The unmasked contestant tells EW that last season’s Seahorse, a.k.a.
Tori Kelly, was one of the biggest reasons she agreed to do the show.
Warning: This article contains spoilers about Wednesday’s season 5 finale ofThe Masked Singer.
Black Swan performing on ‘The Masked Singer’.Michael Becker/FOX
knew she was on this season, and her upcoming new music.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: In the finale, you talked about being scared to doThe Masked Singer.
Why did it scare you?
JoJo performs on stage during the ‘Mad Love’ tour in 2017.Mat Hayward/Getty Images
JOJO:Because it looks so crazy!
And I hadn’t really watched it until last season.
It was super heavy.
Jojo unmasked as Black Swan on ‘The Masked Singer’.Michael Becker/FOX
It kind of felt like singing into a pillow.
It really forced me to not take myself too seriously, which is definitely something that I needed.
But even when you know it’s something you need, sometimes it’s still nerve-wracking to face it.
The contestants do make it look so easy.
Yeah, nobody could have prepared, I think, for what it feels like in there.
Sometimes you do things you think you’d never do, and it ends up being a game changer.
I’m glad I said yes.
I have a blue bird on my arm that’s part of my most recent tattoo I love birds.
They really inspire me, and I wish I could fly.
Something really colorful, and attention-grabbing like that.
And now I know, because the Phoenix was on this season too, so they already had that.
But, in that spirit, they showed me Black Swan.
They showed me the design for her, and I was just like, wow.
She’s so stunning and rare and mysterious and powerful, all things that I want to embody.
So, it wasn’t even a question once I saw her.
That was so crazy.
I found out we were singing her song at the end of [the season].
I just thought that was ironic.
I watched every episode.
It was like a glorious TV moment when she turned around and was unveiled [on the finale].
I was like, “Oh, I love this!”
You changed up the arrangements and styles of so many of your performances.
How did you go about making those decisions, and how much of it was Fox’s call?
I was open to it, and it ended up being one of my favorites.
So it wasn’t just me that was choosing the songs, it was definitely a collaborative experience.
Did you have a favorite performance from the season?
I mean, all of them were fun for different reasons.
Like that Stevie Wonder song “Do I Do” is one of my favorite songs in general.
And then probably the finale, too, that Michael Bolton song.
So, I would say that’s one of my favorites.
You said on the show that you didn’t come to win, but you got really close!
So I wasn’t expecting at all to make it past even the first round.
And it’s so much about are people endeared to the character and do they like the journey?
And do they like the song selection?
It’s a lot of different things that come into play.
That was really what I was excited about.
I didn’t expect to win or to stay, ever.
Did they reach out to you to be like, hey, I know you’re Black Swan?
It just sounded like something that she had so much fun with.
I love this song."
Is this what I think I hear?
Like, are my ears fooling me?
And I wanted them to be able to have that experience, too, even my family and friends.
I know you have some new music coming out.
What can you tell me about it?
Just being an artist, you’re able to be so vulnerable.
That’s how I feel, at least.
That’s what I love to do.
So I just want to continue to do more of that.
When can we expect the new music?
So the “Creature of Habit"video is coming out tomorrowat 1 p.m.
ET, and I’m going to put out a capsule project in the fall.
And then another project that I’m working on next year, and a tour as well.
What surprised you the most about your time onThe Masked Singer?
I really grew close to these people over the weeks, because it was just such a unique experience.
