Judges Jonathan Ross, Davina McCall, Mo Gilligan and Maya Jama were left stunned and surprised before host Joel Dommett announced she would return to the stage. She then took off her headpiece and revealed herself as Macy Gray to the applause and delight of the audience and judges.

Though she received high praise from Jama as an “idol and an icon”, and “amazing” by Davina, she still seemed quite reserved and unimpressed, giving one-word answers to the compliments and questions.

A source for the Sun has suggested that the ‘I Try’ songstress was “blindsided” by her early elimination, saying that she felt “gutted to be out so early because she really enjoyed being on the American version – when obviously she did brilliantly – so was totally blindsided.”

The insider added: “It was the shock of it for her as well as the upset and in that moment, she had a very raw, human reaction and wanted out. For a professional performer to reach that point shows how badly she felt.”

She’s previously appeared on the Australian version of The Masked Singer in 2021, as the character Atlantis, and in the American version in 2023 as Sea Queen.

The panel had suggested earlier in the show that Gray was the musician behind the mask, after singing a rendition of Boney M’s ‘Sunny’. Mo Gilligan also suspected that it might be American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman beneath the Toad costume.

Since the walkout, judge Maya Jama has shared a clip of Gray’s exit on Instagram, jokingly writing that it’s “Me at any minor inconvenience”.

Host Joel Dommett also commented on the incident during an interview on BBC Radio 2 with Paddy McGuiness, offering a more optimistic take on the singers exit: “If you’re a great singer and you make it through then that’s absolutely wonderful, but sometimes, like the case with Macy Gray, she has such a recognisable voice and she’s a legend so you immediately know who it is.”

“So it’s kind of one of those where we all know who it is, she might as well go and then the other person can go through as we don’t quite know who they are. So the guessing game continues.”

Dommett added: “The funny thing is, I think it’s a win-win scenario on that game – whether you go through to the final it’s a win as you’re winning it. But also if you go home early it’s a win because you get to go early and you get the same money.”

The show’s latest series premiered last Saturday (January 4), with six contestants in the running. Two other celebrities have been revealed as masked vocalists so far – Spag Bol was identified as Good Morning Britain‘s Kate Garraway after performing Geri Halliwell‘s ‘Look At Me’. Pegasus was also revealed to be Great British Bake Off‘s Prue Leith, who sang ‘Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin” from the musical Oklahoma!

The Masked singer airs on ITV and ITVX – you can watch all previous episodes here.

Following Simpson’s The Masked Singer win, he shared the announcement of his EP to his fans on Instagram, where he posted a video singing ”Use Somebody” and takes off the Rhino mask he wore on the show. During the video, an on-screen statement from the musician is shown, stating ”Well this has been a hard secret to keep… Reading all of your comments each week has been awesome. Ive been so blown away by all the support. So I’ve decided to release a few songs I sang on the show, as an EP named ‘KIFARU,’ the Swahili word for rhino.I hope you like it. Big love x”

During the final of The Masked Singer and prior to Charlie Simpson’s win, other disguised contestants were revealed. 49-year-old pop-star, Natalie Appleton, from girl group All Saints, was revealed as Fawn, whereas Phoenix was revealed as Kaiser Chief’s frontman, Ricky Wilson. After Simpson was unveiled as the man behind the rhino mask, The Masked Singer panellist Rita Ora asked Simpson, ”So can I ask you, were you taken back by the experience?” to which he responded ”I was terrified the entire time because the thing I was scared most about was remembering lyrics, because I often forget lyrics to my own songs on stage.”

During his Unmasked interview, he explains that the experience was a ”rollacoaster of emotions” and reflects on his time on the show.

 The Dad-of-two is renowned for his distinctive vocal tone and astounding music career, during bands and as a solo artist, releasing twelve studio albums overall. Charlie Simpson is most well-known for being a part of Pop-Punk band, Busted, from Southend-On-Sea, Essex. Alongside Simpson, the band consists of James Bourne and Matt Willis. During their career, the band has had four UK number one singles and released four studio albums, self-titled album Busted (2002), A Present for Everyone (2003), Night Driver (2016) and Half Way There (2019). Selling over five million records, the band also won two Brit awards. Charlie Simpson also fronted London Rock band, FightStar, with band members Alex Westaway, Omar Abidi and Dan Haigh. FightStar released four studio albums as a band before their hiatus in 2015, Grand Unification (2006), Be Human (2009), One Day Son, This Will All Be Yours (2007) and Behind the Devil’s Back (2015). Simpson also succeeded in a career as a solo artist releasing four studio albums, Young Pilgrim (2011), Long Road home (2014), Little Hands (2016) and Hope is A Drug (2022). 

   KIFARU is available to listen to on all streaming platforms.