LOS ANGELES — A massive gargoyle costume shimmering in gold chains and massive golden wings weighed heavily on the frame of 6-foot-2, 211-pound Kenan Allen.
The Los Angeles Chargers receiver felt the heat. His eyes strained to see what was behind the mask, and it became difficult to take a deep breath behind a foam mouthpiece that was part of a final effort to hide his identity.
A 10-year NFL veteran, Allen is used to playing in the spotlight, but performing on a stage in the heart of Hollywood felt completely unfamiliar.
“I was more than nervous to be on a football field,” Allen said.
Into an earpiece, a producer counted Allen out—”Three…two…one…”—before the lights flashed, backup dancers spun into motion and Allen’s mind flashed, “I’m not ready! I’m not ready!” Then his microphone was turned on.
Allen sang “You’ll Remember Me”. “Remember me for centuries!”
Singer Robin Thicke looked on enthusiastically from the panel of judges, and the studio audience erupted in cheers when Allen completed a short rendition of Fall Out Boy’s song “The Horns.” But Allen’s performance couldn’t save him from elimination on Fox’s “The Masked Singer,” a singing competition show with a twist: The performers’ identities are masked by costumes until they’re eliminated.
“It’s kind of overwhelming,” Allen said of the experience. “Taking off the mask was the best part.”
On the field, as he wore a Chargers uniform his entire career, Allen developed a reputation as a dependable playmaker, earning five Pro Bowl appearances and scoring the most games (10) with at least 12 receptions in NFL history.
This season, the 31-year-old is expected to return to form after a hamstring injury that sidelined him for seven games in 2022. He is expected to become the beneficiary of an updated offense pitched by coordinator Kellen Moore that will create more explosive plays and openness. More wiggle room for Allen as he tries to help the Bullets to back-to-back playoff spots for the first time in his decade-long career.
Even in the midst of building up to what could be a memorable season, Allen’s coaches and teammates were keenly aware of their stars appearing wide on another kind of stage.
During the team meeting to open the offseason program, coach Brandon Staley played the Gargoyle lighting up the stage.
“We showed it to the group,” Staley said with a laugh. “I was amazed at how amazing this guy was. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and that it was him.”
Rashaun Slater looked at left tackle in amazement. “I’ve heard him sing at the rally before,” Slater said. “It’s very good, but I didn’t realize he had one like that.”
“It was very dope,” said Sebastian Joseph Day.
Herbert had the idea that he was the best striker in disguise.
“I’ve seen some clips,” said Herbert. “I knew he had a great voice, so that was really cool to watch.”
Alan loves to sing. It is a passion sparked by his mother who made him sing in the choir in Greensboro, North Carolina, when he was young. He taught himself to play the piano without learning to read music.
The 31-year-old has a nascent music career. He released the R&B/soul single “Distraction” under the pseudonym “K. Alexander.”
More than 10 years ago while in college at the University of California, Berkeley, Allen’s vocal cords and love of singing sparked a love affair with his wife, Ciandra, who saw a video of him singing on Facebook.
“He was posting videos of him singing in college at the time,” Ciandra recalls behind the shy laugh. “That’s what drew me in. I’m like, ‘Wow, not only is he cute, but he can sing.'” “
Allen’s voice now provides background music in a home teeming with four young children.
“He’s been singing all over the house and everywhere for as long as I can remember,” said Kiandra. “To make a show like that for the first time, I was so proud of him because I knew he was up for it.”
Allen said rehearsing for the show was intense.
The series’ production team groomed Allen to disguise himself as a gargoyle, inspired in part by his 4-year-old son, Caddo, who loves dinosaurs.
Once he knew what songs he would sing, Allen would sing all day, wherever he was. “I just kept singing, so I didn’t mess it up,” he said.
Allen formally trained three days a week, remaining 15 hours a day in April. He would leave his house at 7 am, and arrive on time to take part in three rehearsals before the live show. Time was spent with a vocal coach but not with fellow celebrities or judges. Each contestant was required to conceal their identity by wearing black hooded masks with the words “Don’t talk to me” written on them on set. He came home around 10 pm every evening.
“It’s a very friendly show,” Allen said of the show, with a laugh. “Not player friendly.”
Allen said he couldn’t shake his nerve as he prepared to perform in front of a jury that included Thicke, actress Jenny McCarthy, actor Ken Jeong and singer Nicole Scherzinger.
“I was so scared,” Allen said of the experience, which required him to sing live and memorize songs he was sometimes unaccustomed to. “You’re not singing your own song. You’re singing someone else’s song. So it’s like, f—, I don’t want to do this!”
Allen sang four songs over the course of two episodes before being eliminated in a one-on-one battle with the eventual winner of the season, British singer Bishop Briggs.
“We all felt the talent in the voice,” Thicke told Allen, “but I saw you get a little more confident, a little more liberated in every performance.” “I thought you did a great job.”
Sherzer said, “You made a lasting impact on us because you had such a beautiful voice, and your heart always shone through all of your performances.”
Despite positive reviews from the audience, judges, and teammates, Allen decided that for the time being, he would stick to karaoke, sing in his lanes and dabble in a potential music career that didn’t involve wearing costumes.
“It was fun,” Allen said of the show. “But I don’t want to do that again.”