In a recent reveal on social media, Mia Boyka opened up about her appearance on the television show Mask, aired on NTV, where she performed under the Harlequin mask. The post touched on broader drama surrounding the episode, including the presence of Sergei Lazarev as a special guest. Boyka implied that Lazarev’s involvement influenced the voting outcomes, suggesting his recognition of vocal timbre played a decisive role during the judging process.
Boyka shared, with a mix of pride and relief, that she could declare to a wide audience that she was the performer behind the Harlequin disguise. She explained that while she managed to fool the judges in several rounds, she chose to sing a particular song in her own voice to convey the emotion she felt while performing it. She added that Lazarev arrived on the scene and, despite his expertise, could not discern the true identity of the Harlequin, though he did recognize the distinctive timbre of the singer after the performance.
In her comments, the artist apologized for any unintended spoilers about Harlequin’s identity from the stage, noting that Lazarev could distinguish the voice among a thousand. Boyka later clarified that her reaction was one of satisfaction that Lazarev immediately recognized the vocal timbre, underscoring the overlap between performance memory and instantaneous perception in live entertainment.
The competition’s field of potential eliminations included Puppy, Cat, and Harlequin. Before Boyka’s performance, a notable moment occurred when she revealed her gender to the jurors, motivated by a stomach pain that affected her ability to perform. The invited guest during the episode was Sergei Lazarev, with whom Boyka had previously collaborated on a duet, and after her rendition, she confidently named Lazarev as the star behind the mask. It was evident that the singer did not anticipate surprise, given Lazarev’s ability to anticipate such outcomes, a sign of his familiarity with the show’s participants and their vocal traits.
Earlier, a different public figure, Leonid Yarmolnik, hinted at his own perspective on lineage within the entertainment world, suggesting a provocative comparison and questioning his place in relation to Alexander Shirvindt. The remark added another layer to the discourse around identity and recognition within the Russian performing arts community, illustrating how public figures often navigate perceptions of legitimacy and lineage as part of their professional personas.