Sailing into the new season of The Masked Singer is a celebrity disguised in an elaborate Ship costume.
But who is behind the mast of this complex look?!
The Masked Singer, FOX’s #1 unscripted show, returns for it’s 12th season this September. That means, an entirely new lineup of stars will hide beneath detailed ensembles.
In the first sneak peek of the show, we meet Ship, who establishes themselves as the one to beat with a glorious performance.
But did they also give themselves away with the first note? Let’s discuss!
Who Is Ship on ‘The Masked Singer’?
The season premiere episode won’t air until Wednesday, Sept 25th on Fox, but fans still were able to play along with judges Ken Jeong, Rita Ora, Robin Thicke and Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg on guessing the idenity of one of the contestants.
In a first look performance, we meet Ship, a performer draped in nautical details from head to foot. The steampunk gown comes complete with anchors, pirate paraphernalia, and a wig we’re sure Shonda Rimes is eyeing up for Queen Charlotte to wear next season on Bridgerton!
The mysterious singer performs a slowed down, almost spooky version of Bastille’s “Pompeii,” much to the delight of the judges. From the looks on their faces, they’re clearly blown away by the singer’s range and cover of the song.
But who could be behind the mask? A few strong theories popped up almost immediately from fans.
Who Is Ship? Hints, Clues, & Guesses
New this season, clues will be “strategically embedded in costumes, in song choices and on-stage moments.” That means, even before the season premiere, there were clues for fans to decipher from Ship’s look and their song choice.
For us, there’s a clear frontrunner, but we’ve also included a few other guesses:
Annie Lennox
The Eurythmics singer has a legendary voice and while and English accent isn’t super prominent, it’s still a bit decipherable in the high notes if you listen carefully. Plus, if song choice is a clue, one of the most beloved Eurythmics videos is for the song “Here Comes The Rain Again”, which takes place during a storm. Ship’s first performance is pretty stormy!
Tracy Chapman
The beloved Grammy winner isn’t much for performing, but has enjoyed a renaissance in the last two years after Luke Coombs covered her classic, “Fast Car”. The pair even performed the song together at the Grammys in 2024. Being a rather reclusive performer, it would make perfect sense for Tracy to embrace performing with the help of a disguise. And honestly, we can hear it in the voice.
Cher
Now, this would be a MASSIVE get for The Masked Singer. Honestly, all of these women would be huge. But Cher is “retired,” so having her perform live right now just amps up the excitement. A lot of fans chattering about the Internet think she is the clear guess. They’re looking to the “clues” in her costume as the proof. Remember when she was on a navy ship for her video for ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’?