Fans Had The Masked Singer's New Champion Figured Out All Along

"The Masked Singer" has an all-new champion and fans knew it the moment the artist started to perform. The Fox hit series first premiered in 2019 and is known as a "top-secret singing competition" where celebrities go against each other while they are dressed in bizarre costumes to hide their identities, per the network's bio. "The Masked Singer" is hosted by Nick Cannon and features celebrities judges Jenny McCarthy, Robin Thicke, Nicole Scherzinger, and Ken Jeong. 

The show — which is now in its eighth season — just crowned their winner and she is no stranger to the big screen. Amber Riley, who is widely-known for her role as Mercedes Jones on "Glee," graced the stage as the Harp and impressed the judges with her rendition of "The Edge of Glory" by Lady Gaga and John Mayer's "Gravity." Although most of the panel had no idea it was her, Nicole Scherzinger suggested it was Riley early on. "I really did try to cover up my voice by singing heavier and lower," the actor told Variety. "It's kind of flattering that your voice can be recognizable because it makes you feel like an original." Riley also expressed what this win meant to her as an artist. "To hear all the amazing things that the judges had to say about me [has been validating]," she added.

Riley may have fooled the panel and the audience, however she couldn't get past her fans who knew it was her all along. 

Fans knew Amber Riley was the Harp the moment she started singing

Although Amber Riley tried really hard to disguise her identity on "The Masked Singer," her fans knew it was her the whole time. "I have never watched masked singer but I know after hearing one line from the harp I know that's Amber Riley from Glee," reality star Mia Jasmine tweeted. "harp is DEF amber riley and y'all can't convince me otherwise," another commented. One user was emphatic that the "Infamous" star wasn't pulling the wool over her eyes. "amber riley ain't fooling nobody on the masked singer," the fan wrote

In addition to her big win, Riley made history to win both "The Masked Singer" and "Dancing With the Stars," according to Vibe. The actor starred on the show in 2013 and was crowned the winner along with her partner Derek Hough on Season 17.

"I did this competition because, I didn't know if I [could] do it and anything that scares me I wanna do, so I [want to] let women of all sizes out there know you can do whatever you put your mind to," Riley said during the time of win, via Vulture. "It doesn't matter what size you are, what color you are, you can do whatever, whatever, whatever, whatever you put your mind to."