Kate Miller-Heidke just misses ‘The Masked Singer Australia’ crown

Tonight 'The Masked Singer Australia' came to an end with a Eurovision artist just missing out on taking the crown!

In the season finale the Queen was finally unveiled as Eurovision 2019 star Kate Miller-Heidke!

Fans had long suspected the 'Zero Gravity' performer as being under the mask. Even in week one Eurovision fans were quick to recognise Kate’s distinctive voice.

According to polling conducted on Aussievision’s Facebook page on the very first night of the show, an astounding 76% of fans thought that Queen was Kate Miller-Heidke, while 24% weren’t so convinced.

Kate Miller Heidke's unveiling came after fellow Eurovision performer Isaiah Firebrace was revealed as the Wizard several weeks ago.

The Queen had spectacular performances of hits such as The Weeknd’s ‘Blinding Lights’, a spine-tingling cover of ‘Paint It Black’ by The Rolling Stones, a rousing rendition of ‘Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend’, an operatic version of ‘Shake It Off’ by Taylor Swift, and touching, emotional versions of 'Lose You To Love Me' by Selena Gomez and 'Dancing On My Own' made famous by Swedish singer Robyn.

In the final she wowed the judges and audiences at home with her performance of 'I Will Survive' by Gloria Gaynor. The performance saw her rise high in the air emulating both her Australia Decides and Eurovision performances. Judge Jackie O even named the performance "hands down the best performance 'The Masked Singer' has ever seen!"

Despite the epic performance she was pipped at the post by Bonnie Anderson as Bushranger with Frilled Neck Lizard Eddie Perfect rounding out the Top 3.

Here’s a breakdown of some of the cryptic clues from the show:

• In Episode 1, Queen says she was known for her “Italian works” before “find[ing her] own path”. Kate Miller-Heidke was trained in opera before producing more contemporary musical material.

• A picture of the map of Tasmania with tinsel around the edges was shown on screen. This is a reference to ‘I’m Growing A Beard Downstairs For Christmas’, Kate Miller-Heidke’s Christmas collaboration with The Beards.

• This cheeky Christmas carol is referenced again in Episode 3, with Queen stating “even when I’m being naughty, I’m applauded by my critics,” as two extras in the background are wearing beards.

• “Thirteen times I was the bridesmaid but never the bride” – Kate Miller-Heidke has been nominated for an ARIA award 13 times but has never won one at the time of writing this article ("no ARIAs for me"). Fans on Twitter were very clued-in on this piece of evidence and were quick to voice their outrage.

• One set of awards that Kate did earn were Helpmann Awards. Kate has won 5 Helpmann Awards including two for ‘The Rabbits’ and one for ‘Muriel’s Wedding’ which was awarded Best Original Score. She says "I might be the Queen but I couldn't do it without help!"

• “Nobody puts baby in the corner” – Kate Miller-Heidke was critically acclaimed for her performance as Baby Jane in ‘Jerry Springer: The Opera’

• In Episode 3, some extras wearing rugby jumpers with the colours of NRL team the South Sydney Rabbitohs were shown on screen. This is a reference to ‘The Rabbits’ – an opera written by Kate Miller-Heidke based on the John Marsden-penned children’s book of the same name.

• Queen references her “sporting heritage” – Kate Miller-Heidke was in the band Transport before finding fame as a solo artist

• “Crowds don’t bother me, but I do like to travel by coach” is a reference to Kate Miller-Heidke’s time performing at Coachella (and shared the stage with Jay-Z, as was referenced in Episode 8). This was alluded to later in Episode 3, where Queen says “I’ve been to a polo club but I’ve never played polo”, as Kate has performed at the Empire Polo Club.

• Queen says that her monarchic ‘Masked Singer’ moniker is “a real title awarded by the good folk of Australia” – this is a reference to Kate Miller-Heidke winning Australia Decides 2019 and the honour of representing Australia in Eurovision that year. Kate won the televote with 87 points, taking out the competition with a total of 135 points to beat out acts such as Electric Fields and Sheppard and claim the crown. This is not the first time Kate has been musical royalty, as she was named Queen of the Woodford Folk Festival in 2002/2003.

• “Achieving that is not a fly-by-night operation…” – coupled with pictures of famous astronauts such as Neil Armstrong, this is a reference to Kate’s out-of-this-world Eurovision performance of her song ‘Zero Gravity’. Queen also referenced her Eurovision performance in Episode 3, where she exclaimed “every queen reaches for the stars” surrounded by the golden stars of the European flag.

• “…or even twelve nights” – Kate Miller-Heidke wrote the music for the songs in a production of ‘Twelfth Night’ in 2018

• Lyrical references to Kate’s discography have been littered throughout the clues too! "This isn’t my first time being piggy in the middle" is a nod to ‘Caught In The Crowd’ and "even if it's not forever" references 'This Is Not Forever', the first single from Kate's upcoming album 'Child In Reverse'. "I’ve had my highs and lows" is not only a play on ‘Words’, but can also be interpreted as hinting at her stint flying high on a 5-metre tall pole during her Eurovision performance of ‘Zero Gravity’. In Episode 8, Queen also exclaimed that she'd win The Masked Singer even if it was the 'Last Day on Earth' - a song that went platinum ("I've been rewarded with the rarest of metals").

• “I rejected dance but still ended up being a dancing girl” – Kate Miller-Heidke played a British dancing girl in The Death of Klinghoffer for the English National Opera at the London Coliseum. Kate has also compared being the Queen to “fighting gladiators in the coliseum”.

• Although Queen has lamented that being on the Masked Singer can be tough, she says it's easier "when your heart is in harmony with another". This refers to her husband Keir Nuttall, with whom she has shared much of her musical life. Keir and Kate wrote 'Zero Gravity' together, as well as many other musical masterpieces.

• In Episode 5, Queen is holding a towel wrapped like a baby – a reference to Kate’s son Ernie, who has been recently winning hearts all over the internet with his “songwriting workshops”.

• "I hope nobody calls me terrible" is a reference to the famous quote "you're terrible, Muriel" from 'Muriel's Wedding'. Kate wrote the music for the musical adaptation of 'Muriel's Wedding' with her husband Keir Nuttall.

• The quote "I didn't do badly in a divorce either" in Episode 8 coupled with blocks spelling ABC in Episode 7 is a reference to the ABC miniseries 'The Divorce', starring...Kate Miller-Heidke!

• In Episode 9, Queen declared: “I rule the whole country…though I do prefer the metropolitan area.” Kate’s single ‘Ride This Feeling’ was selected as the promotional theme for the Brisbane City Council Economic Development Board’s ‘Visit Brisbane’ television advertising campaign - that's one way to reign over the city!

Kate Miller-Heidke represented Australia with her song ‘Zero Gravity’ at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. ‘Zero Gravity’ finished in ninth place with 284 points.