TooFab spoke with Kramer after she was unmasked as a royal knight on Thursday and shared how the show helped her regain confidence as a performer.

“It was great. I had so much more fun because I feel like even though sometimes I’m confident, sometimes I’m just not confident at all,” she shared. “And my self-esteem… I think I was definitely more confident in my 20s and 30s.”

“I would always say… ‘I’m not the best singer,’ because I always knew there was someone better who was on my label, or I only got my record deal because I was there.” A tree hill“And all those things,” she continued. “And that’s why I think I always kind of held back because I was never praised as the person who had a good voice.”

“Through this show I was able to gain a bit of confidence because I wasn’t putting any pressure on myself. I didn’t care about the verdict.”

Kramer said she was also “pleasantly surprised” by both the comments from fans who guessed her early on and the judges’ comments.

“They compared me to some singers who had crazy voices. So I thought, ‘Okay, maybe I’m not as bad as I thought,'” Kramer joked.

And fans have been throwing her name into the ring for a few weeks now, with Kramer telling TooFab she was “shocked” at how many people were completely transparent with her TMS Appearances during her three-episode run on the show.

“When I go into the comments section of Masked Singer, they say, ‘That’s Jana Kramer! That’s Jana Kramer!’, and I was shocked that so many people guessed me,” Kramer said when asked who she thinks will be surprised to see her unmasked.

“So I don’t know because I feel like I don’t have the best voice. I have a very distinct voice, so I feel like the people who know me know it,” she continued. “They say, ‘You can try to deceive us and say, Well, I don’t know.’ I thought, “Oh, that’s weird.” Why do you think it’s me? And they say, “Shut up.” So I don’t think there will be any surprises.

Kramer said she “arrived exactly where she was going to end up” during the competition.

“There are so many great singers and I was happy with the three episodes. I was just so excited because I knew I wouldn’t make it to the end. So in my head, when I know it’s me, I’m not going to fully commit to anything, I’m like, ‘Let’s just do a few episodes and then go back to my kids,'” she explained. “It was so much fun and I was really happy with it, and there’s incredible talent there, so it wasn’t sad that I only got three episodes.”

Kramer’s TMS gig isn’t the only thing she’s grateful for – this Thanksgiving she’ll also get the opportunity to spend time with her family in Michigan, some of whom she and her husband Alan Russell are meeting one-year-old sonnovel, for the first time.

“We have the big ones, Jolie and Jace,” Kramer said of her oldest children, 8 and 5, whom she shares with her ex. Mike Caussin. “So we’re in Michigan right now… with the family and my grandma is meeting Roman for the first time. So it’s definitely a special little Thanksgiving. Our buddy.”

It’s come full circle for the proud mother, who has experienced years of ups and downs in the public eye, including her public split from Caussin and being able to watch the show with her husband and three children abusive first marriage to Michael Gambino.

“The circle closes. “I’m very grateful and I hope that it gives hope to other people who are either lost or feeling hopeless and that they don’t get to have that fairytale ending because I think it’s out there for everyone,” Kramer gushed. “It’s just a question of whether we can do it or not.”

While Kramer’s divorce from Caussin was messy in 2021, the two are on good terms these days A tree hill Alum even had him with him Whine Podcast – and to count him among the lucky few who know something about them TMS Perfomance.

And although the show took her away from her children, Kramer said she would like to do it again someday.

“I mean, listen, I take every experience I have and find something to learn from and grow from, and that’s why I’m always open to anything,” she said.

The Masked Singer advances to the quarterfinals and returns to its regular night schedule next Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.