Image via FOX
Published Mar 12, 2026, 1:51 PM EDT
Lorianne Palinkas has been a reality television writer for Screen Rant for four years. After teaching middle school English for twenty years, she knows a thing or two about high drama, complicated alliances, and even singing competitions. Growing up in New York City gave her a solid foundation in the arts and culture.
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The Masked Singer season 14 contestant High Voltage was unmasked and revealed to be professional soccer legend and FOX sports analyst Alexi Lalas, and now he's discussing his journey on the show. In addition to being a soccer icon, Alexi is an accomplished musician who's released eight solo albums since 1996. Throughout the competition, Alexi had four spectacular performances, including "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears on Fear Night, "Miles On It" by Kane Brown and Marshmello on Red, White & Clue Night, "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath on Ozzfest Night, and "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter on Care Bears Night.
The professional soccer player, who played for Team USA in both the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics twice, also competed in the Ozzfest Royale against Eggplant, singing "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath, which he won. Eggplant was then unmasked and revealed to be actor and singer Jack Wagner. On Care Bears Night, Alexi went head-to-head with Pangolin in the Care Bears Royale, singing "I'm So Excited" by The Pointer Sisters. However, this time he lost the battle, and he was unmasked.
None of the Masked Singer panelists guessed Alexi correctly, and they were shocked when they realized that they missed two of the most obvious clues that were right in front of them the whole time on his costume: a soccer ball in his head and the number 22 on his chest, which was Alexi's number. After guessing a wide variety of celebrities throughout the season, including late night talk show hosts, actors, and athletes, their final guesses were Tom Brady (Robin Thicke), Julian Edelman (Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg), Travis Kelce (Ken Jeong), and Jason Sudeikis (Rita Ora).
In an interview with ScreenRant, Alexi revealed what it was like to become High Voltage, how he chose his songs, how his costume worked, what he thought of the panelists missing his most obvious clues and their wrong guesses, how competing on The Masked Singer compares with playing soccer, and what's next for him musically.
The Masked Singer Season 14 Contestant Alexi Lalas Has A Musical Background That Led To Him Becoming High Voltage
ScreenRant: You were so fantastic as High Voltage on The Masked Singer. What was it like to become him?
Alexi Lalas: First off, I looked at it as a great opportunity to have a different type of experience. I grew up doing music and, obviously, I kind of made my way from a sports perspective. But, shout out to my mom, who, from a very young age, sent me down the two blocks to Mrs. Van Heusen's piano lessons, and Mr. Bellinger trying to teach his punk kid in the suburbs of Detroit to sing in high school.
And my mom taught me a couple of chords on her guitar after she sang some folk songs. And I said, "I'll take it from here." And then I did garage bands and all sorts of different things all the way through high school and recording and performing and doing all that kind of stuff. So it's always been a part of my life, and still is a part of my life.
But, to get this opportunity--especially because there is a preconceived notion oftentimes when you look at people, and you see them in one light--to kind of dispel some of that when it comes to the myths or the perception that people have of you, and to do it in kind of an anonymous way, but also to kind of be an alternate kind of character, and to your point, to inhabit this character of High Voltage, it was just fun.
I mean, I keep coming back to the word fun. It was just wonderful and fun. The village that they have, with all the experience that they have and the history that they have, they are there to make you look good. And they do everything to put you in your best possible light and make you feel good about yourself and make you incredibly confident when you go out there.
Alexi Had Never Heard Some Of The Songs He Performed On The Masked Singer
ScreenRant: You sang some epic songs throughout the competition: "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," "Miles On It," "Bad Day," the three Ozzy songs on Ozzfest Night because you got to do the opening, the head-to-head, and your own song. How did you choose them?
Alexi: Again, this goes back to the experience ... 14 seasons. I would think you would have learned some things, and they certainly have. And, so, I'm not the smartest tool, but at 55 years old, I said, you know what? These people have been around. And so I'm going to trust them. I'm not going to always defer, and I'm going to certainly make my opinions heard.
And they do a wonderful job of, very early on in the process, understanding who you are as a person, but also understanding who you are as a musician--however much or little music is a part of your life--and then trying to cater to that. And whether it's suggestions or alterations ... all of that kind of stuff was on the plate.
And, some of these songs, I'll be honest with you, I'd never even heard ... had no idea. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. But when we talked about different songs, they were in the vein of ... and they've seen I don't know how many performers perform. And so they know kind of what works and what doesn't work, especially with a live audience and with the panel up there. And so I took their advice. When I disagreed, I would certainly let them know.
And the spectrum of genres and songs, even between these shows that I did, is pretty great. So, to your point, one day you're doing Ozzy and the next thing you're doing a kind of Care Bears show and showing a sensitive type of side. But then there's the practical aspects of making sure that it's a song that you're comfortable with, making sure that obviously it's in the key that you need, where you are comfortable singing and adjusting and also making it your own relative to either other versions or classic versions that you have out there.
ScreenRant: How long do you have to prepare the song? Especially because it seemed like you've been singing those songs for years, so you would never know that you didn't know the songs before.
Alexi: I mean, you have days, and you have rehearsals. And, again, the vocal instructors are just wonderful in giving you tips ... not just tips how to sing, but tips how to sing for The Masked Singer.
And sometimes people don't realize ... I mean, I'm carrying a lot of weight in that thing, and it's pushing down on my diaphragm. I can't see crap [laughs]. And so I'm trying to hit the teleprompter to make sure I don't mess up the words. And then there's just the natural nerves and the angst that you have. And that's just kind of part of all of it. And so you have to compartmentalize, and you have to be able to relax. And, again, I know it's easy to say, but you also have to have fun and trust the people that have put you in that position.
Alexi Had No Control Over The Technology Of The High Voltage Costume
ScreenRant: Speaking of the costume, it lit up. How did that work? Were you doing that or did they or did it just randomly happen like when the soccer ball lit up?
Alexi: So, early on, when we were doing fittings and everything, it was interesting. The people that would come and surround me ... because this was a whole 'nother level in terms of the technology that was being used [laughs]. And with that comes a concern that it's all going to function on the day. And there's a lot of electricity coursing through me and battery packs all over. And you got to recognize that there's a possibility at times of interfering with audio. And so, there's all sorts of things that have to happen.
But, talk about taking a village ... there were people that would just surround me and all of these wonderful men and women making sure that everything was connected. And then I'm sure crossing their fingers and hoping that my massive sweating that was going on in there didn't short out any of the fuses that were going [laughs]. So it was amazing to see it from the early kind of pictures to come to be. And, even within the course of the show, for it to grow and to evolve.
But I wasn't working any of it. I was putting my character, if you will, in the hands of the more than capable tech folks out there when it came to wardrobe and the costuming and, obviously, audio that was involved. And then just the actual technical electrical part of it that was such a big part of that character.
Alexi Was Flattered By The Panelists' Wrong Guesses
ScreenRant: The panelists missed the soccer ball. They missed the 22. Some of the most obvious clues. Were you surprised that they didn't seem to pick up on any of that?
Alexi: [Laughs] Yeah, I mean, I can give them some grace in that sometimes things that are right in front of your face are very, very difficult to pick up. And it's easy from the boots, I guess it would be, that I'm in on that side. But I did chuckle oftentimes when they were all over the map when it came to guessing different people. And I take it as incredibly flattering that at times it was a John Travolta or a John Stamos or all the other ones that were over the course of the season.
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So, it's designed at times to throw you in a different direction. It's designed at times to obviously give stuff, but yeah, a big soccer ball that was there from the start, right in their face [laughs]. It was interesting when they started going football. I do appreciate and enjoy the fact that they recognized that there was a physical element to this character and to this person. And so I think I did my sports brethren right in terms of inhabiting that.
Alexi Considers Himself A Performer In Both Soccer & Singing
ScreenRant: Speaking of soccer, how does performing on The Masked Singer compare with playing on the field?
Alexi: Like I've said, I am a performer, and I have always considered myself a performer. When I walk on the stage, it's the same thing as walking on a field. When I put on a costume, it's the same thing as putting on a uniform. When I rehearse, it's the same thing as practicing. And, the way that I look and the way that I perform can inform the competition that happens. And so, it was just another form of entertainment and performance. Yes, something that challenged me in different ways, but I loved it. I am absolutely the biggest supporter and most positive messenger that this show can have.
And so, if anybody ever came to me with the question of, should I do this? It's an "absolutely, don't even think twice about it." Because, again, the people are there to make you look good, and to make you feel good about your performance. Whether you're into music or not. That's part of the wonderful part about this show. I mean, there are incredible musicians. There are incredible performers that are there. And there's some people that have done very, very little. But they can make it work, and they will make you look good. And, in doing so, they will make you feel good about yourself for however long you stay on the show.
Alexi Plans To Release More Music
ScreenRant: You've released a lot of music over the years. What's next for you musically?
Alexi: I'll continue to put out music to all three of my fans, including my mom [laughs]. And, we'll see. It's something that I love to do. And, while I have not kicked a ball in over 20 years, I still have music as a huge part of my life and will for the foreseeable future. And, as I said, this was just a fun thing. I wanted to do it. I didn't want to embarrass myself. I didn't want to embarrass my family, my kids, or anything like that. So I'm happy with the level which I got to.
I would have liked to continue on, but, you know, the quarterfinals or whatever it is, however you want to call it here, was great. And I had a wonderful experience, and I'm proud of the songs that we sang. I'm proud of the performances that we had. Like any performance you can think, "Ah, I should have done this here. I should have done better here." But, ultimately, in totality, it was just a wonderful, wonderful time, and something that I'll never forget.
The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.
Sources: The Masked Singer/YouTube, The Masked Singer/YouTube, The Masked Singer/YouTube, The Masked Singer/YouTube, The Masked Singer/YouTube, The Masked Singer/YouTube
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