Balss Maskā (Voice in a Mask) is a Latvian reality singing competition television series based on the Masked Singer franchise, which originated from the South Korean version of the show King of Mask Singer. The show was announced in August 2020, the same month shooting for the first season began. The program premiered on TV3 Latvia on 13 September 2020.
Production Format A group of celebrities compete anonymously on stage, singing in full costumes over a series of episodes. Each episode, a portion of the competitors are paired off into face-off competitions, in which each will perform a song of his or her choice. From each face-off, the panelists and live audience vote: the winner's safe for the week, while the loser is put up for elimination. At the end of the episode, the losers of the face-offs are then subjected to new votes of the panelists to determine who will not continue; the eliminated singer then enters a special room backstage where it turns its back to the camera, takes off its mask, then turns around to reveal his/her identity. In addition to the singing competition, hints to each masked singer's identity are offered during the show. Pre-taped interviews are given as hints and feature the celebrities' distorted voices. The panelists are given time to speculate the identity of the singer after the performance and ask them a single question to try and determine their identity. The show is pre-recorded in a studio in Riga.
Costumes The costumes are partly replicates that were used in other international versions, notably on the Estonian counterpart, as well as national motifs such as Nelabais, a devil-like creature from the Latvian mythology or Rīga, the patron of the countries capital of the same name. The majority of the costumes were designed by Estonian designer Liisi Eesmaa, while three of them are the creation of Ance Beinaroviča in cooperation with the Latvian National Theatre.
Panelists and host Mārtiņš Spuris was announced as the show's presenter on 8 August 2020. The panel of judges was announced on 19 August 2020. It consists of popular singer Samanta Tīna (the country's chosen representative for the canceled Eurovision Song Contest in 2020), comedian Baiba Sipeniece-Gavare, Jānis Šipkēvics Sr., journalist and director of Radio SWH, and Jānis Krīvēns, lead singer of the rock group Singapūras Satīns.
Series overview
Season 1 (2020)
Stage name Celebrity Notability Episodes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Nelabais ("Demon") Kristaps Strūbergs MusicianWIN SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE WINNER Lelle ("Doll") Aminata Savadogo Singer WIN SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE RUNNER-UP Zvirbulis ("Sparrow") Justs SingerWIN SAFE SAFE SAFE RISK SAFE RISK THIRD Lutausis Kaspars Zemītis Guitarist RISK SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE RISK OUT Rīga ("Riga") Ērika Eglija-Grāvele Actress RISK SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE OUT Disko Pele ("Disco Mouse") Linita Mediņa Singer RISK SAFE RISK RISK OUT Mākonis ("Cloud") Ingus Ulmanis Musician RISK SAFE SAFE OUT Zieds ("Flower") Aleksandrs Samoilovs Beach Volleyball PlayerWIN SAFE OUT Acs ("Eye") Ilze Jaunalksne-Rēdere TV Presenter & JournalistWIN OUT Lauva ("Lion") Dagmāra Legante TV PersonalityWIN OUT Auns ("Ram") Valters Pūce Cellist OUT Cikāde ("Cicada") Elita Mīlgrāve Musician OUT
Episodes
Episode 1 (13 September) #Stage NameSongIdentityResult 1 Demon "Alors on danse" by Stromae WIN 2 Disco Mouse "Dancing in the Moonlight" by Toploader RISK 3 Cicada "Can't Get You Out of My Head" by Kylie Minogue Elita Mīlgrāve OUT 4 Lion "Material Girl" by Madonna WIN 5 Riga "Bungādiņas" by Aisha RISK 6 Sparrow "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars WIN
Episode 2 (20 September) #Stage NameSongIdentityResult 1 Eye "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by Eurythmics WIN 2 Lutausis "You Never Can Tell" by Chuck Berry RISK 3 Ram "Ballējam Neguļam" by Bermudu Divstūris Valters Pūce OUT 4 Flower "Freestyler" by Bomfunk MC's WIN 5 Doll "Dance Monkey" by Tones and I WIN 6 Cloud "Balerīna" by Dzelzs Vilks RISK
Episode 3 (27 September) #Stage NameSongIdentityResult 1 Lion "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd Dagmāra Legante OUT 2 Sparrow "Kolekcionārs" by Dons SAFE 3 Riga "Oops!...I Did It Again" by Britney Spears SAFE 4 Demon "šeit" by Linga SAFE 5 Disco Mouse "Let's Twist Again" by Chubby Checker SAFE
Episode 4 (4 October) #Stage NameSongIdentityResult 1 Flower "Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode SAFE 2 Cloud "Mākonis" by Aigars Voitišķis and Ingus Ulmanis SAFE 3 Doll "Bring Me To Life" by Evanescence SAFE 4 Eye "Manas Mīļākās Puķes" by Zodiaks Ilze Jaunalksne-Rēdere OUT 5 Lutausis "Back for Good" by Take That SAFE
Episode 5 (11 October) #Stage NameSongIdentityResult 1 Lutausis "Dziesmiņa par vindserfingu" by Ingus Pētersons SAFE 2 Riga "Euphoria" by Loreen SAFE 3 Demon "Song 2" by Blur SAFE 4 Disco Mouse "Y.M.C.A" by Village People RISK 5 Sparrow "Wake Me Up" by Avicii ft Aloe Blacc SAFE 6 Cloud "I Will Wait" by Mumford & Sons SAFE 7 Doll "Work Bitch" by Britney Spears SAFE 8 Flower "Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry Aleksandrs Samoilovs OUT
Episode 6 (18 October) #Stage NameSongIdentityResult 1 Lutausis "I'm a Believer" by The Monkees SAFE 2 Demon "Cotton Eyed Joe" by Rednex SAFE 3 Disco Mouse "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" by Creedence Clearwater Revival RISK 4 Sparrow "Happy" by Pharrell Williams SAFE 5Doll "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Judy Garland SAFE 6 Cloud "Santa Lucia" by Robertino Loreti Ingus Ulmanis OUT 7 Riga "Miglas Rīts" by Intars Busulis SAFE
Episode 7 (25 October) #Stage NameSongIdentityResult 1 Doll "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" by Shakira SAFE 2 Riga "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion SAFE 3 Lutausis "You're My Heart, You're My Soul" by Modern Talking SAFE 4 Disco Mouse "Tuvumā Tālumā" by A-Eiropa Linita Mediņa OUT 5Sparrow "Rock DJ" by Robbie Williams RISK 6Demon "Es nevaru būt balts" by Tranzīts SAFE
Episode 8 (1 November) #Stage NameSongIdentityResult 1 Sparrow "Yellow" by Coldplay SAFE 2 Demon "Are You Gonna Go My Way" by Lenny Kravitz SAFE 3 Riga "Ezers" by Haralds Sīmanis Ērika Eglija-Grāvele OUT 4 Doll "Bad Guy" by Billie Eilish SAFE 5 Lutausis "Zemes stunda" by ansis RISK
Episode 9 (8 November) #Stage NameSongIdentityResult 1 Lutausis "Salauzta Sirds" by Dons Kaspars Zemītis OUT 2 Sparrow "Fly Me to the Moon" by Frank Sinatra RISK 3 Doll "Māsa upe" by Dons SAFE 4 Demon "Vienmēr tu" by Saules Krasts SAFE
Episode 10 (15 November) # Stage name Song Identity Result 1 Demon "Es nevaru būt balts" by Tranzīts rowspan="2" SAFE "Mūžīgais piedāvājums" by Jauns Mēness 2 Sparrow "Kolekcionārs" by Dons Justs THIRD "Riņķa deja" by rolands če 3 Doll "Māsa upe" by Dons rowspan="2" SAFE "Zemeslodes" by Instrumenti
Episode 11 (29 November) # Stage name Song Identity Result 1 Demon "Are You Gonna Go My Way" by Lenny KravitzKristaps Strūbergs WINNER "Моё сердце" by Сплин 2 Doll "Work Bitch" by Britney SpearsAminata Savadogo RUNNER-UP "Symphony" by Clean Bandit ft Zara Larsson
Season 2 (2021)
Stage name Celebrity Notability Episodes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Baltais Vilks ("White Wolf") Gints Andzāns Actor RISK SAFE SAFE SAFE RISK SAFE SAFE WINNER Saules Meita ("Daughter of the Sun") Anmary SingerWIN SAFE RISK SAFE SAFE SAFE RISK RUNNER-UP Fenikss ("Phoenix") Aija Vitolina Singer RISK SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE RISK SAFE THIRD Zebra rolands če RapperWIN SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE OUT Planēta ("Planet") Māris Grigalis Musical Artist & TV PersonalityWIN SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE OUT Taurenis ("Butterfly") Jolanta Gulbe-Paškeviča SingerWIN RISK SAFE RISK OUT Siļķe Kažokā ("Herring in a Fur Coat") Annu Pannu Author RISK RISK SAFE OUT Spēkavīrs ("Strong Man") Jānis Zaržeckis Plastic Surgeon WIN SAFE OUT Lūsis ("Lynx") Gunta Baško Basketball Player RISK OUT Sēne ("Mushroom") Aleksandrs Pavlovs Fashion ArtistWIN OUT Ciklops ("Cyclops") Lauris Aleksejevs Chef OUT Zilais Pūķis ("Blue Dragon") Una Ulme Journalist OUTVakara Zvaigzne ("Evening Star") Dons Singer Aija Andrejeva Singer Aminata Savadogo Singer Singapūras Satīns Band
Episodes
Episode 1 (7 March) #Stage NameSongIdentityResult 1 Strong Man "Tāpēc jau, ka nevar zināt, kāpēc..." by Raimonds Pauls WIN 2 Blue Dragon "In Your Eyes" by Kylie Minogue Una Ulme OUT 3 Daughter of the Sun "The Click Song" by Miriam Makeba WIN 4 White Wolf "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets RISK 5 Mushroom "Visā visumā Visums ir viss" by Instrumenti WIN 6 Herring in a Fur Coat "Can't Stop the Feeling!" by Justin Timberlake RISK
Episode 2 (14 March) #Stage NameSongIdentityResult 1 Butterfly "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC WIN 2 Lynx "Antidepresanti" by ZeBrene RISK 3 Cyclops "It's Now or Never" by Elvis Presley Lauris Aleksejevs OUT 4 Planet "Rēdereja" by Sergejs Jēgers & Uldis Marhilēvičs WIN 5 Zebra "Axel F" by Crazy Frog WIN 6 Phoenix "Paper Planes" by M.I.A. RISK
Episode 3 (21 March) #Stage NameSongIdentityResult 1 Daughter of the Sun "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson SAFE 2 Herring in a Fur Coat "Stāvēju, dziedāju" by Skandi RISK 3 Mushroom "Sway" by Michael Bublé Aleksandrs Pavlovs OUT 4 Strong Man "Labu Nakti" by Edgars Zveja SAFE 5 White Wolf "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire SAFE
Episode 4 (28 March) #Stage NameSongIdentityResult 1 Planet "Es Karājos Tavā Bizē" by Buks, Līvi, & Saldais SAFE 2 Zebra "Papa Carlo" by Niko Schäuble SAFE 3 Phoenix "Ordinary World" by Duran Duran SAFE 4 Butterfly "Eternal Flame" by The Bangles RISK 5 Lynx "Relight My Fire" by Dan Hartman Gunta Baško OUT
Episode 5 (4 April) #Stage NameSongIdentityResult 1 White Wolf "Summer of '69" by Bryan Adams SAFE 2 Strong Man "I Can't Dance" by Genesis Jānis Zaržeckis OUT 3 Phoenix "Everything I Wanted" by Billie Eilish SAFE 4 Daughter of the Sun "I'll Be There" by Jess Glynne RISK 5 Herring in a Fur Coat "Too Good at Goodbyes" by Sam Smith SAFE 6 Butterfly "Memory" by Andrew Lloyd Webber SAFE 7 Zebra "Can't Feel My Face" by The Weeknd SAFE 8 Planet "Time to Say Goodbye" by Andrea Bocelli & Sarah Brightman SAFE
Episode 6 (11 April) #Stage NameSongIdentityResult 1 Phoenix "Line" by Triana Park SAFE 2 Herring in a Fur Coat "Mainīt Pasauli" by Gustavs Butelis Annu Pannu OUT 3 Daughter of the Sun "Chandelier" by Sia SAFE 4 Planet "Tev Piedzims Berns" by Dons SAFE 5 Zebra "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" by Britney Spears SAFE 6 Butterfly "Havana" by Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug RISK 7 White Wolf "All Summer Long" by Kid Rock SAFE
Episode 7 (18 April) #Stage NameSongIdentityResult 1 Daughter of the Sun "Krodzinieces Dziesma" by Vella Kalpi SAFE 2 Planet "The Ketchup Song (Aserejé)" by Las Ketchup SAFE 3 Butterfly "Sugar" by Maroon 5 Jolanta Gulbe-Paškeviča OUT 4 Zebra "Shots" by LMFAO ft. Lil Jon SAFE 5 Phoenix "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice SAFE 6 White Wolf "Mazais Arbūzs" by Popkorna Lietus RISK 7 Evening Star "The Best" by Tina Turner Dons GUEST
Episode 8 (25 April) #Stage NameSongIdentityResult 1 Phoenix "Pa Apli" by Very Cool People ft. Kristīne Prauliņa, Edavārdi, & Ansis RISK 2 Zebra "Tu Esi Vasarā" by Dzintars Čīča SAFE 3 Planet "Sēd uz sliekšņa pasaciņa" by Zigmars Liepiņš Māris Grigalis OUT 4 White Wolf "Pie jūras dzīve mana" by Raimonds Pauls SAFE 5 Daughter of the Sun "Piededzini Mann" by Singapūras Satīns SAFE 6 Evening Star "Cry Baby" by Garnet Mimms & the Enchanters Aija Andrejeva GUEST
Episode 9 (2 May) #Stage NameSongIdentityResult 1 White Wolf "Heroe" by Enrique Iglesias SAFE 2 Phoenix "Amar pelos dois" by Salvador Sobral SAFE 3 Daughter of the Sun "Addicted to Love" by Robert Palmer RISK 4 Zebra "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones rolands če OUT 5 Evening Star "Mamehbka" by Romu Tautas Mûzika Aminata Savadogo GUEST
Episode 10 (9 May)