SPOILER ALERT: This article contains the name of the singer who was eliminated on Wednesday night’s (November 20) episode of The Masked Singer.

So far season 12 of The Masked Singer has already seen the usual mix of athletes, singers, actors and media personalities sent home, including John Elway (Leaf Sheep), Yvette Nicole Brown (Snowbird), Paula Cole (Ship), Marsai Martin (Woodpecker), Andy Richter (Dust Bunny), Laverne Cox (chess piece) and Natalie Imbruglia (Bluebell).

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So the stakes were high Wednesday night as the Group C singers kicked off with a collaboration on Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA,” with Ice King, Strawberry Shortcake, Royal Knight and Sherlock Hound taking the stage together following the elimination of previous week their groupmate Macaron (surfer Bethany Hamilton).

Last week, last Masked contestants Hanson revealed in a clue package that Ice King had topped the charts around the world, sold out stadiums and was given the “royal treatment as if he were one of The Beatles”, before retiring from the spotlight. That could have been anyone, so Wednesday night’s clue package pretty much gave the game away, with the King noting that he can really relate to Miley because they’ve both learned how the media can be “totally uncool” and that he this year has been part of a “firestorm” from the press.

That revelation was a prelude to Ice King’s passionate cover of Cyrus’ Plastic hearts hit “Midnight Sky,” which he sang amid a noise storm of fake snow. It followed Hot Chelle Rae’s recording of Hot Chelle Rae’s 2011 Billboard Hot 100 No. 7 hit “Tonight Tonight.”

The judges’ guesses were all over the place: Robin Thicke praised the King’s “rock” energy, but didn’t come up with a Teen Choice Award winner that lived up to expectations, even though Ken Jeong, who was always wrong, doubled down on his guess . from last week: Joe Jonas. Rita Ora spoke with Shia LaBeouf, a possible former child star who’s been through it, though Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg vacillated between James Franco and the real man behind the mask: three-time Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award winner Drake Bell.

The child actor who started his career in the sitcom Home improvement before becoming a Nickelodeon superstar The Amanda Show, Drake & Jos And The rather strange parents also sang on the Drake & Jos soundtrack and released his debut album, Telegraphin 2005. He followed with his breakthrough in 2006 It’s just time and 2014 Ready Steady Go! and has since independently released two albums: 2020’s The Lost Album and this year’s Non-stop flight.

Earlier this year, Bell, 38, revealed in the Quiet on the set: the dark side of children’s television documentary that his dialogue coach Brian Peck had repeatedly sexually abused him during his Nickelodeon years, starting when Bell was 15; Peck was arrested in 2003 and convicted of lewd conduct with a minor.

Billboard spoke with Bell ahead of Wednesday night’s elimination episode and found out why he loved his costume, how TikTok sleuths baffled him and what his next era might look like.

What made you want to do it Masked singer this season? Are you a fan of the show?

Absolutely. What’s interesting is that I got the opportunity to do this Masked singer in Mexico (last year), so I had experience getting in. I was Baby Alien (holds the cute stuffed Baby Alien doll to the camera) and I’m on tour doing meet-and-greets and a fan made me this animal.

You have a young son at home. Did he see you on the show?

He’s a little too young. … I don’t think he would tell his friends, but I had to keep it a secret. I hope he can watch it tonight and when I take my head off he’s like, ‘Wait, what? That was Dada?”

Every participant complains about how hot and uncomfortable the costumes are. Tell me about the Ice King costume. Why did it appeal to you?

The costume designers helped me so much because my costume was so easy to move. But not the Mexican costume; That was a very nice costume. Every 15 minutes I asked for a fan or took the head off. But this one was great and it was so light and easy to move around in. The moment I saw it, I saw this big character, the king and his big mustache and cape… (I thought) ‘So much is going to happen with playing.” I completely lost myself in the character.

You seemed to really go for it with the Hot Chelle Rae song. What inspired you to choose it? It seems a bit out of your usual vibe.

It’s totally out of my wheelhouse, but is definitely a guilty pleasure song. It’s cool because when I wear the costume I’m not aware of what people will think. It allows you to lose yourself and find the character and sing songs that you wouldn’t normally sing.

The package hinted that you and Miley both understood the difficulties of growing up in the Hollywood spotlight, so why ‘Midnight Sky’?

I honestly just think about the mood of the song. I like older music, from the sixties, seventies and eighties, and it had a real vintage feel to it. As soon as I heard it, I thought: this must be it. It was the closest to what I’m doing.

You’ve made movies, TV, albums and video games, but this is your first competition show. What was your goal? Did you want to win?

First of all, it’s just fun. This was a chance to have fun and they really allow you to play the game. You always think it’s smoke and mirrors and it’s all Hollywood and the contestants know who the other contestants are. But it’s mysterious and we really have no idea who anyone else is. When you leave the hotel, you are completely covered, gloves and all. You look at how tall they are and try to listen to their performance, but all you hear is the singer right in front of you. You don’t have lunch together or rehearse together. So you play along with the game.

Did anyone in your life immediately realize it was you under that costume?

I didn’t think anyone would ever guess or recognize my voice, but I was watching a clip on TikTok and in the comments section every comment was, “Oh, this is Drake Bell.” They said, “This is Drake because when he sings on stage without a guitar, when you look at a picture his hands are like this and when you look at Ice King his hands are like this too.” The first night they thought it was me? I thought I would be the furthest thing from anyone’s thoughts.

Was there anything about being masked that appealed to you as someone who has spent so much time with their face in the spotlight? Was there any comfort in that?

There’s a total comfort, like when I do voice-over work on the Ultimate Spider-Man. For example, when you’re doing fight scenes, you move your face in a way to get the sounds out. If you were in front of the camera, you wouldn’t make those faces because you would worry about how you look. But if you have the right voice behind the mask, you don’t have to worry about anyone saying, “Wow, Drake Bell can’t dance.” Or “Why does Drake Bell sing this song?”

It’s clearly been a hectic and intense year for you now that you’re back in the spotlight. Do you feel like it? Masked singer is a chance to get a “second chance” in Hollywood?

I certainly have that feeling. Being able to do something that’s so fun and music-driven when I’ve just released a new album and am now on tour – life works in mysterious ways, but it all came together at the right time. As I launch the new record and reintroduce myself to the world, this is really cool.

You said you had the Non-stop flight album earlier this year. Can we expect more music from you soon?

The album is big, 25 songs, and it’s a total concept album that sounds like you’re on an airplane, with announcements from the flight attendant and the captain. It’s a journey through my life and the most autobiographical, self-reflective album I’ve released. … Songs about the past, the present, the future, the good, the bad, ugly, ups and downs. It took four years to complete it, and every time I thought I was done, I wrote a new song and something happened. I’d also like to get back on screen and now I’m really focused on the work I’m doing at a production company and want to do more writing, directing and producing and hopefully get to the other side (of the camera). .

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