Paula Cole (‘The Masked Singer’ Ship) ‘hated the Battle Royale’ and recalls ‘Dawson’s Creek’ mania: ‘I didn’t see that coming’
Season 12 of “The Masked Singer” continued Wednesday night on FOX, with the Group A finalists belting out classic hits from “The Soundtrack of My Life.” Following the studio audience vote, Ship became the second singer eliminated (and fourth overall this season), revealing Grammy winner Paula Cole. Watch our video interview above.
“I didn’t even know about the show,” the singer-songwriter and producer admits to Gold Derby. “I did a deep dive and I’m thinking, ‘I don’t know if I want to do this.’ But, they were incredibly kind and then they offered me this gorgeous costume, which looks like an art piece. I think if they had offered me some furry amoeba suit I definitely would not have done it, but it was beautiful and I ended up having so much fun. I just had to embrace joy and get over myself. It was so out of my comfort zone, but I had a really fun time.”
Ship made it all the way to the end of the Group A finals, where she had to face off against the Buffalos in a Battle Royale. “I hated the Battle Royale,” she reveals. “I hate that music is being used competitively like a sing-off. That’s the antithesis of music. Music is a unifier. It makes you feel! So I hated that. Also, I was torn. I didn’t go into this thinking, ‘I want to win!’ I practice Buddhist unattachment. I stayed stoic, went with the flow and enjoyed the process. I believe in my voice, but it’s not necessarily about that. It’s about fan favorites and what’s best for the show. I understand why Buffalo won, and they’re lovely. I don’t really care. I don’t need to win ‘The Masked Singer,’ but I was surprisingly sad after I lost.”
Cole won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1998 against some heavy hitters including Fiona Apple, Erykah Badu, Hanson and Puff Daddy. “I was nominated for seven. There was a lot of attention on me,” she recalls. The album did really well. ‘Where Have All the Cowboys Gone’ was the big hit and ‘I Don’t Want to Wait’ hadn’t even taken off yet. I was touring relentlessly, I kind of came home for a day or two for the Grammys. I was off to Europe the day after so I missed all that armpit hair scandal because I was off in Europe, thankfully. It was such a whirlwind that I think it’s taken me years to process.”
Cole’s hit “I Don’t Want to Wait” famously became tied to the hit show “Dawson’s Creek” and took on a life of its own as the theme song. “Oh hell no, I didn’t see that coming,” she laughs. “I was getting off tour, I was going to take a break, I was pregnant. I didn’t even watch ‘Dawson’s Creek.’ I didn’t even know the momentum and the impact it was having. It became so much bigger than me. People knew the song and not me. It became a problem child. It became complex. I’m so known for that song. That tripped up my ego a little bit. Where am I in all of this? However, with time, I’m so honored that this song has so much meaning to people. When I sing it it’s like a magic key in a lock. It opens peoples’ hearts. It’s honoring that this song can cross generations again and again. I didn’t expect it.”
The singer-songwriter released “Lo,” her first collection of entirely new, original songs in nearly a decade, on August 16th 2024. “It’s been a beautiful ride,” she says. “It’s touching people.” The lead single, “The Replacements & Dinosaur Jr.,” is a heartfelt tribute to her friend and artistic mentor, Mark Hutchins, who died at age 51. The song pays homage to Hutchins’ musical influences, spanning from The Replacements and Dinosaur Jr. to The Beatles, XTC, Daniel Lanois, and A Tribe Called Quest.
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