The Masked Singer is back! Before season 10 officially premieres on Sept. 27, everyone’s favorite mystery singing competition will return with a special kick-off episode at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday night — and Billboard has exclusive previews of two very special duets below.
The first duet combines an eight-time Grammy-nominated boy band alum with the rapper behind the hits “Like You” (with Ciara) and “Let Me Hold You” (with Omarion): *NSYNC’s Joey Fatone and Bow Wow belt their hearts out while covering The Jackson 5’s “ABC,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970.
Fatone competed in the first season of The Masked Singer. As Rabbit, he performed songs such as Bell Bev DeVoe’s “Poison” and finished fourth. In 2020, Bow Wow competed on the third season of The Masked Singer as Frog; he finished in third place and delivered memorable covers of Imagine Dragons’ “Whatever It Takes” and Naughty by Nature’s “Hip Hop Hooray.”
As for the other duet, Grammy-winning Destiny’s Child member and chart-topping gospel artist Michelle Williams joins forces with Dancing With the Stars victor Rumer Willis for a rousing rendition of “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” which was a top 10 hit for Aretha Franklin on the Hot 100 in 1967. As the two ladies belt and harmonize over the tasteful arrangement, the judges’ panel — which includes Ken Jeong, Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy and Nicole Scherzinger — sing along in awe.
Willis finished fifth in the first season of The Masked Singer; the actress competed as the Lion, and her final performance was a rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing.” In 2019, Williams competed as Butterfly on season 2 of The Masked Singer. Three years later, she competed as Rockhopper on season 3 of the British version of The Masked Singer. Later that year, she appeared on season 4 of The Masked Singer Australia as Microphone — making her the first celebrity to compete in three versions of the show.
The treats don’t stop there: In addition to the two duets, NBA star Victor Oladipo (Thingamajig on season 2), Barry Zito (The Rhino, season 3) and judge Scherzinger will team up for a trio performance. And The Masked Singer also revealed the special mystery guest who will perform and be unmasked on Sunday’s episode: ANONYMOUSE.
