Jordin Sparkslet her feathers fly as Exotic Bird onThe Masked Dancer.
Unfortunately, theAmerican Idolwinner’s dance toPaula Abdul’s “Opposites Attract” didn’t land her a spot in the semifinals, and the 31-year-oldtook off her maskoff on Wednesday’s episode.
“I was happy wherever I ended up, but I feel like with the right opportunity and dance moves, I could have won,” Sparks tells PEOPLE. “But I’m just grateful that I got to be a part of it. It was so much fun and there was so much freedom being behind the mask. Being anonymous gave me that freedom to go all out, whereas if somebody knew it was me, I’d probably be a little bit more reserved.”
Albert L. Ortega/Getty; Michael Becker/ FOX
“I think nobody expected me to be on this show — I didn’t even expect that I was going to do it,” Sparks says. “When I first saw thatMasked Dancercame into my email, I was like, is it supposed to sayMasked Singer? I was really nervous about it because this isn’t what I do. I finally said ‘yes’ because I wanted to prove to myself that I could take on challenges. And I want DJ to see me take on something that scared me so he knows that he can do it.”
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Ultimately, “we have DJ andmy husbandto thank for me getting onMasked Dancerbecause I definitely was like, I don’t know about this,” the “Red Sangria” singer admits. “But I’m so happy that I did it. I’m actually really sad that it’s over.”
Sparks talks about the challenges of dancing under a bird mask, finding confidence in her postpartum body thanks toThe Masked Dancerand discovering inspiration for new music in 2020 after five years without releasing a new album.
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How did it feel to be back on a competition show?It felt great, actually. With this show, it’s nice because it’s a competition show, but really it’s all about the guessing game and having a good time. That was another reason why I wanted to do it because that layer of pressure was taken away. It was about just going out and having fun and seeing if they can guess who you are. To be on a show like that after having been on a competition show prior, the difference was really crazy. Although there are some new challenges, like having to wear a mask, not being able to see.
Jordin Sparks with her husband Dana Isaiah and their son DJ.
Youtalked on Instagram last monthabout how your body broke down after pregnancy — how did your body handle dancing on the show? And what did it mean for panelistAshley Tisdaleto compliment your postpartum body while you were in the costume?It was interesting because my body did break down and I was definitely sore and hurting a little bit doing the show. I think I sat more last year than I ever have in my entire life just because there’s nowhere to go now. So to finally get up and be moving, it felt so good. They say a body in motion stays in motion and for me, I was definitely getting stiff from sitting and the other things that were going on from postpartum. It was encouraging for me as a mom to know that my body could still do that. Even though I was a little sore, it felt so good to get my body to move and I think that has helped in the healing process. After being on the show I’ve gradually gotten better. The pain has been less and less. Right now, I can’t believe I even felt the way I did prior to that.
It’s helped with my mental [health] as well, being able to prove to myself that my body can still move like it did before I became a mom. You kind of forget about the things you loved to do or you don’t focus on that much, so for me it was nice to rediscover my love of dancing. I knew that I love to do it but to actually be able to know that my body is still strong enough and also mentally to know that I can push myself was great for me.
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You just put out a new song, “You Still Think of Me,” and you’ve been on a roll dropping new music since the summer, but before you released yourCider & Hennessyin November, it’d been five years since we got a full album from you. What reignited that spark for you in the last year?Back when the world was open, I traveled a lot, my schedule was very busy. Whenever I would do sessions there was a pressure there to have to come up with something in that time. Like if you don’t come up with something in this session, it’ll be like a whole other month before I can actually come back and see you again. Tobe able to be at home— I’m grateful because I have a home set up here where I can record — and have the time and not have the pressure of everything else on top of it, I haven’t been in this space creatively since beforeIdol. I look forward to being in the studio and that pressure is gone. I broke through my writer’s block last year because I had the time to be able to do it. Not being able to put out music or having that writer’s block is really just hard and frustrating when it’s something that’s my life’s blood. It’s been amazing to be in that space and I just wanted to continue it.
What can fans expect from the upcoming music?Sounds Like Mecame out and then the Christmas album, we were recording in between all that. So I have a ton of music. “You Still Think of Me” is just the first of many songs that are going to be coming out this year. The song is really special to me because it’s different. People haven’t really heard my voice in the space before. There’s a lot of emotion in it but there’s a redemption in the song and there’s a lot of intense feelings I was reminiscing. But there’s also hope. I’m excited for this one to be the one to kick off all the rest of the music that I have coming for this next year.
The Masked Dancerairs Wednesdays (8 p.m. ET) on Fox.
source: people.com
