May 8, 2025 • 19 mins
The final mask has been taken off! Jana and Allan are hanging out with the winner of The Masked Singer season 13, the voice behind “Pearl”, country star Gretchen Wilson!
Gretchen shares why The Masked Singer was part of a crucial reinvention in her life, and she lets us in on her friendship with Boogie Woogie!
Plus, Jana and Allan take us through every dramatic moment of the season finale of The Masked Singer!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Swine Down with Jana Kramer and I'mheart Radio Podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Okay, it's finally here, the finale of the Mass Singer. So,
first of all, what an opening, so good. They definitely
I feel like they got it right right babe. With
the final four.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Yeah, absolutely absolutely, it al soound looks and to be
honest with all get amazing voices.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
It's actually difficult, difficult to.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Vote exactly, and I have no clue who is going
to win. But they started off with Rita Orra singing
the Pink Pony Club, which such a good song, so good,
and then obviously the four finalists they came out to
join her.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Yeah, so fussed up miss Pearl and she sang Black
Cross and the Cherry Tree by Katie's Tunstall.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Okay, I do you think? I mean, she's so good
and I totally agree with what Ken said. Ken called
her the Meryl Streep of the Mass Singer, So, I
mean it's so true. And I've always felt like she
kind of has like she's definitely not I'm not saying
she's old, but she carries she has like an older presence, right,
I think her singing and just her overall stage presence too.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
There's a maturity and I'll voice that's for sure.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Yeah, and the call, she had a call from her
daughter who says she's so proud of her for getting
out of her comfort zone and that she's going to
win this thing. So her performance was amazing. Again, she
was always she was definitely one of my favorites throughout
the whole show. But Jenny said, Shania Twain, Faith Hill,
Casey Musgraves, she was all over the place with those
(01:43):
Robin Melissa Etheridge, Ken said Madonna, and Rita said Jon
jet or Pat Benatar.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
I just Ken's guesses didn't make me laugh every week.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Yeah, I think my guesses abut and then one of
the the guy who's on panels just makes me feel
good about my guesses.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Well, I'm still going with Gretchen Wilson. But the second
up to perform was Coral and she's sang Moon River
by Audrey Hepburn, And she got a call from her
dad who said he is so proud and remembers the
young girl singing and dancing to Broadway songs as a kid.
So again I always thought she was great. She wasn't
she she was. She's such a good vocalist, but she
(02:25):
wasn't my absolute favorite of all of them, but she
was so great lover, costume, the whole thing.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
What do you think, She's definitely the unfortunately and it's
such a strong four, but she was definitely the weaker
of the four.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Yeah, but I mean still so.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
Still incredible, but it's just a high it's such a
high standard of singing.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Yeah, and it's the margin Ferrera is really low.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
But yeah, I think, and the family calls is such
a good idea. So so handled.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Cried. My family wouldn't have called, but you.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
Would have, and the kids would have cold, but I
share that would have elevated your performance.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
No, I probably would have descried because I got TI.
I'd remember when they were talking about the night in
My Night mister, and I, I mean, I was choking
up right before that, and I was like, you better
lock it up or you're gonna sound like because when
I cry and then I talk, I go really high pitched.
So I'm like, I'm going about to sound like mini
mouse singing if I don't lock this up right now.
So that would have been bad. Their guesses were Rachel Ziegler,
(03:36):
Britney Snow, Selena Gomes, Sophia Carson read it again. It
was like a bunch of guesses. I have no idea.
I've had no idea who chorl was so But the
third up to perform is Boogie Woogie. He's saying Freedom
ninety by George Michael. I love, love, love this song,
and he got a call from his kids that'd say
(03:57):
he's going to win and to come home so sweet.
Their guests is where Neil Patrick, Harris Robin said Andy Samberg,
Ryan tedter Ken said Ed Sheeran oh Ken, Rita said
Darren Chris or Charlie Pooth. I'm still going with Andy
Grammer because I love Andy Grammer and I love the songs.
(04:20):
And then the fourth up to perform was the Mad
Scientist Monster. The song was Stay by sugar Land. Oh
so good, and I agree with Robinnie says this is
one of the best vocals of the season. I mean,
that song is incredible. I love that song so much
and he did such a great job.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
His voice is mesmarizing.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Yeah, so the guesses Jenny said, Brian Kelly, Robin said
Trace Adkins, Gary Lavaux, Ken said Billy Ray Cyrus. Rita
said Tim McGraw or Jelly roll, same hunt, and I
have started to look at a little cheat a little bit,
but I would go to the fox mass singer and
it said a lot of people started to guess Brian Kelly,
(05:08):
and again because I've been so convinced that it was
Ronnie Dunn, and I'm like, really, Brian Kelly, like fgl
like no, I don't think so. But then when I
listened to his single stuff, I was like, huh, there
might be something to this. And the first to be
revealed of the night is the Mad Scientist Monster, and
(05:30):
it was Brian Kelly, yep, who just blew me away.
Had no idea that he was. I mean again, I
know he's a good singer, but had no idea how
good he actually was.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
Oh, I know how highly you speak of Ronnie Dunn
and how great he is, so the fact that you
kept comparing those the Mad Scientists monts that to him
obviously shows how much you think of his voice.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
But Jenny guessed him correctly, and it said Brian Kelly,
and she got it right. She's so good it guesses
the second, Yeah, she does. The second to be revealed
of the night was Coral, and she was guessed correctly
by Rita and it was none other than Meg Donnelly.
(06:20):
I don't know much about her, but I think she's
so cute and she did a great job and loved, loved,
loved her costume. It was Jolie's favorite costume of the season.
And then the final performance was Boogie Woogie saying Love
the Hell out of You by Lewis Capaldi, such a
(06:41):
good song, and Pearl saying I Stand By You by
the Predators another incredible. Both of them were just so incredible.
I mean, like, so so so good. They both deserve
to win. In my opinion, should have been like a tie.
I don't know if they can do that, but that
one should have been a tie. And this is sad.
(07:03):
The final clue for Boogie Woogie breast cancer ribbon. He
lost his mom to breast cancer, so he helps raise
awareness for breast cancer. And he was not guessed at
all correctly. There was Robin said Daniel Powder, Jenny said
Ryan Teter, which I'm surprised because she's so good at guessing.
Kenzat ed Cheer and Rita Darren Chris and come to
(07:26):
find out, Boogie Wigie. Oh, I guessed it right, Andy
Grammer the one and the only and the final clue
for Pearl was pants from Dolly Parton gave Dolly gave
them to her, but she also got to perform while
wearing those pants, and she was guessed correctly by Robin
and it is none other than redneck woman Gretchen Wilson.
(07:49):
So now that means Robin and Jenny are tied for
the Golden Ear Trophy and that, ladies and gentlemen, is
a rap. I'm the messinger and we've got some guests
come up, so stay tuned. Hi, Helly, Hi, how are you.
Speaker 4 (08:17):
I'm very good?
Speaker 2 (08:17):
How about you, miss Winner?
Speaker 5 (08:19):
Miss Pearl? I was very very odd, but really a
cool experience.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Have you been asked before to do it?
Speaker 4 (08:27):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (08:28):
So my publicist tells me that for several years it's
been brought to the table, and just for whatever reason,
I just wasn't in the right spot for it, I guess.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
And then, as life would have it, I was just
in this.
Speaker 5 (08:43):
Reinvent myself kind of a moment in my life and
the you know it came up again and I was like, hmm,
this could you know, this could be my opportunity to
prove myself that I can still.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
Do some of these things.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
The fact that you even say I have to prove myself.
I mean, I am. I am such a huge fan
of yours because I listened to country music, obviously grown
up singing. I would sing your songs when I would,
you know, be out on the road, and you just
you exude such confidence and energy and the fact that
you even said you know, reinvent So I'm curious what
(09:17):
piece for you was the because I'm like, of course
you still have it. Of course that was you. I
knew the second you sang, I'm like, that's Gretchen Wilson,
Like she's amazing. I know that voice, like so well, I.
Speaker 5 (09:29):
Mean, is this not like I don't go on social
media and share a lot of about every little thing
that's going on in my life. But right after COVID hit,
I was one of the first to get it, and
so a lot of like residual health issues from that,
high blood pressure, shortness of breath, asthma, just things that
I didn't have before. And then on top of that,
(09:51):
I was dancing with the son of one of my
very best friends. He was six years old at the time,
and we were holding and doing the ring around real
fast thing and I I kind of slipped and fell
on my leg and ankle and just tore everything up
in my leg. So I was in a wheelchair for
(10:12):
eight months. Not really, So I had a lot of issues.
You know, Can I still do it? Can I still
get out there and put on a whole show? And
really with this show in particular, the mass singer is like,
there's some choreography, there's some dancing, and so I was
a little concerned about my leg.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
So yeah, I mean there.
Speaker 5 (10:28):
Was a lot for me personally that maybe everyone else
didn't know was going on that I had to prove
to myself.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Sure, Also a heavy costume to carry around.
Speaker 4 (10:39):
Well, I'm thinking there were heavier ones.
Speaker 5 (10:41):
You know, obviously they're so they're so tight lipped about
everything backstage, and you know that obviously you were there
but not knowing who everybody was, but also just feeling
for them, just like, oh, my costume is bad. But
look at that one, you know, like, how are they
even breathing in there?
Speaker 4 (10:57):
But yeah, it is. It's some added weight, you know.
Speaker 5 (11:00):
A little bit of a heel on the boot, which
I had not hadn't done since I broke my leg.
I hadn't done a heel of any kind and then
just great dancers, you know, and the choreographers were like.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
A, you can do this, you can do this. It's
like maybe I don't know, but I'll try.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
When you were listening because my husband we were there,
you know, you can obviously hear other people singing. So
did that part again? You're an amazing singer. This is
you know what you've done for you know many years.
Was there a piece of you that was like kind
of not comparing yourself, but going, oh man, they're absolutely
they're probably gonna win. I don't. I'm not going to win.
Speaker 5 (11:40):
Totally had those moments and especially and maybe because we
came from the same group, but Boogie Woogie and I
we were in the same group. We sort of started
together and then we finished together. And I was I
probably said a hundred times, if not more, Oh, Boogie's
got this, Boogi's got this in the bag. I'm not
sure who that is, but he is fantastic and he's
(12:01):
got this thing wrapped up. And I think just from
the little bit of whispers that I was hearing backstage,
I think he was kind of saying the sort of
the same things about me, and we would high five
in the in the hallway. You know, we even shared
a couple of hugs, but still never knowing, you know.
I remember him saying to me once in the hallway, Pearl,
I have no idea who you are, but you're killing
(12:22):
it out there. And I was like, Oh, you're gonna
win this, you know. But there was kind of like
a little like I think we were rooting for each other.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Yeah, oh that's so sweet.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Do you have a new competition coming out?
Speaker 4 (12:33):
D there is so yeah.
Speaker 5 (12:35):
Right. Pretty much on the heels of getting finished filming
The Mass Singer, I went, I got asked to be
a part of a program with Blake Shelton and Keith Urban,
and they hired me on as the tour manager. So
I basically mostly worked with the Sorry I live on
a train track. I worked with the contestants mostly very closely,
(12:56):
just prepping them for stage and kind of giving them
an idea of what it's like to live on a
tour bus. It's not quite as glamorous as everybody thinks
it is.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
Yeah, No, it's like, oh, you get to go to
so many places and it's like you open your your
bus windows and you're like, I see a dumpster and
a back of a venue.
Speaker 4 (13:13):
That's what I tell everybody.
Speaker 5 (13:15):
They're like, I hope you enjoyed our city, and I
was like, honey, I'm sorry, but it looks exactly like
every other city I went to. Here for them the mentor,
but also I was, you know, making sure they had
every part of the tour manager responsibilities, you know, I
mean that's what they hired me on as, is tour manager.
So making sure they're where they're supposed to be when
they're supposed to be there. Make sure their guitars and
their instruments are tuned up and ready for them, making.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
Sure they have a drink of water, making sure they
don't run on stage with their pass on. All the
little stuff.
Speaker 5 (13:42):
You know, you don't have lipstick on your teeth, your
underwear aren't showing, you know, all the zippers up.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Okay, right, you're you're still on the road with Big
and Rich, Right.
Speaker 4 (13:52):
So I do.
Speaker 5 (13:54):
I do some shows with Big and Rich as a
special guest, but I'm actually touring on my own. I've
got about twenty shows as my own full band thing
this year because.
Speaker 4 (14:03):
I'm kind of easing back in.
Speaker 5 (14:05):
That was the thing for me with all of the
health and all of that. But geez, once I once
I got done with this competition, once I got done
with the mask singer, I was like, I can do it.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
I know I can do it now, Yes, you one
thousand percent? Can do you have? Is there a goal
for you? Like do you want to be back on radio?
Do you want to be doing that whole game again?
Or what is it? Because it's like people will ask that.
I'm like, it's so hard for women, but you have
such a name that it's it's frustrating to not you know,
like why isn't your music being played? And I get
(14:36):
the whole game of country radio and all that, and
it's exhausting and the whole bit.
Speaker 5 (14:40):
A lot of people don't understand the game of And
it's a business like anything else. I think a lot
of people think of music business and they just only
hear the music part. But it's it's definitely a business.
It's a big business. There's a lot of moving parts.
There's a lot of different royalty arenas, whether you know,
come from being a vocalist or a songwriter or a.
Speaker 4 (14:58):
Producer or the label itself. So several years.
Speaker 5 (15:01):
Ago, probably close to ten now, I started my own
little independent label just so that I could do what
I wanted to do that I didn't have, you know,
the guys and girls in the suits that really aren't
musical at all trying to tell me what's good and
what isn't good.
Speaker 4 (15:15):
And I'm kind of just playing the game my way,
at my speed.
Speaker 5 (15:20):
I'm very well aware that mainstream radio may not want
to play my songs.
Speaker 4 (15:26):
I wish they would. I wish it wasn't such a business.
Speaker 5 (15:29):
I wish that there weren't so many competitive parts and
so many different pieces to it. Obviously, yes, and everybody
who's a singer, songwriter and a producer wants to be
on the radio, so of course I do. I'm not
sure that as a small independent label who runs everything herself,
I'm the only employee. I do it, all the accounting
(15:49):
and all of it, you know. So I'm not sure
that I had it in me to grow that business
back into a place where it has to have that
many moving parts in order to be relevant. I've sort
of found that I'm relevant without all of that exactly. Well,
it kind of takes They take the soul and the
fun out of it, and the joy out of it,
(16:10):
you know it really.
Speaker 4 (16:10):
Do they really do it.
Speaker 5 (16:11):
It becomes it really just becomes a marketing piece of
material rather than an actual moving piece of art, you know.
Speaker 4 (16:18):
Yeah, And you.
Speaker 5 (16:20):
Know, I've tried to tell people for years, you don't
stand over a painter's shoulder and go, you know, when
they choose to use the color yellow, you don't go, oh,
I don't know if i'd use that. And in this industry,
you've got so many people standing over your shoulder. Oh,
you know, the song's too dark. You need to write
a bridge. It needs to have some kind of a
light at the end of the time. There's just so
much input that it gets away from the originality of it.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
You. I completely agree with you.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
Yeah, honey, No, it's the same. In my world.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
People get over coached and it takes the soul and
the unstinct away from them.
Speaker 4 (16:51):
They did.
Speaker 5 (16:52):
Yeah, And I'm you know, I'm so lucky to have
had so many different kinds of experiences and worked with
so many.
Speaker 4 (16:58):
Different kind of people.
Speaker 5 (16:59):
And you know, the Mask Singer was definitely different than
anything that I've ever done before. It's something that you know,
I think all of us, once we get there and
we get into that suit. The first time, we're like, oh,
what did I do? You know, how did I get
myself wrapped into this?
Speaker 4 (17:14):
But then the longer you're there, the more.
Speaker 5 (17:16):
Competitive you get, and the more you're like, no, I'm
in it to win it.
Speaker 4 (17:20):
Now. You know, I've gotten in and out of this
thing five times. It's discreciating, it's hot, it's heavy. I
don't know if I can do it. Yes, I can
do it. You know, you almost get into fight or flight.
Speaker 5 (17:29):
And you prove to yourself a lot of you know,
you just the endurance, the level of dedication, the level
of talent. It's there were a lot of really incredible people.
And what's really fun is just now, just like everybody else,
finding out who I was there with, like I mean
up until the very last episode. And I think it's
(17:51):
because they allowed us to unmask in front of each other.
Speaker 4 (17:54):
I had no idea who anybody was.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
Yeah, well, I love that. You got to keep a
piece here, a costume too.
Speaker 4 (17:59):
They sent it to me just for you, just for you.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
So sweet well and the beauty see, yeah, I love
that so much, all your little trophies back there.
Speaker 5 (18:08):
Here's an interesting fact I didn't realize until I was
placing them. It was the Masked Singer Season thirteen. It's
my thirteenth award.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
Hey, how neat is that Lucky thirteen?
Speaker 4 (18:23):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (18:24):
I love that so much. Well, and you have a
new song coming out.
Speaker 4 (18:27):
I have all kinds of stuff going on right now.
Speaker 5 (18:30):
The biggest thing that I'm working on right now is
a recreation of my original album, and I'm in the studio,
i think at the end of this month to start
on that. But I'm gonna it's kind of like what
Taylor Swift did with her first record, the Taylor's version.
Only what I'm going to do is I'm going to
take all of those original songs and I'm going to
do duets with different artists, so it'll be it's the
(18:52):
first record all over.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
Again, but like you know, with different artists.
Speaker 5 (18:56):
Like there's a song on there, Holding You that I
always thought Travis Tritch should sing.
Speaker 4 (19:00):
He's going to sing it with me.
Speaker 5 (19:02):
Yeah, And I've got Chapel Heart on a Chariot and
I'm working on a few others, so I don't know
who it's all going to end up being. I'm going
to try to get Tanya Tucker to do Redneck Woman
with me.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
On there so so that would be amazing, wouldn't it.
I mean, she's so good.
Speaker 4 (19:16):
Who else would you ask?
Speaker 2 (19:18):
That's I mean, that's so good. I love that. Well,
congrats again, I'm winning and I was so much excited
to hear hear all of the new stuff coming. Huge
fan awesome.
Speaker 4 (19:28):
Thank you so much for taking the time today, of
course
Speaker 2 (19:33):
Bye.
Swine Down with Jana Kramer and I'mheart Radio Podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Okay, it's finally here, the finale of the Mass Singer. So,
first of all, what an opening, so good. They definitely
I feel like they got it right right babe. With
the final four.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Yeah, absolutely absolutely, it al soound looks and to be
honest with all get amazing voices.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
It's actually difficult, difficult to.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Vote exactly, and I have no clue who is going
to win. But they started off with Rita Orra singing
the Pink Pony Club, which such a good song, so good,
and then obviously the four finalists they came out to
join her.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Yeah, so fussed up miss Pearl and she sang Black
Cross and the Cherry Tree by Katie's Tunstall.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Okay, I do you think? I mean, she's so good
and I totally agree with what Ken said. Ken called
her the Meryl Streep of the Mass Singer, So, I
mean it's so true. And I've always felt like she
kind of has like she's definitely not I'm not saying
she's old, but she carries she has like an older presence, right,
I think her singing and just her overall stage presence too.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
There's a maturity and I'll voice that's for sure.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Yeah, and the call, she had a call from her
daughter who says she's so proud of her for getting
out of her comfort zone and that she's going to
win this thing. So her performance was amazing. Again, she
was always she was definitely one of my favorites throughout
the whole show. But Jenny said, Shania Twain, Faith Hill,
Casey Musgraves, she was all over the place with those
(01:43):
Robin Melissa Etheridge, Ken said Madonna, and Rita said Jon
jet or Pat Benatar.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
I just Ken's guesses didn't make me laugh every week.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Yeah, I think my guesses abut and then one of
the the guy who's on panels just makes me feel
good about my guesses.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Well, I'm still going with Gretchen Wilson. But the second
up to perform was Coral and she's sang Moon River
by Audrey Hepburn, And she got a call from her
dad who said he is so proud and remembers the
young girl singing and dancing to Broadway songs as a kid.
So again I always thought she was great. She wasn't
she she was. She's such a good vocalist, but she
(02:25):
wasn't my absolute favorite of all of them, but she
was so great lover, costume, the whole thing.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
What do you think, She's definitely the unfortunately and it's
such a strong four, but she was definitely the weaker
of the four.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Yeah, but I mean still so.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
Still incredible, but it's just a high it's such a
high standard of singing.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Yeah, and it's the margin Ferrera is really low.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
But yeah, I think, and the family calls is such
a good idea. So so handled.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Cried. My family wouldn't have called, but you.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
Would have, and the kids would have cold, but I
share that would have elevated your performance.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
No, I probably would have descried because I got TI.
I'd remember when they were talking about the night in
My Night mister, and I, I mean, I was choking
up right before that, and I was like, you better
lock it up or you're gonna sound like because when
I cry and then I talk, I go really high pitched.
So I'm like, I'm going about to sound like mini
mouse singing if I don't lock this up right now.
So that would have been bad. Their guesses were Rachel Ziegler,
(03:36):
Britney Snow, Selena Gomes, Sophia Carson read it again. It
was like a bunch of guesses. I have no idea.
I've had no idea who chorl was so But the
third up to perform is Boogie Woogie. He's saying Freedom
ninety by George Michael. I love, love, love this song,
and he got a call from his kids that'd say
(03:57):
he's going to win and to come home so sweet.
Their guests is where Neil Patrick, Harris Robin said Andy Samberg,
Ryan tedter Ken said Ed Sheeran oh Ken, Rita said
Darren Chris or Charlie Pooth. I'm still going with Andy
Grammer because I love Andy Grammer and I love the songs.
(04:20):
And then the fourth up to perform was the Mad
Scientist Monster. The song was Stay by sugar Land. Oh
so good, and I agree with Robinnie says this is
one of the best vocals of the season. I mean,
that song is incredible. I love that song so much
and he did such a great job.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
His voice is mesmarizing.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Yeah, so the guesses Jenny said, Brian Kelly, Robin said
Trace Adkins, Gary Lavaux, Ken said Billy Ray Cyrus. Rita
said Tim McGraw or Jelly roll, same hunt, and I
have started to look at a little cheat a little bit,
but I would go to the fox mass singer and
it said a lot of people started to guess Brian Kelly,
(05:08):
and again because I've been so convinced that it was
Ronnie Dunn, and I'm like, really, Brian Kelly, like fgl
like no, I don't think so. But then when I
listened to his single stuff, I was like, huh, there
might be something to this. And the first to be
revealed of the night is the Mad Scientist Monster, and
(05:30):
it was Brian Kelly, yep, who just blew me away.
Had no idea that he was. I mean again, I
know he's a good singer, but had no idea how
good he actually was.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
Oh, I know how highly you speak of Ronnie Dunn
and how great he is, so the fact that you
kept comparing those the Mad Scientists monts that to him
obviously shows how much you think of his voice.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
But Jenny guessed him correctly, and it said Brian Kelly,
and she got it right. She's so good it guesses
the second, Yeah, she does. The second to be revealed
of the night was Coral, and she was guessed correctly
by Rita and it was none other than Meg Donnelly.
(06:20):
I don't know much about her, but I think she's
so cute and she did a great job and loved, loved,
loved her costume. It was Jolie's favorite costume of the season.
And then the final performance was Boogie Woogie saying Love
the Hell out of You by Lewis Capaldi, such a
(06:41):
good song, and Pearl saying I Stand By You by
the Predators another incredible. Both of them were just so incredible.
I mean, like, so so so good. They both deserve
to win. In my opinion, should have been like a tie.
I don't know if they can do that, but that
one should have been a tie. And this is sad.
(07:03):
The final clue for Boogie Woogie breast cancer ribbon. He
lost his mom to breast cancer, so he helps raise
awareness for breast cancer. And he was not guessed at
all correctly. There was Robin said Daniel Powder, Jenny said
Ryan Teter, which I'm surprised because she's so good at guessing.
Kenzat ed Cheer and Rita Darren Chris and come to
(07:26):
find out, Boogie Wigie. Oh, I guessed it right, Andy
Grammer the one and the only and the final clue
for Pearl was pants from Dolly Parton gave Dolly gave
them to her, but she also got to perform while
wearing those pants, and she was guessed correctly by Robin
and it is none other than redneck woman Gretchen Wilson.
(07:49):
So now that means Robin and Jenny are tied for
the Golden Ear Trophy and that, ladies and gentlemen, is
a rap. I'm the messinger and we've got some guests
come up, so stay tuned. Hi, Helly, Hi, how are you.
Speaker 4 (08:17):
I'm very good?
Speaker 2 (08:17):
How about you, miss Winner?
Speaker 5 (08:19):
Miss Pearl? I was very very odd, but really a
cool experience.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Have you been asked before to do it?
Speaker 4 (08:27):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (08:28):
So my publicist tells me that for several years it's
been brought to the table, and just for whatever reason,
I just wasn't in the right spot for it, I guess.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
And then, as life would have it, I was just
in this.
Speaker 5 (08:43):
Reinvent myself kind of a moment in my life and
the you know it came up again and I was like, hmm,
this could you know, this could be my opportunity to
prove myself that I can still.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
Do some of these things.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
The fact that you even say I have to prove myself.
I mean, I am. I am such a huge fan
of yours because I listened to country music, obviously grown
up singing. I would sing your songs when I would,
you know, be out on the road, and you just
you exude such confidence and energy and the fact that
you even said you know, reinvent So I'm curious what
(09:17):
piece for you was the because I'm like, of course
you still have it. Of course that was you. I
knew the second you sang, I'm like, that's Gretchen Wilson,
Like she's amazing. I know that voice, like so well, I.
Speaker 5 (09:29):
Mean, is this not like I don't go on social
media and share a lot of about every little thing
that's going on in my life. But right after COVID hit,
I was one of the first to get it, and
so a lot of like residual health issues from that,
high blood pressure, shortness of breath, asthma, just things that
I didn't have before. And then on top of that,
(09:51):
I was dancing with the son of one of my
very best friends. He was six years old at the time,
and we were holding and doing the ring around real
fast thing and I I kind of slipped and fell
on my leg and ankle and just tore everything up
in my leg. So I was in a wheelchair for
(10:12):
eight months. Not really, So I had a lot of issues.
You know, Can I still do it? Can I still
get out there and put on a whole show? And
really with this show in particular, the mass singer is like,
there's some choreography, there's some dancing, and so I was
a little concerned about my leg.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
So yeah, I mean there.
Speaker 5 (10:28):
Was a lot for me personally that maybe everyone else
didn't know was going on that I had to prove
to myself.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Sure, Also a heavy costume to carry around.
Speaker 4 (10:39):
Well, I'm thinking there were heavier ones.
Speaker 5 (10:41):
You know, obviously they're so they're so tight lipped about
everything backstage, and you know that obviously you were there
but not knowing who everybody was, but also just feeling
for them, just like, oh, my costume is bad. But
look at that one, you know, like, how are they
even breathing in there?
Speaker 4 (10:57):
But yeah, it is. It's some added weight, you know.
Speaker 5 (11:00):
A little bit of a heel on the boot, which
I had not hadn't done since I broke my leg.
I hadn't done a heel of any kind and then
just great dancers, you know, and the choreographers were like.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
A, you can do this, you can do this. It's
like maybe I don't know, but I'll try.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
When you were listening because my husband we were there,
you know, you can obviously hear other people singing. So
did that part again? You're an amazing singer. This is
you know what you've done for you know many years.
Was there a piece of you that was like kind
of not comparing yourself, but going, oh man, they're absolutely
they're probably gonna win. I don't. I'm not going to win.
Speaker 5 (11:40):
Totally had those moments and especially and maybe because we
came from the same group, but Boogie Woogie and I
we were in the same group. We sort of started
together and then we finished together. And I was I
probably said a hundred times, if not more, Oh, Boogie's
got this, Boogi's got this in the bag. I'm not
sure who that is, but he is fantastic and he's
(12:01):
got this thing wrapped up. And I think just from
the little bit of whispers that I was hearing backstage,
I think he was kind of saying the sort of
the same things about me, and we would high five
in the in the hallway. You know, we even shared
a couple of hugs, but still never knowing, you know.
I remember him saying to me once in the hallway, Pearl,
I have no idea who you are, but you're killing
(12:22):
it out there. And I was like, Oh, you're gonna
win this, you know. But there was kind of like
a little like I think we were rooting for each other.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Yeah, oh that's so sweet.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Do you have a new competition coming out?
Speaker 4 (12:33):
D there is so yeah.
Speaker 5 (12:35):
Right. Pretty much on the heels of getting finished filming
The Mass Singer, I went, I got asked to be
a part of a program with Blake Shelton and Keith Urban,
and they hired me on as the tour manager. So
I basically mostly worked with the Sorry I live on
a train track. I worked with the contestants mostly very closely,
(12:56):
just prepping them for stage and kind of giving them
an idea of what it's like to live on a
tour bus. It's not quite as glamorous as everybody thinks
it is.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
Yeah, No, it's like, oh, you get to go to
so many places and it's like you open your your
bus windows and you're like, I see a dumpster and
a back of a venue.
Speaker 4 (13:13):
That's what I tell everybody.
Speaker 5 (13:15):
They're like, I hope you enjoyed our city, and I
was like, honey, I'm sorry, but it looks exactly like
every other city I went to. Here for them the mentor,
but also I was, you know, making sure they had
every part of the tour manager responsibilities, you know, I
mean that's what they hired me on as, is tour manager.
So making sure they're where they're supposed to be when
they're supposed to be there. Make sure their guitars and
their instruments are tuned up and ready for them, making.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
Sure they have a drink of water, making sure they
don't run on stage with their pass on. All the
little stuff.
Speaker 5 (13:42):
You know, you don't have lipstick on your teeth, your
underwear aren't showing, you know, all the zippers up.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Okay, right, you're you're still on the road with Big
and Rich, Right.
Speaker 4 (13:52):
So I do.
Speaker 5 (13:54):
I do some shows with Big and Rich as a
special guest, but I'm actually touring on my own. I've
got about twenty shows as my own full band thing
this year because.
Speaker 4 (14:03):
I'm kind of easing back in.
Speaker 5 (14:05):
That was the thing for me with all of the
health and all of that. But geez, once I once
I got done with this competition, once I got done
with the mask singer, I was like, I can do it.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
I know I can do it now, Yes, you one
thousand percent? Can do you have? Is there a goal
for you? Like do you want to be back on radio?
Do you want to be doing that whole game again?
Or what is it? Because it's like people will ask that.
I'm like, it's so hard for women, but you have
such a name that it's it's frustrating to not you know,
like why isn't your music being played? And I get
(14:36):
the whole game of country radio and all that, and
it's exhausting and the whole bit.
Speaker 5 (14:40):
A lot of people don't understand the game of And
it's a business like anything else. I think a lot
of people think of music business and they just only
hear the music part. But it's it's definitely a business.
It's a big business. There's a lot of moving parts.
There's a lot of different royalty arenas, whether you know,
come from being a vocalist or a songwriter or a.
Speaker 4 (14:58):
Producer or the label itself. So several years.
Speaker 5 (15:01):
Ago, probably close to ten now, I started my own
little independent label just so that I could do what
I wanted to do that I didn't have, you know,
the guys and girls in the suits that really aren't
musical at all trying to tell me what's good and
what isn't good.
Speaker 4 (15:15):
And I'm kind of just playing the game my way,
at my speed.
Speaker 5 (15:20):
I'm very well aware that mainstream radio may not want
to play my songs.
Speaker 4 (15:26):
I wish they would. I wish it wasn't such a business.
Speaker 5 (15:29):
I wish that there weren't so many competitive parts and
so many different pieces to it. Obviously, yes, and everybody
who's a singer, songwriter and a producer wants to be
on the radio, so of course I do. I'm not
sure that as a small independent label who runs everything herself,
I'm the only employee. I do it, all the accounting
(15:49):
and all of it, you know. So I'm not sure
that I had it in me to grow that business
back into a place where it has to have that
many moving parts in order to be relevant. I've sort
of found that I'm relevant without all of that exactly. Well,
it kind of takes They take the soul and the
fun out of it, and the joy out of it,
(16:10):
you know it really.
Speaker 4 (16:10):
Do they really do it.
Speaker 5 (16:11):
It becomes it really just becomes a marketing piece of
material rather than an actual moving piece of art, you know.
Speaker 4 (16:18):
Yeah, And you.
Speaker 5 (16:20):
Know, I've tried to tell people for years, you don't
stand over a painter's shoulder and go, you know, when
they choose to use the color yellow, you don't go, oh,
I don't know if i'd use that. And in this industry,
you've got so many people standing over your shoulder. Oh,
you know, the song's too dark. You need to write
a bridge. It needs to have some kind of a
light at the end of the time. There's just so
much input that it gets away from the originality of it.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
You. I completely agree with you.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
Yeah, honey, No, it's the same. In my world.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
People get over coached and it takes the soul and
the unstinct away from them.
Speaker 4 (16:51):
They did.
Speaker 5 (16:52):
Yeah, And I'm you know, I'm so lucky to have
had so many different kinds of experiences and worked with
so many.
Speaker 4 (16:58):
Different kind of people.
Speaker 5 (16:59):
And you know, the Mask Singer was definitely different than
anything that I've ever done before. It's something that you know,
I think all of us, once we get there and
we get into that suit. The first time, we're like, oh,
what did I do? You know, how did I get
myself wrapped into this?
Speaker 4 (17:14):
But then the longer you're there, the more.
Speaker 5 (17:16):
Competitive you get, and the more you're like, no, I'm
in it to win it.
Speaker 4 (17:20):
Now. You know, I've gotten in and out of this
thing five times. It's discreciating, it's hot, it's heavy. I
don't know if I can do it. Yes, I can
do it. You know, you almost get into fight or flight.
Speaker 5 (17:29):
And you prove to yourself a lot of you know,
you just the endurance, the level of dedication, the level
of talent. It's there were a lot of really incredible people.
And what's really fun is just now, just like everybody else,
finding out who I was there with, like I mean
up until the very last episode. And I think it's
(17:51):
because they allowed us to unmask in front of each other.
Speaker 4 (17:54):
I had no idea who anybody was.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
Yeah, well, I love that. You got to keep a
piece here, a costume too.
Speaker 4 (17:59):
They sent it to me just for you, just for you.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
So sweet well and the beauty see, yeah, I love
that so much, all your little trophies back there.
Speaker 5 (18:08):
Here's an interesting fact I didn't realize until I was
placing them. It was the Masked Singer Season thirteen. It's
my thirteenth award.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
Hey, how neat is that Lucky thirteen?
Speaker 4 (18:23):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (18:24):
I love that so much. Well, and you have a
new song coming out.
Speaker 4 (18:27):
I have all kinds of stuff going on right now.
Speaker 5 (18:30):
The biggest thing that I'm working on right now is
a recreation of my original album, and I'm in the studio,
i think at the end of this month to start
on that. But I'm gonna it's kind of like what
Taylor Swift did with her first record, the Taylor's version.
Only what I'm going to do is I'm going to
take all of those original songs and I'm going to
do duets with different artists, so it'll be it's the
(18:52):
first record all over.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
Again, but like you know, with different artists.
Speaker 5 (18:56):
Like there's a song on there, Holding You that I
always thought Travis Tritch should sing.
Speaker 4 (19:00):
He's going to sing it with me.
Speaker 5 (19:02):
Yeah, And I've got Chapel Heart on a Chariot and
I'm working on a few others, so I don't know
who it's all going to end up being. I'm going
to try to get Tanya Tucker to do Redneck Woman
with me.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
On there so so that would be amazing, wouldn't it.
I mean, she's so good.
Speaker 4 (19:16):
Who else would you ask?
Speaker 2 (19:18):
That's I mean, that's so good. I love that. Well,
congrats again, I'm winning and I was so much excited
to hear hear all of the new stuff coming. Huge
fan awesome.
Speaker 4 (19:28):
Thank you so much for taking the time today, of
course
Speaker 2 (19:33):
Bye.
Host
Jana Kramer
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