A path to learning the identity of Pearl on The Masked Singer was right in front of fans the whole time. The Season 13 winner dropped clues like the rest of the cast, but there was something more obvious if you knew where to look.
Wednesday night’s (May 7) finale unveiled two country singers among the final four contestants. Taste of Country had the chance to speak with both, and they both felt the same way about the show.
Pearl (and the rest of the cast’s) identity will be revealed below, just before our full conversation.
- The Masked Singer aired on FOX.
- Edwin McCain, Flavor Flav and Oscar De La Hoya were among contestants revealed earlier in the season.
- Country stars who’ve performed in seasons past include Hunter Hayes and Clint Black (with Lisa Hartman Black).
Related: Masked Singer Mad Scientist Interview: Reality Show ‘Freed’ Him [Exclusive]
Who Is Pearl on the Masked Singer?
It was fun to be a country fan as the four judges threw around names like spaghetti to a wall. Faith Hill, Sheryl Crow, Madonna — it wasn’t quite clear if they were purposely guessing wrong, because the right answer was so obvious.
In March, the internet went crazy with speculation as the show debuted, and as it turns out, those initial guesses were absolutely right.
The Masked Singer‘s Pearl was Gretchen Wilson. In some ways, the two are still one.
“I do think that Gretchen Wilson learned a lot from being Pearl,” the “Redneck Woman” singer tells Taste of Country. “And, I think Pearl definitely taught Gretchen a lot about who she is.”
Runner-up Boogey Woogie turned out to be Andy Grammer. Coral was Meg Donnelly, and the Mad Scientist? He was country music’s own Brian Kelley (Florida Georgia Line).
It’s not clear if those other three had a tie to the character chosen for them, but Wilson does. According to The Bump (as well as other sites like Ancestry.com), “Gretchen” is a German name that means “pearl” or “little pearl.”
Taste of Country: Is that The Masked Singer trophy I see behind you?
Gretchen Wilson (Pearl): Yes. Crazy, though. I was setting all this up because I’ve never done one of these, and it was like, everybody has a really cool look behind them. So I decided to take my awards and put them there.
But as I was setting them out … so this was Season 13 of The Masked Singer — that’s my 13th trophy. It’s my 13th. I counted them as I was sitting there. Isn’t that crazy?
Masked Singer Pearl
How does this stack up? I mean, I’m sure the Female Vocalist of the Year was pretty big, but this one’s gotta feel pretty special, too.
Something I never thought I’d do. I said no, like, three times in the past.
Just timing wasn’t good. I was on tour or something was happening, I’m not sure. And this time it was just a perfect moment for me. I was going through some health stuff and I was like, in this place where it was like, if I can go do this, then I’ve still got it.
If I can go manage to just even endure the competition … I wasn’t thinking about winning. I was just thinking about, do I have it in me at my age to come back like that and can I still get out there? I was questioning, you know, do I still have what it takes to get out there and do 75 minutes, you know, hot festival type shows again? And so this was really my way of telling myself, proving to myself, do I hang it up or do I keep going? That was the reason I said yes.
Did you have to kind of redneck down a little bit or change some words you used to make sure you weren’t identified?
I didn’t have to consciously do that, because for whatever reason, the moment that I got into the costume, even just looking at, just wearing one of the gloves, I feel a little more feminine.
There’s just something about stepping into Pearl — and I still keep us very separated. I mean, I realized that that obviously was a part of my personality. It’s just something that I never felt comfortable enough to show. And I think it’s, you know, years of having been the “Redneck Woman,” years of having fans coming to me and expecting this one thing, and me being who I am … but there’s just so much more to me, and I don’t feel like I ever had an arena to show that.
I mean, can you imagine me going out in concert and going, “Tonight, I’m going to do songs from Nat King Cole!”? You know, they would have been like, we want our money back.
I just talked to the Mad Scientist, who was Brian Kelley, and he shared something similar about how the show really freed him. As you hit the road this year, is the show going to change in any sort of tangible way?
I don’t know because I haven’t gotten there yet. I do know that I’ve been just … it’s been killing me not to talk about this. I’ve done several shows and all I can think is, ‘I can’t wait until the encore. I can come back out maybe with just the glove on and I can sing anything I want’.
Because now I’m Pearl, you know? And the encore can change. There are little pieces of it that I’d like to include, but the main structure of how my show runs. I’m going on 52 years old — I’ve been doing this the same way for a long time. This is who I am and who I’ve always been, it’s gonna continue.
What do people not understand about what it’s like inside that suit?
It’s uncomfortable. It’s very hot. It’s heavy. There are lots of layers. Any time you think you’re seeing skin, you’re not. Even if it looks like skin, that’s a skin suit. It is. There is no part of your fingertip, earlobe or anything that can be seen.
That’s part of the beauty of the show, that they keep everybody so in the dark, you know? I mean, four weeks solid of being in a pipe and drape curtain right next to somebody and still not knowing who they are all the way till the very end. I mean, it’s really, it’s magical.
-Pearl Masked Singer 1
Ken thought you were Madonna, which just had to have been the coolest thing in the world.
Well, I think my expression was kind of the same as the audience. Huh? And only because, I mean, Madonna is so Madonna that she would have given herself away, I think, instantly.
And also Madonna is so Madonna. I’m not sure that she would be on that show. But you never know.
I think you’re the second country music winner. I think LeAnn Rimes won way back when, and you.
Yeah. That’s pretty awesome. That’s really awesome. I’m definitely proud. I’m proud that I said yes. I’m proud that I went and did it. I’m proud that it was hard. I’m proud that I had all of that to prove to myself, and I’m proud that The Masked Singer helped me prove it.
The Best Gretchen Wilson Songs Beyond ‘Redneck Woman’
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
See the Most Played Country Song from the Year You Were Born
Who had the most played country song during the year you were born? This list is a fascinating time capsule of prevalent trends from every decade in American history. Scroll through to find your birth year and then click to listen. Some of these songs have been lost through the years, many of them for good reason!
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
