Edwin McCain Unmasked as Nessy on ‘The Masked Singer’

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Edwin McCain, the singer-songwriter known for his 1990s hit “I’ll Be,” was unmasked as Nessy on Season 13 of Fox’s “The Masked Singer” during its April 23 episode titled “Soundtrack of My Life Night.” McCain performed Lady Gaga‘s “Million Reasons” before revealing his identity.

In an interview following the reveal, McCain explained his motivation for joining the show. “Honestly, I’ve done so many different things in my career, like we’ve landed on an aircraft carrier off the coast of Korea and played for the sailors on board,” he said. “I was like, of course, I’ll do that.” He noted that performing in the Nessy costume proved to be a significant challenge. “It was about 10,000 degrees in there, but they gave me a vest that had ice packs all over it, which made it doable,” he added.

During the episode, fellow panelist Robin Thicke guessed correctly that McCain was under the Nessy costume. “I didn’t figure Robin would know anything about me, honestly,” McCain said. “To be fair, he is a student of music, so he does know.” Alongside Thicke, panelists Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg, Rita Ora, and Ken Jeong took guesses on Nessy’s identity.

McCain is currently promoting his new album, “Lucky,” his first release of new music since 2011. He is scheduled to join Train on a U.S. tour this August and September. Outside of music, he has appeared in projects like Animal Planet’s “Flippin’ Ships” and SiriusXM’s “Inside Music with Edwin McCain.”

The April 23 episode featured the final five contestants: Coral, Pearl, Boogie Woogie, Mad Scientist Monster, and Nessy. As the theme of the night, the contestants sang “More Than a Feeling” by Boston to kick off the show. Host Nick Cannon returned alongside the panelists, with new features this season, including a mysterious character dubbed “Detective Lucky Duck” who provides clues about the contestants.

This season’s themes are diverse, including tributes to the Grand Ole Opry and popular movie franchises like “Shrek” and “Ghostbusters.” The season is designed to keep viewers engaged with exciting performances from various contestants, including well-known celebrities like Flavor Flav and Cedric the Entertainer.