She’s faught off fierce competition from fellow Australian Eurovision representative Isaiah Firebrace and finally Kate Miller-Heidke was unveiled as Queen in the Final of The Masked Singer – Australia.
Kate’s Impressive Masked Singer performances
In her first performance on The Masked Singer she sung the 2020 The Weeknd smash hit single “Blinding Lights”. Full of pizzaz and showing her amazing vocal dexterity.
Next she performed the Rolling Stones classic “Paint It Black”. In this performance she turned The Queen into a perfect almost Disney-esque villain with some deep vocals and crazed moments!
Then The Queen became a Diva in this “Diamons Are A Girls Best Friend” from the film “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”. Showing she can do Jazz and Musical Theatre making this performance a camp classic.
From camp came fun! Kate then showed her frivolity with Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off”. This came alongside her showing her cheeky side with those spoken word affectations.
Skowing the complete opposite of frivolity, Kate dialled it right back with this stunning performance of “Love You To Love Me” by Selena Gomez. Kate’s stunning vocals shine through as did her vulnerability.
In The Masked Singer semi-final, Kate performed Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own”. In this performance Kate was at her most Kate showing the most of her operatic ability with an absolutely outstanding ending note.
You give me all the clues!
The clues were definitely there throughout each episode of the Masked Singer! A huge thank you to fellow editor and icon Lisa Bird in compiling all these clues!
Episode One
“My glorious stature doesn’t register in my humble beginnings. I was expected to be known by my Italian works, but turned away and followed my own royal path by popular demand.” Kate is classically trained and has performed in the New York Metropolitan Opera, but turned her back on Opera for a music career in Alternative Pop. As for the humble beginnings. Kate’s early life was very suburban. Her mum is a dance teacher and her father a high school principal.
Behind her is a map of Tasmania wrapped in tinsel. A cryptic reference to her cheeky Christmas song ‘I’m Growing A Beard Downstairs For Christmas’. As well as the fact her vocal coach is from Tasmania. This is confirmed in multiple references throughout the series with the extras wearing fake beards. Which is a tribute to the band The Beards, who Kate recorded the song with.
“I have been rewarded with the rarest of metals.” Kate’s second album Curiouser received Platinum certification and her song ‘The Last Day on Earth’ went three times Platinum.
“I remember the cold times as a child, and yet I was never cool.” Of course Kate was never cold being from the ‘Sunshine State’ known as Queensland.
“Yes, I have known the highs and the lows, sometimes at the same time.” An obvious reference to her Eurovision staging, swinging metres above the stage while performing ‘Zero Gravity’.
“Life doesn’t take you where you think it will. even if you’ll be a Queen one day. 13 times I’ve been a bridesmaid, but never the bride.” Kate has received 13 ARIA Award nominations, but has yet to win. She also wrote the songs for the Muriel’s Wedding stage musical.
Urzila asks if Queen was on The Celebrity Apprentice, and Queen says she “certainly served her apprenticeship, but it wasn’t on TV.” Kate is talking about her theatre work and classical training in her youth.
Episode Three
“A Queen can be many things. Even when I was very, very naughty I was applauded by my greatest critics. Kate’s very naughty song ‘I’m Growing A Beard Downstairs For Christmas’ was nominated at the ARIA Awards for Best Comedy Release in 2016.
“Nobody puts Baby in the corner.” Of course this is referring to Kate’s critically acclaimed performance as Baby Jane in Jerry Springer: The Opera.
“I’m comfortable in public. Crowds don’t bother me. Although I do like to travel by coach. Yes there have been many stages in my life.” Meanwhile the backdrop clearly depicts the firework celebrations of Coachella. Back in 2010 Kate opened the show at Coachella. This is confirmed later in the episode when Osher asks for a fact we wouldn’t know, and Queen replies that she’s “been to a polo club, but she’s never played polo.” The venue for her Coachella performance was the Empire Polo Club.
“Sometimes I am the Queen and sometimes the Jester. But my sporting heritage cannot be denied.” As the extras wear the colours of the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Multiple riddles in one here. As Kate’s husband Keir Nuttall is in the band Transport who Kate regularly performs with. Which ties in with not always being the Queen aka the lead performer on stage. Also Kate wrote the music for musical theatre show The Rabbits in 2014.
“This is not my first time at being piggy in the middle. But I didn’t let that experience stand in my way. Every Queen reaches for the stars, standing on the shoulders of our loyal subjects. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but tonight will be my checkmate.” Which sees Kate surrounded by a circle of stars from the EU flag. Further references to Eurovision are here. In the staging Kate is the piggy in the middle between two dancers on poles. Also she has reflected on the fact she did not win in Tel Aviv.
Episode Five
“As befitting a Queen my first professional performance was for Britain, I took the applause not knowing if I could make it last, but it just didn’t feel like home. I knew I needed to look elsewhere for fulfilment.” Again this refers to Kate’s Opera beginnings and changing career paths. Kate made her professional operatic debut in The Turn of The Screw composed by Benjamin Britten.
“One wasn’t always a Queen. But it is a real title, awarded by the good folk of this country who have supported me repeatedly.” Back in 2002 and 2003 Kate was named Queen of the Woodford Folk Festival.
“Achieving that is not a fly by night operation or even 12 nights.” A picture of Neil Armstrong and a statue of Shakespeare appears. The former references Kate performing at the Apollo Bay Music Festival. As well as her, literally out of this world staging for Eurovision! The latter refers to Kate and husband Keir’s duet of ‘O Mistress Mine’ from Twelfth Night. Also 12 was her voting number in the first Semi-Final during Eurovision 2019.
“Do people find me funny? In other words, do I have nil seriousness? I will not have it. I am the Queen. I’m not just one of the crowd and I intend to stand out tonight.” Again we have more references to ‘Zero Gravity’ with ‘nil seriousness’. Another way to express nil seriousness is zero gravitas. Furthermore the word crowd is a reference to Kate’s song ‘Caught In The Crowd’.
The bonus clue is a diary of love letters written in French. Kate is fluent in French as she shows here.
Episode Seven
“Being in the spotlight can play with your head. You don’t know who you are from one month to the next. But I had one principle from the very start, so I kept a level head. After all, nobody wants to go pop.” A reference to Kate’s ever eclectic styles of music, bringing fusion elements of Opera and Alternative Pop.
“The Masked Singer is tough. Especially getting near the pointy end. It’s like facing gladiators in the Colosseum. During this segment Kate’s bearded extras are engaging in warfare with a trident and ropes. This and the mention of Colosseum refers to Kate’s audition for The Death of Klinghoffer for the English National Opera (ENO) at the London Coliseum.
“I hope nobody calls me terrible! But you never have to tough it out alone when your heart is in harmony with another.” Yet another reference to writing the songs for Muriel’s Wedding.
“Growing up I rejected dance, but still ended up a dancing girl. I have never met a dance I didn’t enjoy.” Again this goes back to Kate playing the role of British Dancing Girl in The Death of Klinghoffer.
“When you’re the Queen, you can do anything. But choosing what to do, that’s tough. We all write our own future and you can write it if you like it.” Here ABC blocks are pictured. Of course Kate performed in ABC’s comedy opera The Divorce. Also here is a nod to the fact Kate and Keir have written the songs for the MTC’s production of As You Like It. However due to the ongoing restrictions in Victoria, this has been postponed until 2021.
Queen also reveals that her great-grandfather was an early member of the Communist Party of Australia.
Episode Eight
“As the Queen my royal duties can be demanding. I have lost count of how many times I have helped my fellow man.” Kate has often written songs for charitable causes, such as raising awareness for bowel cancer with ‘The Last Day On Earth’ and ‘I’m Growing A Beard Downstairs For Christmas’ with The Beards.
“I might be the Queen, but I couldn’t do it without help. Being the Queen gives me access to the greatest designers and stylists. Do you like my dress? I also look good in white, which I’ve worn more than once.” Help is a call out to the fact she has won five Helpmann Awards for her theatre work. Again she alludes to Eurovision and the white sparkly dress she wore on stage.
“I do love a wedding. But to be honest I didn’t do badly in a divorce either.” Yet another connection back to her role in ABC’s The Divorce, despite being very happily married to husband Keir Nuttall!
“I was singing before I could speak. But would that be my future? With my voice there would be no ARIAs for me.” Final confirmation that Kate has never won an ARIA award.
“I am the Queen and I will win The Masked Singer. Even if it’s my last day on Earth.” Of course acknowledging her own single, ‘The Last Day On Earth’.
“When Jay-Z and I played the same gig, he was very persuasive but I worked that crowd just as hard.” This celebrity connection clue is full confirmation of Kate performing at Coachella 2010 which Jay-Z headlined.
Episode Nine
“I am the Queen. A real Queen. It’s often a title passed down through families. But I did it my way. The sound of white has been very good to me.” Kate released her first EP independently in 2004 at the same time that Missy Higgins released her album The Sound of White.
“Where is my King? Perhaps there was a legal separation? But the wedding was something special. Even if it’s not forever.” More connections to The Divorce and Muriel’s Wedding. However we get another reference to Kate’s music here. The last line is in reference to ‘This Is Not Forever.’
“I have been accused of having no seriousness. Me, the Queen!” The zero gravitas aka ‘Zero Gravity’ nod again.
“I rule the whole country with fairness. Although I do prefer the metropolitan area. I am the Queen. I am independent and a master of all I survey. And I shall soon be awarded another crown.” Another throwback to Kate’s early days in Opera where she performed in the New York Metropolitan Opera. Here she also reminds us she earned a Master of Music degree at Queensland University of Technology.
Kate Miller-Heidke in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019
Last year, Kate Miller-Heidke participated in the first ever edition of Eurovision – Australia Decides in which she took victory with her pop-opera track ‘Zero Gravity’. As a result, she represented her nation at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest with arguably the most technologically-advanced stage performance ever seen on a Eurovision stage. And don’t forget about those extraordinary vocals!
Europe was impressed, awarding Kate and Australia 1st place in the first semi-final and 9th place in the grand final. More recently Kate has treated us to new music and news of her upcoming fifth album. Child In Reverse will be released October 30th. Meanwhile fans of Kate can get an early taster through the release of new singles ‘Deluded‘ and ‘A Quiet Voice‘.
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