00:08Welcome to Ms. Mojo and today we're looking at five masked musicians who managed to conceal
00:14their faces from the world and five others who eventually became known publicly.
00:35Long before she hit superstardom in the 2010s, Sia was already a veteran of the music scene,
00:41having begun her career in the 90s. Although she had already worked successfully as both a solo
00:46artist and songwriter, she began hiding her face in public around the release of Chandelier in 2014.
01:00Her decision to use huge wigs that obscured any identifiable features coincided with her
01:06explosion onto the pop scene. She did this to keep herself distant from her art and from all
01:11of the fame that would eventually come with it. She does occasionally show her face in public but
01:22prefers to maintain this very clear barrier between herself and the wider world. Mystery, Orville Peck.
01:37Country singer Orville Peck is famous for performing in a fringed leather mask reminiscent of western
01:44outlaw imagery, serving an aesthetic purpose and also as a way to shroud his true face. Over time,
01:51journalists and fans connected Peck to earlier musical projects and identified him as singer
01:56Daniel Pitu. That said, we still don't see him without the mask and no formal confirmation by
02:02Peck has ever been given. In essence, the mask is doing the job it is meant to do and the
02:13musician's
02:14image has not suffered as a consequence. Sometimes a healthy distance between the artist's private life
02:19and their art is a healthy thing.
02:27Orville Peck is living proof of that idea.
02:37When his brother DJ Subrock tragically passed away just as their shared group KMD was making some waves,
02:45Daniel Dumoulin, known then as Zev Love X, was in a real tough spot. Instead of continuing under that guise,
02:52he took his frustration with the music industry and crafted a new persona. Emerging on the open scene of the
02:581990s, donning a metal mask.
03:07MF Doom was born soon after, a lyrical wizard who produced some of the most essential hip-hop of the
03:12next decade. Whether it was his studio debut, Operation Doomsday, or his legendary collaboration
03:18with Mad Lib, Mad Villainy, Doom couldn't miss.
03:22So nasty that it's probably somewhat of a travesty having me, then he told the people you can call me
03:27your majesty. When people realized he was the very same promising KMD MC who disappeared in 1993,
03:34it only added to his appeal.
03:44The idea of performing with a horse head mask is something you really gotta commit to.
03:49For Horse Girl, she has managed to keep her name and appearance entirely to herself, opting instead
03:54to cultivate an image that not only includes the horse mask, but builds directly off of it.
03:59Did you know, there are more than 350 breeds of horses in the world, and I am one of them.
04:06There's a whole mythology to the horse connection, including a backstory in which she claims she grew
04:11up on a farm, referring to herself as a foal at the time. In some cases, music can stand alone
04:17and
04:17have nothing to do with the mask or a true identity. In the case of Horse Girl, the mask is
04:26a crucial
04:27component of her musical identity. Various theories circulate within electronic music communities,
04:33but no official confirmation has been provided.
04:41Revealed. Sophie.
04:42My face is the front of shop.
04:46My face is the real shop front.
04:48Rising to prominence in the mid-2010s, Sophie's early presence led to a lot of questions around
04:54who she actually was. The music itself, which was bright and hyper-synthetic, became the primary focus.
05:01However, in 2017, Sophie publicly revealed herself in the video for It's Okay to Cry,
05:12appearing on camera and simultaneously sharing her identity as a transgender woman. Her tragic
05:17death due to an accidental fall in Athens, Greece in 2021 cut her career and life short in the most
05:24unfortunate way imaginable.
05:26Grammy-nominated producer musician Sophie has died at the age of 34. Sophie was a Scottish-born LA-based
05:32artist and an LGBTQ plus icon. Her influence on contemporary pop music was truly profound,
05:38given how short her window of output was. Mystery.
05:42Kekra.
05:43In the modern world, anonymity is not the sort of thing you can get back after you lose it.
05:56For French rapper Kekra, he took real care to preserve his identity. In many ways, it worked in
06:01his favor, bringing a fun sense of mystery to his projects, with some fans even speculating that more
06:07than one person was actually involved. To this day, care has been taken in all music videos,
06:19interviews, and public content of any kind to avoid leaking clues. For Kekra, it's clear that the music
06:26is supposed to be front and center here, and he has given many different reasons for wearing a mask,
06:30intentionally confusing us even more.
06:39Revealed. Marshmello.
06:46Popular DJ and record producer Marshmello was onto a winner when he burst onto the scene in the mid-2010s
06:52with some high-charting singles and an increasingly impressive list of collaborators. The fact that he
06:58chose to present himself wearing a marshmallow-shaped helmet only added to his mystique.
07:08Eventually, the magazine Forbes revealed the artist to be American producer Chris Comstock,
07:13previously known as .com, in 2017. There was no huge dramatic reveal party or announcement,
07:19and to this day, the helmet is still a major part of his public image and artistry.
07:24Mystery. Sleep Token. British metal band Sleep Token have managed to create a truly esoteric form
07:31of songwriting that has earned them a cult following. Sleep tokens completely changed my
07:35life. I found them at exactly the perfect time. I've literally just been like a completely different
07:40person since then. Their members, known only as Vessel and Two, are accompanied by touring members
07:47three and four. Apart from those details, all we have to latch onto is their art, and that's by design.
08:00On stage, they prefer to appear clothed in robes and distinctive masks, adding to the ritualistic
08:06themes of their music. Whether they eventually forsake this approach or not, it has already left them with
08:11a very unique place in music today. Revealed. Daft Punk.
08:31The now disbanded electronic music legends Daft Punk are perhaps the most famous example of a masked
08:37group in history. Originally, Thomas Bangalter and Guy Manuel de Romain Christo performed sets in the
08:45mid to late 90s without the costumes. However, as their fame increased and eventually exploded in the
08:51late 90s, they went to great lengths to conceal their identities.
09:02The Daft Punk image we all know and love was born shortly after, and while their true names were
09:07known within the industry, it did take a few years before it became mainstream knowledge. In many ways,
09:13their choice worked perfectly with their sound and genre, and in the grand scheme of things,
09:18unmasking them was never truly that important to the Daft Punk experience.
09:29Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
09:33Mystery. Dragged into sunlight. British extreme metal band who keep personal details purposely vague.
09:48Revealed. Buckethead. Virtuoso guitarist who performs with a KFC bucket on his head.
09:54And I was like, who is this guy? Is he crazy? And then it came to me. He's a goner.
10:02A total psycho.
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10:31Mystery. The Residence.
10:40Legendary avant-garde group The Residence have somehow managed to pull off one of the longest
10:45running anonymity stunts imaginable. Known for their eyeball masks and smart dress attire,
10:51they have taken major steps over the years to conceal their identities. As an artistic project,
10:56the individual is not important and removing any personal aspects from their art has left us with a
11:02truly unique and groundbreaking approach to music.
11:10Their co-founder, Hardy Fox, revealed himself as a key member shortly before his death the
11:16following year. All public interviews have been handled by their management company, the Cryptic
11:21Corporation, who are rumored to be directly involved with the band.
11:24Hey all you citizens of the weird, Frank Johnson here, executive administrator of the Cryptic
11:30Corporation Archives. Today we have the beginning of something very special.
11:35To this day, everyone, barring Fox, has remained incredibly tight-lipped about what actually led to
11:40the band's music. Who do you think is the greatest masked or costumed artist of all time? Let us know
11:46in
11:46the comments!
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