Country star LeAnn Rimes is the winner of this season's The Masked Singer. The Grammy winner was revealed to be the voice behind the Sun mask on FOX's mystery singing competition, beating out the other two finalists, Crocodile (Nick Carter) and Mushroom (Aloe Blacc).
On the show's Dec. 16 season finale, Rimes performed Brandi Carlile's "The Story."
Panelists Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg and Nicole Scherzinger guessed correctly before the big reveal. Robin Thicke guessed Katherine McPhee and Ken Jeong guessed Mandy Moore.
In a converstaion with host Nick Cannon, Rimes said the show served as a reminder of why she started singing in the first place.
"This has been an overwhelming experience. I didn't expect this to be this much work...It was a blast. I've totally been brought back to when I was a kid," Rimes said. "I've always wondered how I knew [at 5 years old] how I knew I wanted to sing. And I kind of discovered it again behind this mask and it was to give and receive love and that's totally what's happened."
Even before the reveal, there was speculation online that Rimes was the singer behind the Sun mask. Many recognized that powerhouse voice and realized it sounded just like the one that belted out the smash hits "Blue," "How Do I Live," "Can't Fight the Moonlight" and more.
Then there was the fact that the Sun performed Lizzo's "Cuz I Love You," which Rimes had covered before.
As always, the show dropped clues to Sun's identity throughout the season. One clue package featured the Sun discussing "burning out ugly rumors" (perhaps a reference to the tabloid attention given to her relationship with husband Eddie Cibrian) and the phrase "over the moon," which was a nod to her hit "Can't Fight the Moonlight" from the Coyote Ugly soundtrack. Then there was all that blue featured in another clue package; Rime's debut album was called Blue.
Rimes isn't the first country star to appear on the show. Recently, Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black were revealed to be the show's Snow Owls.
Read More: LeAnn Rimes + Eddie Cibrian: Inside Their Happily Ever After Love Story
Additional performances from the Sun included Billie Eilish's "When the Party's Over" and "Piece of My Heart" by Janis Joplin.
Previous The Masked Singer season 4 celeb reveals include Bob Saget as the Squiggly Monster, Tori Kelly as the Seahorse, Chloe Kim as the Jellyfish, Dr. Elvis Francois as the Serpent, Taylor Dayne as Popcorn and Busta Rhymes as Dragon.
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