Paula Cole Responds to the 'Weird Guesses' From 'The Masked Singer' Judges: 'Don't You Have Ears?'

When The Masked Singer asked Paula Cole if she wanted to participate in the newest season, she gleefully responded with, “I don’t want to wait!” Looking to step outside her comfort zone, the Grammy-winning singer set sail as “Ship.” She received high accolades from the judges, making it all the way to her group’s finals. Unfortunately, she was unable to navigate the tricky waters of the “Battle Royale,” and was unable to make it to the next round.

After her reveal, Paula Cole spoke to Parade about her time on The Masked Singer.

Related: Everything to Know About The Masked Singer Season 12

You had mentioned on the show that you had watching The Masked Singer with your daughter. How did you end up getting onto the show?
They asked me. It was as simple as that. And I didn’t know the show when they asked. So I did a deep dive, and I began watching it with my daughter, and we were really enjoying it. She helped encourage me, because I tend to take myself too seriously and be too ponderous and serious. So it was a good lesson in lightening up and taking partaking in some joy. And my daughter, she helped encourage me to do it. We had fun watching it. And then they offered me that beautiful costume; that helped a lot. I don’t think I could have done it as some furry amoeba thing, you know? [Laughs.]

Yeah, on that note, what was your reaction to getting the Ship costume? And what was it like operating it?
The actual ship, when I had to push that out, that was a little cumbersome. But then I mean, apart from the height of my mask, and not to tip my head too much, and also beware of doorways and such, I had a lot of mobility. I was one of the lucky ones. I really loved my costume. I kind of missed her a little bit. She has a little soft spot in my heart now. It was a beautiful artistic statement. It was a gorgeous costume they fashioned. I’m so impressed by the crew, what talented people. And I loved being part of the bubble. So they offered that to me. I had this beautiful costume. It was a lesson in letting go and saying yes and having fun and doing something different. And now I’m back to taking myself seriously.

You mentioned on the episode how you’re an introvert by nature. So was it easier to perform, since you could obscure your identity? Or harder because you had all these eyes on you on national TV?
Yeah, it’s like the number one family show in that time slot, or whatever. It’s huge. Everyone knows about it. But being inside the mask gives you anonymity and agency and freedom in a way. And my costume had such grandeur, and I loved that. And I loved the dancing. I loved the choreography. There was a lot that I really appreciated. So it’s actually this stuff that’s hard. The unmasking, of course, that was hard. And speaking in that moment as Paula Cole, rather than the ship, that’s hard for me as an introvert. But when I’m behind the mask, that was lovely. Singing, that was easy.

Were you surprised to be unmasked? Did you think you would win the Battle Royale? I know you said you had hoped to go all the way.
Well, you get caught up. And I loved my team that would put my costume on me. It’s complicated. Did I want to go in this to win? No. Like I said, I was practicing on attachment and stoicism to get through this. I didn’t need to do this to win. I don’t need an award. I’m happy with who I am. But then when I lost, and I went backstage to the people that put my costume on me, we had grown really close. I was so sad to leave the bubble; that’s when I cried a little bit. So it was more like sadness in leaving the show. I don’t need to win. I’m a winner; I don’t need that. I just was sad to leave the camaraderie, the relationship with the people I had formed.

You got guesses from Norah Jones and Sarah McLachlan to Joan Osborne and Cyndi Lauper. What was your reaction to those incorrect guesses?
I mean, there’s some weird choices. Don’t you have ears? [Laughs.] Nobody sounds like Cyndi Lauper except Cyndi Lauper. Nobody sounds like Alanis except Alanis. I thought like the YouTube guesses were far more in the range of normal and accurate than that. Like Annie Lennox, that was a great comparison; she’s such a hero to me. So a lot of YouTube and social media guesses were Annie Lennox. That makes sense. My voice sounds much more like that, this rich alto and soulful stuff. But yeah, some of the ones that the judges threw out were really out there. But Jenny knew. Jenny gave me the look.

Yeah, what was your reaction to that? Were you happy when she figured you out?
I was glad. I felt like we had a connection. She gave me that look she knew. She’s smart.

After you were unmasked, you got to sing one of your most famous songs, “I Don’t Want to Wait.” What was that experience like?
Well, people know that song and love that song. It’s a song of my life. It’s a soundtrack song, and people have all kinds of memories and nostalgia attached to it. People tend to know my songs. “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” And people don’t know more than this shy artist. So it was good, I think, to help connect the dots. I’m also those songs, and I’m this voice, and hello, and this is me. So that was good, I think, for people to meet the artist and know the artist a little bit.

Well let’s move from your past music to your present. I know you put out an album earlier this year in “Lo,” your first album of entirely original music in 10 years. You also went on tour, going to the UK for the first time in 25 years. Talk to me about what that has been like.
Oh yeah, thanks for mentioning my new album. And it’s a really personal album. I’m proud of it. I just went on a writing tear. I went in the studio with beautiful artists Jason Isbell and John Paul White. A couple years ago, we went to Nashville and recorded together, and it just sparked a tear of writing for me. My mom was going through very serious health complications. It made me think about not having my mom too much longer and facing mortality. Where do we go? And we feel these things. We go to music. Music helps us get through these difficult times.

And I went to my writing and all of these songs poured out. A lot of them became “Lo.” It was just a very fluid, intuitive process putting these songs together. I was nervous to put out “Lo,” because it’s so personal and vulnerable, but it’s gone beautifully. I mean, literally, the first lyric of the first song is “mother” on “Lo,” and people are responding beautifully. So yeah, I love returning to the places I haven’t been in ages, because I’ve been raising a family and touring only domestically. So I loved going back to London, and there was so much love for me there. It’s been a really intense year. I’ve been working a lot, and it’s just going to keep going. I’m still touring; I still have shows on the books for 2024. And I’m going to take a few months off to write, gonna work on my book and a musical and more tour dates next year. Just keep going. This is what I do.

Next, check out our interview with Yvette Nicole Brown, who was eliminated in The Masked Singer Season 12 Episode 2.