Macaw is a masked celebrity on the ninth US season of The Masked Singer.
Appearance[]
The Macaw is a yellow bird with streaks of blue in its feathers and wings, as well as a black beak that appears to be studded with crystals. His attire resembles that of a bandleader, with a dark red suit featuring gold stripes, maroon shoes, and white gloves.
Songs[]
| Week | Song Selection | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | "Live Like You Were Dying" by Tim McGraw | ADV |
| 10 | "Photograph" by Ed Sheeran | NON-ELIM |
| 12 | "Your Song" by Elton John | SAFE |
| 13 | "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction | SAFE |
| 14 | "Hold Back the River" by James Bay | RUNNER-UP |
| "All by Myself" by Eric Carmen |
Battle Royale[]
| Week | VS | Song Selection |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Fairy | "That Don't Impress Me Much" by Shania Twain |
| 13 | California Roll | "Runaway Baby" by Bruno Mars |
| Medusa |
Clues[]
| Week | Clue |
|---|---|
| 6 | "I'm so excited to become the Macaw, because he's everything that I'm not: flashy, confident and he sings country songs. Even though I've been performing since a young age, it definitely didn't start out as a passion. My dad would bribe me with quesadillas to perform at our local Mexican restaurant. And eventually, I spread my wings on bigger stages. But the pressure to be always the good son has brought me so much anxiety. But somewhere on the journey of melted cheese and panic attacks, I learned to take breaks and reset. What started as a way to make my parents happy turned into what actually fills me with glee. This is the year I decided to be brave not only on stage, but in my own life. So, this feels like the perfect opportunity to put my newfound courage on display." |
| 12 | "I can't believe that I'm here. You also take it personally. If you make it, it's not so much about, 'Oh, I won.' It's more like, 'People are accepting me! They really like me!' Acceptance is something I've struggled with both in my career and my personal life. So, to be here on this stage, and feel so celebrated, and be myself feels great. Now I want to do a good enough job that it's worthy going into the semi-finals." |
| 13 | "When I first started in my career, I was a lot more reserved because I was young so I wasn't quite sure who I was and who I was supposed to be. But, as I was getting to know myself, I was also afraid of who I was. I thought if I told the truth, I was going to lose everyone. But when I did, it changed my life in such a beautiful way. It helped me feel like I don't have to hide anything anymore. Like, I always avoided love songs because I didn't like what they talked about because I couldn't relate to it. But now, I know what it's talking about because I've experienced it. I'm really excited for tonight's performance because while I know people are still going through what I went through, to be able to come back on TV, point right at the camera, and say 'you're enough', it means everything. It's so beautiful and I'm like, 'why did I keep this from myself for all this time?" |
| 14 | "Becoming the Macaw is exciting because it's like I'm becoming a new person. Even though people can't see me in this, in a way it lets me show a lot more of myself. I can show the colors I was too afraid to show, and I'm able to tap deeper emotionally in my performances. You know, I had a lot of anxiety coming here because I wasn't sure I could handle an environment of being judged again, especially with millions watching me on TV. But being the Macaw makes it a lot more fun. And if I win, it means I actually can win something. Maybe the last night for Macaw, but he'll live in me forever." |
| "When I first started this competition, I didn't think I'd make it this far. And honestly, I wasn't sure I'd still be singing at all. Not a lot of people know this about me, but I had a major injury last year that made me completely silent for three months. I was also going through some pretty big life events, and I began to wonder if this is really for me. But after taking time to reflect, I realized there was still a part of me in performing and that I should keep trying, even with all the changes. I once thought I would be alone. But from this bird's eye view, I can see I deserve to be loved." |
| Clue Answers |
|---|
| The child clue, as well as the telescope with stars clue, was related to his performance on Star Search at the age of 12. |
| The salsa references his job as a salsa dancer. |
| The chili pepper references his affair with Natasha Bedingfield on American Idol. |
| His dad encouraged him to sing in public while they were at a Mexican restaurant getting a meal. |
| He once "struck gold" when his self-titled debut album achieved certified gold status. |
| The red arrows were a clue referring to his album "The Other Side of Down." |
| The Philippines clue was that he once sang Ogie Alcasid's song "Nandito Ako",and that he is extremely loved there. |
Final Guesses[]
| Week | Robin's Guess | Jenny's Guess | Ken's Guess | Nicole's Guess |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Jason Mraz | Neil Patrick Harris | David Archuleta | David Archuleta |
Trivia[]
- The mask was revealed on February 12, 2023[1] along Jackalope, Doll, Mantis and Axolotl.
- The judges in Season 3 guessed David Archuleta to be the Astronaut. However, he was Hunter Hayes.
- The judges in Season 5 guessed David Archuleta to be the Piglet. However, he was Nick Lachey.
- Macaw shares the same walk-in song with Panther and Rhino.
- This is the first walk-in song to be used three times.
- Macaw is the second king/queen to be introduced on and win on the last episode of their round and advance straight to the quarterfinals, following California Roll and preceding UFO.
- Macaw is the first runner-up that was correctly guessed by Ken, as well as his second-highest placing correct guess (he, along with the rest of the panel, correctly guessed the identity of Season 12 winner Buffalos).
- David Archuleta is the fifth American Idol alumnus to be a contestant on The Masked Singer, following Chris Daughtry (Rottweiler), Tori Kelly (Seahorse), Natasha Bedingfield (Pepper), Katharine McPhee (the Split part of Banana Split), and Todrick Hall (Bull). He was followed by Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken (Beets).
- Archuleta, Daughtry, and Hall all finished as runner-up in their respective Masked Singer seasons, while he, McPhee and Aiken finished as runner-up in their respective Idol seasons (seasons 7, 5 and 2 respectively).
- Macaw is the twelfth LGBTQ+ contestant, following Poodle, Black Widow, T-Rex, Swan, Caterpillar, Phoenix, Egg, Bull, Prince, Maize, and two members of the California Roll.
- Macaw is tied with Peacock and Black Swan for the highest-placing bird character, both finishing in 2nd place.
- Like Leaf Sheep, Macaw sang a Tim McGraw song during his first performance.
- Coincidentally, both contestants were correctly guessed by Ken.
Videos[]
The Clues- Macaw - Season 9 Ep. 6 - The Masked Singer
The Clues- Macaw - Season 9 Ep. 13 - The Masked Singer-2
Macaw sings “Live Like You Were Dying” by Tim McGraw - THE MASKED SINGER - SEASON 9
Fairy & Macaw sing “That Don’t Impress Me Much” by Shania Twain - THE MASKED SINGER - SEASON 9
Macaw sings “That Don’t Impress Me Much” by Shania Twain - THE MASKED SINGER - SEASON 9
Macaw sings “Photograph” by Ed Sheeran - THE MASKED SINGER - SEASON 9
Macaw sings “Your Song” by Elton John - THE MASKED SINGER - SEASON 9
Macaw sings “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction - THE MASKED SINGER - SEASON 9
Macaw sings “Runaway Baby” by Bruno Mars - THE MASKED SINGER - SEASON 9
Macaw sings “Hold Back The River” by James Bay - THE MASKED SINGER - SEASON 9
Macaw sings “All By Myself” by Eric Carmen - THE MASKED SINGER - SEASON 9
The Reveal- Macaw is David Archuleta! - Season 9 Ep. 14 - The Masked Singer
Macaw Sings “That's What Makes You Beautiful” Unmasked - Season 9 Ep. 14 - The Masked Singer
The Winner Of Season 9 Is… - Season 9 Ep. 14 - The Masked Singer
Becoming The Macaw - Season 9 Ep. 14 - The Masked Singer
Macaw’s Journey - Season 9 Ep. 14 - The Masked Singer
Gallery[]
Macaw’s Title Card
Macaw’s Clue Intro
Nick Cannon declaring the winner of "Country Night"
Macaw is crowned as the winner of "Country Night"
Macaw and Medusa hugging in the Finale
David singing an encore
David and Bishop in a photo with each other
Macaw’s Concept Art