Macy Gray has finally addressed the controversial incident on The Masked Singer Australia in 2021, where she was accused of refusing to leave after being voted off. The American singer, 58, has now clarified that the confusion arose from producers asking her to return to the stage for an encore performance after her elimination, which she firmly declined.
Behind the Scenes of the Masked Singer Incident
The 'I Try' hitmaker, whose real name is Natalie Renée McIntyre, appeared on the Channel Ten singing competition in 2021. After being unmasked as Atlantis, she became visibly upset. Series judge Dave Hughes later claimed she 'refused to leave' the set, leading to an awkward standoff with producers. However, Gray now explains that the request to perform an encore after losing was simply too much to bear.
'I just wanted to get out of there, I just wanted to go. I didn't want to stick around. You know, nobody wants to lose, and then to come out and sing a song?' Gray told news.com.au. 'I just don't... It's very intense, you know?'
The Encore Tour Down Under
The Ohio-born singer also announced she will be returning to Australia later this year for a massive 21-show tour, dubbed 'The Encore Tour'. The tour kicks off at Hamer Hall in Melbourne on Friday, September 11th, before moving to Adelaide, Hobart, Sydney, Canberra, and Brisbane. Gray will also perform in smaller cities including Byron Bay, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Townsville, and Cairns.
Judge Dave Hughes Recounts the Standoff
In September 2021, Dave Hughes described the incident on 2Day FM's Morning Crew. 'Macy Gray had such passion for The Masked Singer that when she was told that she had to leave, she refused to,' the comedian said. 'She said, "No, I'm continuing in the show," and there had to be a discussion which went for quite a while as to, "No, you have to leave." She said, "No, I'm not."'
Co-host Ed Kavalee added: 'So, she still had the head on, and they're saying, "Hey, Macy-slash-Atlantis, we need you to take the head off so you can go." [And] she's responding, "No I'm keeping the head on"?'
The Unmasking of Atlantis
Gray was unmasked as Atlantis during a suspenseful episode, while radio host Kyle Sandilands was revealed as guest character Rubble from Paw Patrol. Comedian Urzila Carlson correctly guessed Atlantis, while other judges speculated Rihanna, Noni Hazlehurst, and Bonnie Tyler. Atlantis ultimately lost to Lightning after viewers cast their votes.
