The Skunk On Masked Singer Could Be A Legendary Diva

The Masked Singer is back with even more anonymous celebrities. Season 6 features the first in-person audience in three seasons, along with a revamped stage and a new format. The 16 contestants will be split up into just two sets, Group A and B, and the winners of each will face off in one last sing-off in the finale.

Group A is already proving to be full of strong contenders, beginning with the elegantly dressed Skunk. She belted out Sam Smith’s “Diamonds” for her first performance in the Sept. 22 episode, leading Nicole Scherzinger to declare “that’s some royalty up there.” Though the judges admitted that they can’t identify who Skunk is yet — she has a throaty voice and a wide range – so far they’ve guessed Gloria Gaynor, Janet Jackson, Erykah Badu, Alicia Keys, Anita Baker, Mary J. Blige, and Toni Braxton.

Redditors have some different theories. They think Skunk is Anita or Ruth Pointer of the the 1970s and ‘80s R&B group The Pointer Sisters. This is largely based off of an early clue on The Masked Singer’s Instagram page, which shows Skunk with a picture of Elvis. Anita and Ruth Pointer “were big fans of Elvis, and he covered one of their songs right before he died,” user BlueMeconopsis wrote. (The song in question was “Fairytale,” which Elvis covered on his final studio album in 1975.) Notably, Anita Baker was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018, and FOX says there are two singers on the show with that award this season.

The premiere episode includes more clues. At the start of Skunk’s video package, she says she chose the costume because “I relate to the duality, the yin and yang of it all.” She waltzes on a train full of gossip magazines, and holds up a ticket that says “Skunk Express. Depart: Seoul, South Korea. Arrive: The Masked Singer.” She adds that “there might be misconceptions that I’m quick to get into a fight, but honey that couldn’t be further from the truth.” We see a vase with the letter “D” on the side, and Skunk concludes, “I took a break for a minute to focus on family, but I’m ready to get out there.”

She later explains to Nick Cannon that she’s on The Masked Singer because she felt it was time for her to “take a big leap and do something that I haven’t done in a long time.” This comment would suggest that she’s older, which lines up wth Reddit’s Anita/Ruth Pointer guess. This could also apply to the judges’ guess of Anita Baker, as she, too, is a singer/songwriter who rose to stardom in the 1980s. Plus, Baker took a break to focus on raising her two sons in the 1990s.

That doesn’t rule out the judges other guesses, though. Skunk seems to be close in height to Nick Cannon (who is 6’0”), and Baker is under 5’0”. Notably, Mary J. Blige is 5’9”, and she’s already covered a Sam Smith song in a duet with him for “Stay With Me.” Then there’s the Seoul, Korea hint. Is it possible everyone is off base and Skunk is actually an Asian singer?