we're looking at the greatest vocals
00:28 ever heard on "The Masked Singer."
00:30 Be warned, these are huge spoilers.
00:33 Did any of these celebrities surprise you?
00:35 Let us know in the comments.
00:37 Number 10, "My Heart Will Go On,"
00:40 Seahorse, Tori Kelly.
00:42 Most of us would probably prefer to sing a Celine Dion song
00:45 with a mask on, because if you flop on a Celine song,
00:48 you flop hard.
00:49 Let's face it, it takes a lot to nail those powerful notes.
00:53 ♪ If I were in ♪
00:58 ♪ Wherever you are ♪
01:00 - This season four contestant blew the judges away
01:02 with her take on "My Heart Will Go On."
01:04 Later revealed to be gospel singer Tori Kelly,
01:07 the Seahorse gives an arresting performance
01:09 of the love theme from "Titanic"
01:10 that tugs at the heartstrings.
01:13 ♪ You're here ♪
01:16 ♪ There's nothing I fear ♪
01:20 - That's no small feat when you have sharks and octopi
01:23 doing an interpretive dance on the stage behind you.
01:25 ♪ My heart will go on and on ♪
01:29 - Number nine, "Fix You,"
01:38 Turtle, Jesse McCartney.
01:40 Any child of the '90s probably recognized
01:43 this voice right away.
01:45 ♪ Lights will bright you know ♪
01:52 ♪ And ignite your bones ♪
01:55 - Formerly of the boy band Dream Street,
02:00 singer, songwriter, and actor Jesse McCartney's run
02:02 on season three was impressive.
02:04 As the punk rock Turtle, McCartney took a swing
02:07 at this Coldplay classic and knocked it out of the studio.
02:10 ♪ Oh, tears streaming ♪
02:14 ♪ Down like your face this time ♪
02:18 ♪ Oh ♪
02:19 - The song is slow, steady, and requires a delicate touch.
02:26 Luckily, being a turtle, slow and steady is his specialty.
02:30 He may have come in second place when the season ended,
02:32 but this moment proves he is one of the best
02:35 to ever grace the Masked Singer stage.
02:37 ♪ And I will try ♪
02:42 ♪ To fix you ♪
02:44 (audience cheering)
02:48 - Number eight, jealous, Pepper, Natasha Beddingfield.
02:51 When unwritten singer Natasha Beddingfield
02:54 was revealed to be season six's Pepper,
02:56 many fans were not surprised.
02:58 The singer, who's also known for "Pocket Full of Sunshine,"
03:01 just had too distinctive a voice to hide for long.
03:04 ♪ It's closer than my hands have been ♪
03:08 ♪ Oh, I'm jealous of the rain ♪
03:13 - Her cover of British artist Labyrinth's song "Jealous"
03:15 was a hit.
03:16 It was a perfect choice to show off her smooth vocals.
03:19 All the songs on the show are shortened for time,
03:21 but this one was over way too soon.
03:24 ♪ But I always thought you'd come back ♪
03:27 ♪ Tell me all you found was ♪
03:32 ♪ Heartbreak and misery ♪
03:35 - Sure, that incredibly wide smile on Pepper's face
03:37 was immediately off-putting,
03:39 but as soon as she started singing,
03:41 everyone forgot the face and fell in love with the talent.
03:44 ♪ It's hard for me to say ♪
03:47 ♪ I'm jealous of the way ♪
03:50 ♪ You're happy without me ♪
03:54 - Number seven, I Will Always Love You,
03:57 ringmaster Hailey Orantia.
03:59 Whether you're taking on the Whitney version
04:01 or the original Dolly,
04:03 this ballad is a daunting task for anyone.
04:06 ♪ And I ♪
04:11 ♪ Will always love you ♪
04:14 - How many of us have sat through
04:18 a misbegotten karaoke performance of this very song?
04:21 Within the first few notes though,
04:23 the judges were on board.
04:25 ♪ And I wish you joy ♪
04:28 ♪ And happiness ♪
04:31 - Ringmaster immediately cleared the set of vocal runs
04:34 that opens the song and unleashed some serious lung power
04:37 on that stage.
04:38 The crowd was on their feet when she hit that last chorus.
04:42 ♪ And I ♪
04:47 ♪ Will always love you ♪
04:50 - Later revealed to be professional singer
04:55 and the Goldbergs actor, Hailey Orantia.
04:57 Ringmaster would make it all the way to the finale
05:00 off the back of this amazing performance.
05:02 ♪ And I ♪
05:07 ♪ You ♪
05:08 - Number six, Lonely, Yeti, Omarion.
05:17 The Yeti began his cover
05:18 of this surprisingly depressing Justin Bieber
05:20 and Benny Blanco song against a projection of ice and snow.
05:24 ♪ Everybody knows my name now ♪
05:27 ♪ But something 'bout it still feels strange ♪
05:30 ♪ Looking in the mirror trying to steady yourself ♪
05:32 ♪ Seeing somebody else ♪
05:35 - This season five performance
05:37 is one of the show's most visually stunning stagings.
05:40 With a voice as graceful and smooth
05:42 as his roller skating moves,
05:43 R&B singer Omarion, in character as the Yeti,
05:46 had the audience in the palm of his hand.
05:48 ♪ But if you had it all ♪
05:51 ♪ With nobody to call ♪
05:55 ♪ Maybe then you'd know me ♪
05:58 - Even with the ornate costume,
06:00 it was almost easy to forget it was the masked singer
06:03 and not a Yeti concert.
06:04 The solemn, truly beautiful presentation
06:07 left the judges shocked and heartbroken.
06:10 ♪ Suddenly ♪
06:14 ♪ You're lonely ♪
06:17 - Number five, I Have Nothing, Harp, Amber Riley.
06:27 The harp chose the right instrument.
06:29 Her voice is as close to heaven as you can get.
06:32 Every time she stepped onto the stage,
06:34 the harp demonstrated her range, power, and energy.
06:38 ♪ I won't hold it back again ♪
06:40 ♪ Passion inside ♪
06:42 ♪ Can't run from myself ♪
06:44 ♪ There's nowhere to hide ♪
06:48 ♪ You're the love I remember ♪
06:51 ♪ You're the love ♪
06:53 - But this classic belt-fest
06:56 from the Bodyguard soundtrack
06:57 was her greatest achievement on the show.
06:59 She absolutely nailed the signature Whitney Houston track.
07:02 ♪ Your being ♪
07:06 ♪ Don't make me ♪
07:09 ♪ Close one more door ♪
07:13 - It cemented her place in the competition
07:15 and also made it pretty obvious to any Glee fan
07:18 exactly who was behind the mask.
07:20 To the shock of no one,
07:22 it was actor and powerhouse vocalist Amber Riley
07:25 who was revealed as the voice behind the harp.
07:27 She emerged the season eight champion.
07:30 ♪ I have nothing ♪
07:32 ♪ Nothing, nothing ♪
07:37 ♪ If I don't have you ♪
07:40 - Number four, La Vie en Rose, Queen of Hearts, Jewel.
07:49 Apparently the Queen of Hearts, aka Jewel,
07:51 did not speak French
07:52 when she took on this essential Edith Piaf hit.
07:55 ♪ Quand il nous prend dans ses bras ♪
07:59 ♪ Qu'il nous parle tout bas ♪
08:02 ♪ C'est vrai la vie en rose ♪
08:05 - The singer later revealed
08:08 she only had a track of the spoken French lyrics
08:10 in her earpiece and her own musical instincts to guide her.
08:13 We'll leave it to the native speakers
08:15 to critique her pronunciation.
08:17 ♪ C'est lui pour moi, moi pour lui pour la vie ♪
08:22 ♪ Il me la dit, la je sais, pour la vie ♪
08:27 - However, as far as outstanding vocals go,
08:37 we're willing to say she absolutely killed it.
08:40 The song perfectly fits her versatile instrument,
08:42 letting her soar on the high notes
08:44 and then dip into that sugary sweet breathy part
08:46 of her range.
08:47 Some singers take us to church.
08:49 Jewel took us to a smoky 1950s Parisian cafe.
08:53 ♪ Mon feu qui bat ♪
08:56 - Number three, "Stay With Me," "Monster," T-Pain.
09:07 In its first season,
09:09 the American version of the franchise
09:10 was still finding the balance
09:12 between the gimmicks and the talent.
09:14 ♪ These nights never seem to grow to plan ♪
09:19 ♪ I don't want you to leave, can you hold my hand ♪
09:23 - The "Monster's" moving interpretation
09:25 of Sam Smith's "Stay With Me"
09:26 gave us all a peek at what the show could be.
09:28 What's great about this one
09:30 is that the man behind the "Monster,"
09:31 rapper and singer T-Pain,
09:33 is actually known for popularizing the autotune effect.
09:36 But there's no need for autotune here.
09:39 ♪ Oh, won't you stay with me ♪
09:44 ♪ 'Cause you're all I need ♪
09:49 - Oh my God, he's amazing.
09:50 - The show's very first winner had a voice rich with rasp,
09:54 full of intense feeling and emotional heft.
09:57 ♪ This ain't love, it's courtesy ♪
10:02 ♪ So darling, stay with me, yeah ♪
10:06 - Number two, "Rainbow," "Thingamajig," Victor Oladipo.
10:14 Judge Nicole Scherzinger almost burst into tears
10:17 halfway through the "Thingamajig's" rendition
10:19 of the Kacey Musgraves' anthem "Rainbow."
10:21 ♪ It's hard to breathe when all you know is ♪
10:26 ♪ The struggle of slaying above the rising waterline ♪
10:31 - What?
10:33 - Who wouldn't?
10:34 The song is so sweet,
10:36 but his deep and smooth vocals hit the ear like butter.
10:39 Eventually unmasked as Victor Oladipo,
10:42 an NBA player with a side hustle as a singer,
10:44 the "Thingamajig" brought the crowd to its feet
10:46 with his pure tone and heartfelt vocals.
10:49 ♪ Hey, let go of your umbrella ♪
10:53 ♪ 'Cause darling, I'm just trying to tell ya ♪
10:57 ♪ That there's always been a rainbow ♪
11:01 - If singing is his side gig,
11:03 he must be really good at basketball.
11:05 A minute and a half just isn't enough.
11:08 It's been a few years,
11:09 but we're still waiting on a full version, Victor.
11:11 ♪ That there's always been a rainbow hanging over ♪
11:18 ♪ Your head ♪
11:20 - Before we unveil our top pick,
11:28 here are some honorable mentions.
11:30 Wrecking Ball, B, Gladys Knight.
11:33 Where else would you hear the Empress of Soul
11:35 do a Miley cover?
11:36 ♪ I came in like an angel ♪
11:40 ♪ I never kept so high, no ♪
11:44 ♪ All I wanted was to break the mold ♪
11:48 - She sounds amazing!
11:49 - The Greatest Show, Peacock, Donny Osmond.
11:53 The show's first ever contestant
11:54 started things off on the right note.
11:56 ♪ We line it up, we won't come down ♪
11:59 ♪ I guess the time can't stop us now ♪
12:02 ♪ Watching it come true is taking over you ♪
12:05 ♪ Oh, this is the greatest show ♪
12:08 - Someone You Loved, Rottweiler, Chris Daughtry.
12:11 The rocker shocked with this Lewis Capaldi cover.
12:14 ♪ I let my guard down ♪
12:16 ♪ And then you pulled the rug ♪
12:19 ♪ I was getting kinda used to being someone you love ♪
12:23 - Try A Little Tenderness, Fox, Wayne Brady.
12:26 The song and dance man was always a crowd pleaser.
12:29 ♪ Oh, it's a candy dance, yeah ♪
12:33 ♪ Watch it through, yeah ♪
12:35 ♪ You know what you got to do ♪
12:38 - Million Reasons, Night Angel, Kandi Burruss.
12:41 The musician and Real Housewife
12:43 gave the audience a million reasons to vote for her.
12:45 ♪ I've got a hundred million reasons to walk away ♪
12:50 ♪ But baby, I just need one good one to stay ♪
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13:19 Number one, When The Party's Over, Son, Leigh-Anne Rimes.
13:24 The show's entire concept,
13:26 dressing celebrities in silly and ornate costumes
13:29 while they sing other people's songs,
13:30 doesn't seem to suggest it could make you cry.
13:33 ♪ But nothing ever stops you leaving ♪
13:38 ♪ Quiet when I'm coming home on my own ♪
13:43 - Season four winner Leigh-Anne Rimes did just that
13:47 when she delivered a truly heart-stopping version
13:49 of Billie Eilish's When The Party's Over.
13:51 In costume as the son,
13:53 Rimes' cover is haunting, elegant,
13:55 and absolutely breathtaking.
13:57 ♪ And I'll call you when the party's over ♪
14:06 - Even behind the mask,
14:07 she manages to convey the song's deeply personal narrative
14:10 without ever dipping a toe into camp territory.
14:13 It doesn't seem like it should be as beautiful as it is.
14:17 That's what makes it even more powerful.
14:19 It's completely unexpected.
14:21 ♪ I can lie and say I like it like that ♪
14:25 ♪ Like it like that ♪
14:28 - Do you agree with our picks?
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