Last night, in the first double eviction of the series, viewers saw Morten Harket lead singer of Aha revealed as Viking.
Earlier in the show, Dragon, Blob and Viking found themselves in the bottom three, with Viking the first to be unmasked.
Morten Harket has spoken about taking off the mask on last evenings extravaganza of costumes on ITV.
What made you decide to take on this challenge?
I was meant to be busy during the period in question when invited to join The Masked Singer. The pandemic cleared the majority of activities off the calendar and suddenly the door opened for other types of requests.
When asked, I liked the idea of exposing myself to the insecurity of its confines knowing I would hate that.
How hard is it to keep the secret?
Well, it is easy when you understand the simple requirement of a secret; don’t let anyone in on it. If you lighten the load by confiding in your closest friend, the secret is being guarded by someone less involved in its protection.
How was the secrecy at filming?
A fast learning curve in discipline. Kind of cool for the necessity of it. We are spoiled with the freedoms we normally enjoy. The pandemic is a stark reminder of this!
What did you think of your mask, your overall look and the character you got to play?
I thought it was brilliant! All of it.
Did you have a say in what your costume looked like?
I did have a say but I was of the opinion that, even though I would be able to build my own character, there were people in the team who are excellent at this. I wasn’t wrong.
How about the clue packages – what kind of input did you have on those and do you have a favourite nugget of information from them?
The clue packages and generally all wording that represented Viking was cooperation between myself and the team, as it was important for me to construct a personality I could represent.
Were there any nerves when you first performed as your character or did being hidden inside the costume make you feel more confident?
To be behind the mask was in itself cool and rather fun. To be inside the costume made my movements even clumsier than I would usually 🙂
IF I did have any nerves, it wasn’t because of the mask. For me to not have control over certain aspects of my performance was a huge challenge and was the only reason why I had any concerns.
What are your thoughts on the panel and what did you think of their guesses?
The entire connection and dialogue with the panel was very enjoyable!
If you could wear your mask and costume just one more time, what occasion would you choose to wear it to?
For my funeral.
How did it feel to leave at the point you left in the show?
Fair, based on my obvious limitations at that point. My struggle with the sound inside the mask affected my overall freedom to perform. These things happen. I only realised what caused the problem at the point I was unmasked!
What has been your personal highlight taking part in The Masked Singer?
My personal highlight was meeting a lot of new people in music and TV production I otherwise wouldn’t meet. In my profession, I am used to existing in quite a cocoon working with the same people.
The Masked Singer represents an entourage of people of professional capacity across a rather wide range, none of which I have met before.
How would you sum up your experience?
It was an interesting experience to “feel” the team rather than meet them as there were only a few face to face encounters.
The Masked Singer, ITV, STV and UTV, Saturdays at 7pm
