The Masked Singer‘s Wasp – now revealed as Mario – tried to fool fans all season long, but they stopped him immediately.

“A lot of them knew who I was in the first show,” the 38-year-old singer said exclusively Us weekly before the season finale airs on Wednesday, December 18, on Fox. “I had family members, friends, other artists, some of my colleagues say to me, ‘Yo, is that you?’ The Masked Singer? Because I know your voice, you can’t hide it so well.'”

The “Let Me Love You” hitmaker tried to unnerve viewers by choosing songs that were outside his comfort zone – Demi Lovatois “skyscraper” and Benson Booneis, for example, “Beautiful Things” – but he couldn’t hide his characteristic vocals.

“A lot of people reached out to me and insisted that they knew it was me, and I just had to keep denying, denying, denying it,” Mario said. “Even in interviews, even on social media with fans and comments, I’m like, ‘Guys, I don’t know who this Wasp is!’ Let me check out this guy because he really sounds like me. “I’m just trying to throw people off, but it didn’t work.”

It didn’t help that he’s currently busy promoting his new album. I’m glad you camewhich dropped on Friday, December 13th. It’s hard to hide when you’re in the middle of the promotional cycle, but Mario said appearing on the show felt like a full-circle moment for him.

“For me it’s a win-win situation because I like authenticity,” he says Rich Alum explains. “I really wanted to connect with people and really remind them of who I was as a person and as a talent, and I think that’s what this show does for me.”

As part of this connection, Mario asked for some input on his Wasp costume, which he wanted to reflect some of the ups and downs he’s been through in real life.

“We were able to talk about, ‘Okay, I want the wasp to have some broken wings.’ “I want his wings to have some holes in them,” he said Us. “I wanted it to look like he’s been through something, but he pushes through and still stands by what he loves and what he believes in. I definitely relate to it. I mean, I’ve been in the industry moving and on the move since I was 14, so I can relate to the fact that the Wasp is always moving and on the move.”

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Who is that? This question is asked multiple times by panelists on The Masked Singer every episode, and the answer is: Everyone. Since the show premiered in January 2019, celebrity participants have included Joey Fatone, Michelle Williams, Tori Spelling, Mickey Rourke, Patti LaBelle, Kelly Osbourne, Bret Michaels, Lil Wayne, Jordyn Woods, Wendy Williams, (…)

Mario won’t get much of a break when he gets going next year either Mary J. Blige‘S For my fans Tour with buddy Ne-Yo (Who won? The Masked Singer Season 10 and served as Wasp’s Masked Ambassador). From April he will start his own business I’m glad you came Tour through Europe.

“The fact that this record is being called I’m glad you came is really kind of the title for everything in my life right now, from television to an audience to the release of this album, which represents the growth, confidence and creativity that I’ve fostered over the last few years to get there get to where I am “I am now,” he explained. “It’s a feeling, it’s a mood, it’s an intention. So I think it all comes down to how I want people to remember me, how I want people to hear and experience the music. And I think at the end of the day the intent is to create things that are timeless.”