The Masked Singer reveals Ship as Paula Cole, the title singer of “Dawson’s Creek.”

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Masked Singer Season 12, Episode 3, “Soundtrack of My Life Night”

Turn on the speakers and immerse yourself in nostalgia as the Soundtrack of My Life Night is playing The Masked Singer!

This particular theme has been used on the show in the past and, as always, this meant that the remaining singers on Wednesday had to perform songs that had personal meaning to them. To that end, Ship sang “Because the Night” by Patti Smith Group, Woodpecker sang “Put Your Records On” by Corinne Bailey Rae and Buffalo sang “Bitter Sweet Symphony” by The Verve. Apparently it was a night for revisiting old favorites, as host Nick Cannon told the judges and audience at the start of the episode that the “Ding Dong Keep It On” bell – which only rings once all season can be used in one of the group finals – returns.

Unless someone rings the bell, as this was the Group A final, two people had to go home. The first contestant eliminated was Woodpecker, as it turned out Black Star, actress and producer Marsai Martin, which no one on the jury guessed correctly. This sent Ship and Buffalo to the first battle royal of the season, where they were both tasked with singing their own rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way.”

In a shocking and certainly somewhat controversial decision, the panel decided to save the Ding-Dong Keep-It-On Bell for later in the season and sent Ship on her way. Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg finally came into play this season because she was the only one who correctly guessed that Ship was Grammy winner Paula Cole. Other guesses included Sarah McLachlan (Rita Ora), Alanis Morissette (Ken Jeong) and Amy Lee (Robin Thicke).

In advance, Weekly entertainment chats with Cole, who recalls a wild memory with the Dawson’s Creek Cast, like this show’s theme song, the “evergreen, eternal anthem” “I Don’t Want to Wait,” is the song of her life and her surprising connection to Taylor Swift.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: I have to say, I’m shocked to be talking to you right now. I thought you were chosen to win it all.

PAULA COLE: Thank you for your vote. I appreciate it. Listen, I don’t have to win. I don’t have to win prizes and stuff. I do this for other reasons. I love music. It was a fun experience. It’s all a lot of fun. I always practiced my Buddhist detachment from it and just enjoyed it, even though I enjoyed having an alter ego and the ship was a beautiful alter ego, a beautiful costume. It was fascinating to delve into the inner workings of a television show, and it was fun to dance and bring a little joy to my elderly parents, who sit in their La-Z-Boys and watch a lot of television, as older people do, and to me Children. It’s fun.

You mentioned on the show that you’re a big introvert and that being there kind of stressed you out. Have you found a sense of calm over time?

Oh, definitely. I mean, being on TV is a lot more intimate than it seems, and I loved my crew. I loved my customer and my closeness. I felt very connected to them and felt like there was a team energy there. I was sad when I had to leave. I loved the experience. I loved singing and dancing and being part of something and being in that society. That’s why I shed a little tear when I left the stage after I died and had to be exposed, just because I was sad when I left, but I felt very uncomfortable being in a battle with the music. I don’t like that. Music is a unifying element and not something to compete over. Personally, I kind of hated the battle royale. Everyone was really talented. I think it’s okay for me to go home. I have a lot to do. In some ways it was a relief, but I was sad. It’s a lot. It was kind of tiring and fascinating and fun. That’s why I’m glad I said yes and got over myself and my judgmental snobbery because I didn’t even know the show and had to do a deep dive to research everything. And then it was pretty interesting. I don’t think I would have done it if I was a furry amoeba or something, but they gave me this beautiful costume and it was all very great.

Speaking of television: your beloved hit “I Don’t Want to Wait” – the title song Dawson’s Creek – played on national television during the Emmys this year when Joshua Jackson took the stage and made a hilarious comment. Have you had a chance to talk to the cast over the years about how this song was part of a defining moment in their careers?

I haven’t met anyone from the cast in a few years, and everyone has expanded their own lives in some way. But it’s funny, we were doing commercials together when they were still filming and I met the cast and it was so bizarre. But in the end we watched the game between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield together that evening. I think it was with Michelle Williams and James Van Der Beek. We watched the game together and they are nice people and I love them. James was such a good person. Totally nice and down to earth and was a big fan of my music. So I really appreciated him. I don’t think any of us knew how big the show was going to be, and the show was so much bigger than me, and people loved the song. It occupies this sentimental place in people’s hearts and has become the song of my life, and it transcends generations. They sing it and the entire audience starts singing along. It’s a very moving and joyful thing to be a part of. I’m very happy to have a song like this, even though “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” had a higher chart status, but “I Don’t Want to Wait” is an evergreen, everlasting anthem and people love it . And for me it means something different, it’s about my grandfather and our family, but it just has this whole meaning for people. So it’s very sweet.

And when this show went on streaming a few years ago, you ended up re-recording this song to own the masters of it. Basically you pulled a Taylor Swift in front of Taylor Swift!

Yes, we did that in 2015 or 2016. I re-recorded and re-released the masters of “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” and “I Don’t Want to Wait” so I can have a little more control over my songs because otherwise the music business is full of sharks and I got some bad contracts and had no control over that song. You could use it however you wanted. The record company would just use it. So I think it was oversaturated and overexposed. And you don’t have the ability to control life. None of us do. You can’t control your career per se. You do your best surfing and handle the tides and waves that come at you. But I did what I could, so I re-recorded the masters to better preserve my work.

Right, and that’s essentially why Swift did it too.

Fully. Girl Power Mode. Yeah, and I think it’s great that (Swift) highlighted this conversation and that India.Arie kind of left live performances recently. She highlights how difficult the music business is for artists, and I’m glad we’re bringing it more into the conversation. There was real abuse in the music business, particularly towards women.

What’s next for you? What are you working on that you would like to share with fans and viewers? The Masked Singer?

So I was touring with a new album called Seeand that’s going very well. And I returned to Europe, the UK, for the first time in 25 years after starting a family, and that felt cathartic. I was really encouraged by the reception I received in London and everything went fantastically. And I’ll be touring more. Further dates will be announced later. I’ll end this tour somehow. So I’m finishing my tour at the end of this month, but in 2025 you’ll see a lot more tour dates coming out soon. And I’m currently in the process of writing for about five months. Sometimes you have to be extroverted and do publicity, talk about your projects and interviews, go on tour. And then I’m really introverted. So I’m at home, getting back to my writing self, and I sort of consider myself a writer first and a singer second.

That’s why I’m looking forward to wrapping up the tour at the end of the month and getting back to writing. And I’m focusing on a musical that’s brand new and in the making. I can’t even talk about it. It’s all very, very new. But I will work on that and also on a book. And of course if one or two songs come out, great. But I’ll do that until I’m back on tour, which will be late spring 2025, and people can always come to my social media or my website and see me, and I’m there on the other side of the internet . I only have white hair now. (Laughs)

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The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 8pm ET/PT on Fox.