James Arthur has responded to Busted‘s Charlie Simpson being revealed as ‘Rhino’ on The Masked Singer, following fan speculation that he was behind the disguise.
READ MORE: Mark, My Words: this is how The Masked Singer could become the greatest show ever made
The final of the ITV show – which sees famous musicians perform in costumes and masks to make their identity a mystery – aired on Saturday (February 18), where it was revealed that the Busted singer was the season four winner and had been performing behind the Rhino mask.
However, fans of the show had spent several weeks speculating that it was actually Arthur in the costume.
“Fuck me I can’t wait till everybody stops blowing my phone up every Saturday thinking I’m on telly singing dressed as a rhino,” the X Factor winner responded on Twitter.
“@CharlieSimpson id know that voice anywhere,” he wrote in a follow-up tweet. “One of the best out there #maskedsinger now everyone piss off and leave me alone.”
“Honoured to be compared to @CharlieSimpson by the way. It’s about time he got the recognition he deserves.”
Simpson responded to Arthur’s praise, writing: “What an absolute gentleman. The honour is mine my friend. X”
Fuck me I can’t wait till everybody stops blowing my phone up every Saturday thinking I’m on telly singing dressed as a rhino.
— James Arthur (@JamesArthur23) February 18, 2023
@CharlieSimpson id know that voice anywhere. One of the best out there #maskedsinger now everyone piss off and leave me alone
— James Arthur (@JamesArthur23) February 18, 2023
Honoured to be compared to @CharlieSimpson by the way. It’s about time he got the recognition he deserves. https://t.co/Z1NGIuUyuC
— James Arthur (@JamesArthur23) February 18, 2023
What an absolute gentleman. The honour is mine my friend. X https://t.co/lwICDjk1PR
— Charlie Simpson (@CharlieSimpson) February 18, 2023
Following Simpson’s win, the musician has now shared an EP – called ‘Kifaru’ (which is Swahili for rhino) – featuring three song he performed on the show: Lewis Capaldi’s Before You Go, Kings Of Leon’s Use Somebody, and Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol.
It also includes a new version of his song ‘I See You’. You can listen here.
“I had such a good time on The Masked Singer, it was such a crazy ride,” the singer said in a statement. “I decided to release some of my favourite songs from the show but in a very stripped-back way, which also captures the ethos of my latest solo record Hope Is A Drug, which is my most intimate album yet.
“I have also added an entirely new version of I See You, which was my first release from ‘Hope Is A Drug’. I can’t wait for people to hear it.”
Last week, former Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora was unmasked as Jacket Potato on The Masked Singer.
During his time on the show, Sambora had performed songs such as Elvis Presley‘s ‘Viva Las Vegas’, Leonard Cohen‘s ‘Hallelujah’, Fleetwood Mac‘s ‘Go Your Own Way’ and ‘Love Me Again’ by John Newman.
The post James Arthur speaks out after Busted’s Charlie Simpson revealed as ‘Rhino’ on ‘The Masked Singer’ appeared first on NME.