The Firefly On Masked Singer Could Be An SNL Alum

Firefly had a tough time on stage during her Masked Singer Season 7 debut. The glittery insect — who represents “Team Good” in the competition’s new “The Good The Bad and The Cuddly” format — strutted out on stage and began to sing Chaka Khan’s “Ain’t Nobody.” She had a beautiful and powerful voice, but a few seconds in, she started to cough and seemingly choke. She was brought off stage by the crew and attended to by a medic, and later returned to perform again.

The show never revealed what happened to her, but she came out strong for her second performance. “To be able to go backstage, regroup that quickly and put on the best performance of the night...I think she’s going to be hard to stop all season,” judge Robin Thicke said.

Firfely’s first clue package offered some hints about who she is. She said “it’s not always easy to keep my antennae glowing” while walking through what looked like the backstage of a theater. She then grabbed a playbill of the historic Apollo Theater, which proclaimed that Firefly was doing “Live Comedy!” Firefly also said that she uses a battery pack called “On The Fly to “keep her going when she fades,” which “makes her shine like the star she is.” She had a framed photo of Tyler Perry, a gold Statue of Liberty, and a mic that looked like a stand-up comedian’s.

Based on her vocals, the judges assumed that Firefly is a professional singer. Ken Jeong guessed Alicia Keys because she’s also from New York and performed at the Apollo last year. (Though host Nick Cannon grimaced when Jeong suggested Keys, so maybe not.) Alternatively, Jenny McCarthy went the comedian route, guessing Aisha Tyler, which could be connected to the Tyler Perry picture. But she also jumped back to singers, suggesting singer Monica — a guess that the audience seemed to love.

If Firefly is indeed a comedian, another possible option is Saturday Night Live alum Sasheer Zamata. Zamata has lived and performed in New York City, and during her time on SNL, she often parodied singers like Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Diana Ross. On the other hand, there are quite a few women who have performed at the Apollo, from legendary divas to singers like Lauryn Hill, Janelle Monáe, and Destiny’s Child. We’ll have to wait and see for more clues, but one thing’s for certain: Firefly is definitely the singer to beat right now.