Already have an account?
Get back to the

‘The Masked Singer’ Winner T-Pain Reveals Why He Chose the Monster Costume

No more disguise necessary! T-Pain, who is best known for using auto-tune on his hit songs, proved to the world he definitely doesn’t need any tuning when he competed on – and won – the first season of The Masked Singer, which came to an end on Wednesday, February 27.

Related: Every Celeb Gets Revealed on 'The Masked Singer': Photos

The rapper, whose real name is Faheem Rasheed Najm, chose a monster costume to compete and revealed during his clue videos that some people considered him to be one – but that’s actually not the reason he chose the costume.

‘The Masked Singer’ Winner T-Pain Reveals Why He Chose the Monster Costume
T-Pain chats with Ellen Degeneres about ‘The Masked Singer.’ Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.

“When I went into it and we were picking the costumes, all the costumes were available, but I picked the silliest looking one because I thought I was going to be gone on the first episode because I have a real distinct voice,” the “Buy U a Drank” singer, 33, said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Friday, March 1. “So I felt like, if I’m gonna embarrass myself, I might as well just take it to the highest level!”

Related: Celebs Who Love Reality TV

However, he later regretted his choice since the costume was so heavy. “I didn’t think it through! It was hot, Ellen. It was not a cool situation,” he said. “I think I picked the worst costume to be in for that long. Everyone else’s was a mask and just clothes. I picked a cylinder for some reason and just a giant head. But that came from me wanting to get in one of those costumes – always going to theme parks you always wonder!”

‘The Masked Singer’ Winner T-Pain Reveals Why He Chose the Monster Costume
T-Pain and host Nick Cannon on ‘The Masked Singer.’ Michael Becker/FOX

The singer then explained that people constantly recognize his normal voice, so he was shocked the panel of judges didn’t realize it was him. “My speaking voice, people tell me is weird. I don’t hear it,” he told DeGeneres.

Related: TV Shows Gone Too Soon

His friends and family immediately noticed, he added, saying he got a text from Lil Wayne after the first episode: “He was like, ‘How do they not know it’s you in the mask, bro?’”

‘The Masked Singer’ Winner T-Pain Reveals Why He Chose the Monster Costume
T-Pain performing in the monster costume on ‘The Masked Singer.’ Michael Becker/FOX

While T-Pain came in first place, Donny Osmond (as the peacock) finished as the runner up and Gladys Knight (as the bee) came in third.

The Masked Singer has been renewed for a second season at Fox.

In this article

Got a Tip form close button
Got a tip for US?
We're All Ears for Celebrity Buzz!