If you’ve read my blog before, you’d know that I am a huge fan of American Idol (2002 – 2016 and 2018 – present). Well, I’m a fan of seasons one to eleven. Despite the show ruining its own legacy, you can’t deny it had some unbelievably talented people on the show. One of those talented individuals was Chris Daughtry. Instead of ranking his American Idol performances, however, I’m going to rank his performances on The Masked Singer (2019 – present) because Daughtry’s voice has matured a bit since his Idol days. Besides, who doesn’t want to watch a Rottweiler sing pop songs?
You know, sometimes I wonder if the judges are paid to act dumb and pretend that they have no clue who’s singing behind the mask. Daughtry’s voice is so distinct and recognizable, like come on! With all that said, let’s get on with the music!
7. ”Mr. Brightside” by The Killers – Week 9 (eleventh episode)
This one doesn’t have anything to do with Daughtry’s vocal performance. I’m just not a fan of the song. I’ve heard “Mr. Brightside” so many times in movies and TV shows, and it’s annoying. The song sounds like a bunch of rowdy kids pretending to be rockstars and acting all tough, but I ain’t buying it.
6. ”Castle on the Hill” by Ed Sheeran – Week 6 (seventh episode)
Similar to “Mr. Brightside,” I’m just not a fan of the song. The verses are kind of depressing. Daughtry was singing about breaking his leg, and running away from his brother and his brother’s friends. It wasn’t until he got to the chorus where I was like, “ok, this is decent.” But, I feel like Daughtry never got to shine much on this performance. I just don’t think that Ed Sheeran and Daughtry make a good combination.
5. ”Maneater” by Hall & Oates – Week 1 (first episode)
I loved seeing Daughtry have fun and move around on stage. I think that’s part of the fun of being on The Masked Singer. No one knows who’s performing, so the contestants get to loosen up and enjoy themselves. Also, I think the song is catchy and it has a good beat.
4. ”Grenade” by Bruno Mars – Week 7 (eighth episode)
Technically, “Grenade” is a depressing song because the guy is singing about a girl who won’t make the same sacrifices that he’d make for her. But, I freaking love this song because the old Bruno Mars is my childhood. I loved the arrangement and how Daughtry made it more modern (it was released over 10 years ago). Plus, his voice made “Grenade” sound more intense. The fire in the background was a nice touch; some special effects make a performance work. I couldn’t help but sing along with Daughtry during this performance.
3. ”Love Runs Out” by OneRepublic – Week 5 (fifth episode)
First of all, I loved the pounding drums in the background because that really added to that hardcore vibe. But I also loved that Daughtry lowered the key to fit his voice because changing the key of a song can really make a difference. Daughtry was having a good time and grooving along with the back-up dancers, and it was fun to watch. He did little runs, sang some low notes, and went into his falsetto. Basically, he did a little bit of everything.
2. ”Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi – Week 9 (tenth episode)
Here’s the thing, I actually hate “Someone You Loved,” partially because of my older sister (she wouldn’t stop singing it for the longest time). But, Daughtry made me love his version of the song because it was so heartfelt and intimate. Like, he really connected with “Someone You Loved” and that’s what’s important. American Idol always stressed the importance of connecting with your song choice because if you don’t feel the song, how is the audience going to feel it? Daughtry’s voice has the ability to move people with not only his rock edge, but his softer side too. He also changed the key, so there’s that.
1. ”Alive” by Sia – Week 10 (final episode)
This performance literally gave me chills the first time I heard it. When Daughtry hit the chorus, it reminded me why he was one of my favorites on American Idol. Daughtry had that presence and potential to become a great recording artist; he did not disappoint us. I was a bit bummed when I found out “Alive” wasn’t his song, but he recorded his own version of it, which is cool. I still can’t believe the judges had no idea that Daughtry was the Rottweiler, especially after this performance. Like Darren Criss and Jason Mraz, where did they get those guys from?
This was the easiest ranking list I’ve ever had to do so far. Probably because there were only seven performances total. Rewatching the old American Idol seasons had me falling in love with my favorite contestants all over again, including Daughtry, and it sparked a new interest in me to check out his music. But, there you go guys! That’s how I’d rank Daughtry’s performances on The Masked Singer.
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Comment below which Daughtry album I should check out first!
Take care and see ya real soon!
Lana
I still can’t believe this is a show. It is like something The Simpsons would come up with as a joke.
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Yeah, I don’t really care for ‘The Masked Singer,’ but my family and I watched it on TV a few times during dinner. I had no idea Chris was on the show though. My mom told me about it. Obviously celebrities these days are looking for ways to still get paid, so TV will create any kind bizarre reality show for them. Don’t even get me started on ‘The Masked Dancer’!
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What?!?!? The Masked Dancer????
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Yep! There’s also ‘I Can See Your Voice.’ Creators keep on getting more and more dumb these days.
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Yeah, Sarah explained that one to me the other day. I’m completely out of touch with these shows, lol
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Oh, does she watch ‘I Can See Your Voice’?
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I don’t think so. It was a promo that came on TV that sparked the conversation. She is more into Survivor and Amazing Race. I don’t watch any of them, lol
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Ah ok, the non-talent and physical activities type of reality shows.
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She was really into American Idol but I’m not sure if she still watches it.
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Sarah used to watch ‘American Idol’ really? I wouldn’t be surprised if she doesn’t watch it anymore because the show is not worth it these days.
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Yeah, I just asked her if she still watches it and she said, “Is that still on?”
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Haha! Unfortunately, yes. ‘American Idol’ is still running and it’s not going to stop anytime soon. Do you know which seasons she watched?
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She says she watched up until last year but would fast forward through most of it. She liked the auditions but not the compition so much.
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Up until last year? Wow! The auditions were so much better when they showed the funny and horrible auditions to be honest. When I watched an episode of season 14, the funny auditions were gone by then.
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I always found those auditions to be more sad than funny. People who just wanted attention and didn’t care how they got it.
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Well when you put it that way, yeah it’s sad. But there are also those cocky people that think they’re so perfect and they humiliate themselves on live television. I don’t feel bad for those guys. Then again, it was the producers that put those contestants through to sing in front of the judges, so maybe I do feel bad for them.
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I think it was good that I listened to the songs before I read the post, though your post is very well written. Listening to Chris, my thought was, “This guy can definitely sing!” I can see or actually hear why you like him so much. However, I am still not a fan of these types of shows. Last night at work, I was forced to watch “Dancing on Ice” and I was wishing I had some sharp instrument to slit my wrists with.
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Thanks so much for your kind words, Mike! Yeah, Chris is obviously one of the best things that has ever happened to ‘American Idol,’ no doubt! His voice is unreal. Definitely one of the few contestants to make rock not sound corny on the show. Oh yeah, I’m not a fan of ‘The Masked Singer’ or any of these reality shows these days. Except for the old seasons of ‘American Idol,’ of course. I only found out about Chris on ‘The Masked Singer’ through my mom. As soon as I read ‘Dancing on Ice,’ I thought it was a parody of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ for some reason.
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Great post. He nailed everything. His voice and tone is so unique. I agree with the list. His versions of Sia and Lewis are excellent
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Thanks so much for your kind words, Pete! You are so right about Chris’ tone. I’ve never heard a voice like his before and nobody can even try to replicate it.
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Yes! Great post! I personally love the Masked Singer, *cough* and The Masked Dancer.
I completely agree with you on how the judges act when people are singing. Sometimes it’s so obvious and they have the most ridiculous guesses. Especially Ken. He needs to grow up.
Daughtry was definitely one of my favorite contestants on this show, along with LeAnn Rimes.
Excellent post! I enjoyed reading.
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Thanks so much, Lilly! Sorry for the trash talk about ‘The Masked Singer’ and ‘The Masked Dancer.’ But yeah, I totally agree with you about Ken. He’s my least favorite judge whenever I watch clips of the show. Oh there was also Nick Carter, Jesse McCartney, and JoJo. Again, some great performances on that show. Thanks for reading!
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At first I thought “what’s a Masked Singer?” but then the concept became apparent pretty quickly. Good on him, that #1 was powerful.
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Yeah, the concept of the show is pretty self-explanatory. Dumb, but self-explanatory. Heck yeah! In my honest opinion, Chris’ cover of “Alive” (#1 performance on the list) was one of the best performances on ‘The Masked Singer’ ever!
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Agreed.
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