At Eurovision 2004, he gave Germany an eighth-place finish with “Can’t Wait Until Tonight”. Now, 15 years later, Max Mutzke has gone on to win the first German series of The Masked Singer. But the twist is — the audience didn’t know who they were voting for.
The Masked Singer is a celebrity singing contest based on a popular South Korean show format. The acts range from established singers to amateurs from other fields, such as sports and acting, who just fancy a singalong. But while all the contestants are household names in Germany, they can’t rely on their fame.
The contestants all perform in disguise, wearing elaborate costumes that hide their true identity. The German series featured a Squirrel, an Angel, an Octopus and an Astronaut. But regardless of the costume, it ends up being all about the voice.
From early in the series, the Astronaut stood out. His rich soul voice impressed both the studio audience and jury panel, as well as viewers both in Germany and international series fans.
Right from the start, there was speculation that the Astronaut was Max Mutzke. But no one knew for sure until the series grand final this week, where the Astronaut was declared the winner and removed his helmet to confirm his identity. The spaceman was indeed Max Mutzke.
Max Mutzke at Eurovision 2004
Max Mutzke represented Germany at Eurovision 2004 with the jazzy soul song “Can’t Wait for Tonight”. He won the ticket to Istanbul after placing first in the German national final. Max had entered the national final as a wildcard contestant.
The song was written by German’s Eurovision maestro Stefan Raab. In the grand final performance, Max performed part of his song in Turkish, in tribute to the Eurovision 2004 host country.
“Can’t Wait for Tonight” picked up 93 points from the televote (there was no jury vote in 2004), which gave Germany an eighth-place finish.
Max went on to release seven albums in Germany, most recently Colors in 2018.
With his Masked Singer win — and with Max’s voice sounding better than ever — fans are now wondering if he should make a return to Eurovision.
What do you think? Should Germany send Max Mutzke back to Eurovision? Or should they stick with the current national final format? Tell us your thoughts below.
I am German and pro sending the Masked Singer winner to Eurovision. Because we should send the best voice without judging his eligibility on things like background story, physical appearance, yeah not even the song is important
Then we won’t fail anymore
Are you gonna do an article on Eurovision Choir? Please!
I thought it was Tyson Fury
Eleni is queen!
I was in the arena in Istanbul in 2004 when he competed. He had a bum note which sounded absolutely awful, way worse than it sounded on TV. I guess his singing improved since then.
I listened to a lot of his music after Eurovision and he has always been an incredible singer. Don’t know if this will lead to anything substantial for him but he definitely has the talent to deserve whatever is coming!
I remember a masked singer show airing in the US, but I don’t know if it lasted beyond one season.
It actually got nominated for an Emmy Award a week ago. With this notoriety it would likely be around for another season.
The first season aired earlier this year, and it’s been renewed for at least two more seasons. Season 2 begins airing next month in the United States. It’s kind of a fluff show, but I found it to be a fun show to watch. I just hope they make the clues for season 2 a little more challenging so we don’t figure them all out in the first two episodes.
Same! I had a look at the stars and costumes in the US-Version on YouTube today and omg, the peacock was so beautiful! I need such a costume in the German season 2 ^^ And great, that it will air in Australia, so you can watch it easily in NZ, I guess 😀
Haha!
What a brilliant concept! Ridiculas but also sincere. And fantastic performance from Max to boot.
Isn’t that Raab playing guitar during his ESC performance? Mad to be reminded that 2004 was 15 years ago!
It was Raab indeed! He wrote the song too, I believe.
It was an amazing series! The costumes were very beautiful designed and it was fun to see these characters sing and discuss who they are. Some hints at the beginning were a bit obvious, so that most of the artists were known after 2 shows or sth like that. But we had indeed a good variety of artists, some familiar faces from the channel and some completely other faces ^^ The broadcaster already said, that season 2 will take place in 2020 😀 My fave was “Mr. Grashopper” aka Rock-Pop-singer Gil Ofarim. So charming, elegant and smart! Look his performances… Read more »
His entry was my favorite that year. Classy. Good to see him successful. The format of the show is interesting.
My 2nd favourite that year! Nothing quite beats Lane Moje for me. 😉
That’s amazing! And I didn’t know there’s a Masked Singer show in Germany 😀
Maybe he didn’t really need to return, but he might coach some talents with Raab for 2020.