Despite a killer performance of Bon Jovi’s classic rock anthem It’s My Life on Monday night’s episode of The Masked Singer Australia, Goldfish was ultimately flushed down the toilet and revealed to be none other than beloved Aussie singer Christine Anu.
Best known for her catchy, upbeat pop songs like Party, Sunshine On A Rainy Day and her iconic cover of the Warumpi Band’s single Island Home, viewers were left gob-smacked after seeing a whole new side to the 50-year-old on the singing show.
“Almost ready to boycott @maskedsinger_au after Goldfish gave one of the best performances of the night but was voted off and now we are deprived of more Christine Anu Face with cold sweat,” one fan fumed on Twitter after Goldfish’s departure.
“I’ve missed Christine Anu on our screens. Absolute superstar #MaskedSingerAU,” another user said.
“Christine Anu, what a queen! This show is just pure, campy and fun and I have zero complaints! #maskedsingerau,” a third noted.
Fresh from her eviction, Now To Love caught up with Christine to chat about her wild experience on the show (which included not going to the toilet), what her two children thought of her performance and why the world needs The Masked Singer now more than ever before…
Christine, congratulations on such an amazing stint on the show, how are you feeling now it’s all out in the open?
It would have been great to still be on the show but it’s great to be back with family.
It was difficult because I’m not great at keeping secrets! I love having a good yarn. Boy oh boy, what an experience! I learnt so much about myself as a performer.
I did not tell my family, except for those in my household and my management and my personal assistant. That was it!
What did your son Kuiam, 24, and daughter Zipporah, 18, think of your stint on the show?
I never like watching myself back. It was great watching it. My daughter was beside me, as an 18-year-old would be on social media just reading me all the commentary coming through.
My son didn’t know about it so he probably wasn’t watching it. My partner is away driving trucks as an essential worker. And my daughter was beside me [watching the episode]… I think there was a small level of disappointment that I didn’t go further in the competition.
But she’s oh so proud! She’s a rising performer herself and I guess every element of choices I’ve made throughout my career are a model for her to follow. Everything that I’m doing to prepare and every way that I present myself in the public and on television and the choices of jobs that I take, are all things that she will take, or not take from.
READ NEXT: EXCLUSIVE: The Masked Singer celebrities at war over their costumes!
“Boy oh boy, what an experience! I learnt so much about myself as a performer,” Christine tells us of her time on the show.
(Images L-R: Channel 10, Getty)You must be so proud of your daughter Zipporah [whose father is actor Rodger Corser] following in your footsteps but also paving her own way?
I wanted her to pave her own way as someone that’s not a performer because it’s not as glamorous as what it’s set out to be.
I’m there for her! And she’s well aware and I’ve said it time and time again, it will have its highs and it will have its lows. And when your heart’s in something, you’ve gotta be prepared for disappointment. And there’s a lot of that in this industry. Most of the time you get told no! It’s a hard industry and you’ve got to toughen up but I’ll always be there for her.
And what about the inspiration behind your song choice, It’s My Life?
I didn’t have a choice in the song or my Goldfish costume!
Really? Is that tough as a performer to relinquish creative control like that?
I guess so. It’s tough because it’s not the genre of music I would go to.
What about the behind-the-scenes element to the show? Not only are the crew trying to protect your identity but you’re also filming in COVID hit Melbourne, which is currently in lockdown
Just imagine if there was no COVID. The show runs like that anyway. It’s perfect for this time.
It’s a really well orchestrated show. There is an order in which everything happens. There is not one piece of skin that can be shown. The people that are working on the set do not even know who you are and you’re not allowed to speak.
You have to get escorted to the toilet. The security is so high. But at the same time, you can’t see anything so you’re being handled like a baby. That’s really awkward cause you feel so dependant.
Watch this space: The much-loved Indigenous performer has a new album in the works.
(Image: Channel 10)Your Goldfish costume was so intricate, did you need help from your minders going to the loo?
You don’t go to the loo! I’m not speaking for other people, I’m speaking for myself. When I drank water, I sipped it through a straw and I sipped it in frequent little bits and pieces so my bladder wouldn’t fill up.
They’re intricate costumes and you’ve got the battery pack, you’ve got the Madonna mic… There’s a lot of components of that costume that have to come apart and then you go into another building to use the bathroom.
You pretty much just wait til your performance is over. But once you’re in there on day two or three and you realise how it all works, it’s fine.
You came head-to-head with Dragonfly last night in the final two, everyone thinks she’s Sophie Monk – who do you think it is?
Maybe [it’s her], a lot of people have been alluding to that. I don’t know, especially given the classical side of things. That’s the one clue that threw me.
We heard you say on the radio this morning that it’s been a joy to be able to perform again and bring people some much needed entertainment during this crazy year?
One hundred thousand per cent. You know what music does? It brings us all together. This show in a fascinating way, brings us all together. I want to be a part of that.
It was also an opportunity to say, “hey guys, it’s Christine here! I’m back performing, I always have been and I’ve never forgotten about you.”
WATCH: Christine Anu performs It’s My Life on The Masked Singer. Post continues below…
The Party hitmaker says she and her daughter share an unbreakable bond and are the best of friends.
(Image: @anuchristine/Instagram)As a mother of two young adult children, how are you helping them stay mentally strong and motivated during the pandemic?
Young adults don’t need their parents. They know everything about the world, don’t they?
No, my son he lives in a house full of housemates and we rarely speak because he works and he’s busy partying. That’s his world! But I’m sure if anything was going to happen, he’d be right on my doorstep and I’d be like, yep come in!
My daughter just turned 18 and she lives with me and I don’t think she’s ever going to leave. We’re each other’s best friend.
How I’m dealing with her, is just reminding her to be mindful and respectful of other people out there. There is a pandemic going on. If you forget that, it doesn’t mean that it’s not there. It’s just reminding them of the hidden dangers. Which is what you always tell your children – pandemic or not.
You’re currently working on ABC Radio National on their Saturday show but what else do you have in the works?
2020 is 25 years since the debut of my first album [Party] so I’ve been trying to get that up during COVID but obviously the gigs have fallen by the wayside.
I’ve got a flashy new website, which I’m so proud of, so any enquiries go there!
There is an album in the works, I have used COVID to be contributing to it.
Fans have loved seeing the pop star back on our screens.
(Image: Getty)
