Since breaking into the music industry in the late 1990s, Ne-Yo has been behind hit songs like “Sexy Love” and “Miss Independent.” But thanks to The Masked Singer, he is now known for being the winner of Season 10. While behind numerous hit songs, when it came to competing on the show, the singer had to go under a cow costume that had no problem showing off its curves. Although the artist ultimately won the season, he admitted that performing as the cow caused him to lose weight.
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Discussing his time on The Masked Singer with Hollywood Life, Ne-Yo shared how much weight he lost due to being completely covered in the costume. Still having to dance and sing, the artists said, “I easily lost about 20 pounds wearing the costume because it did not breathe at all. I’m under all that padding sweating bullets. It was crazy. They were on standby with fans. Every time they cut or break, they ran out with the fans because they knew that I was under there dying.”
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Besides sweating the pounds off, Ne-Yo also noted that the cow’s visibility was nearly nonexistent, which made each performance even more difficult. “It was really, really difficult to see, which made walking up and down steps, which some of some of the performances required, that much more difficult. There were actually a few times where I stumbled. I don’t know if they edited it out.”
Ne-Yo Admits To Moving His Grammys
While sharing the troubles that came with being on The Masked Singer, Ne-Yo thoroughly enjoyed himself and even joked about moving his “Grammys” to make room for his new trophy. “I slid some of the Grammys over and made room for the trophy at my mom’s house in the cabinet that she has full of all of my accomplishments. The Grammys all live there, and yet we’ve made space for it.”
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Although winning Season 10, his appearance marks the second time he competed on The Masked Singer. In 2021, he decided to participate in the U.K. version of the show and hid his identity under a badger costume. Not winning the competition, Ne-Yo did finish second.
With Season 10 over, The Masked Singer will return for Season 11 in Spring 2024.
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(Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images for TV One and Urban One Honors)
