Why Masked Singer Winner Thought Career Was 'Probably Over' Before Show (Exclusive)

Gretchen Wilson is back and she's here to stay! TooFab spoke with the country music powerhouse after she was crowned the Season 13 winner on The Masked Singer Wednesday night as "Pearl," a glammed-up alter ego that brought her back to center stage after years of personal battles and physical setbacks. In the exclusive interview, the Grammy winner revealed why this moment feels like more than just a win -- it's a deeply personal comeback. "This just happened to come at a point in my life where I had a lot to prove to myself," Wilson said. "I had been kind of out of the spotlight for about two and a half years, and I hadn’t told anyone why." After grappling with post-COVID health issues and a broken leg, Wilson said she was in the worst shape of her life. "I was almost depressed... thinking it's probably over for me," she shared. But when The Masked Singer reached out for a second time, Wilson saw it as an unexpected opportunity and a chance to truly test herself. "I said yes for selfish, personal reasons. I needed to know if I had five or ten more years in me. Could I still do this?" Wilson wondered. Despite doubts, she not only did it, she won, and it's an outcome the 51-year-old singer said she couldn't have predicted. "I didn't expect to win," she said with a laugh. "I thought Boogie Woogie had it from the minute I heard him sing. When they said my name, I almost hit the ground. It was shocking." But once the initial shock and awe wore off, it was replaced by bliss. "The confetti, the judges, the lights -- it was just bliss," Wilson recalled. "And now I sing you my song," she added, referencing her breakout anthem, "Redneck Woman." "The song that put me on the map." Performing as Pearl was a challenge, both physically and emotionally. "In the beginning, it was so not comfortable. The head weighed more than I do," Wilson said of her Pearl costume. "But every time I stepped into Pearl's suit, I became Pearl. She's always been in me. I was just afraid to let her out." Now, she's planning to bring Pearl with her on tour. "Maybe not the head," Wilson joked. "But that feeling Pearl gave me, the confidence, the glamour, that's staying with me. She classed up the redneck woman a bit." Wilson's journey on The Masked Singer wasn't just a chance to get her spark back, it also served as a spiritual reboot. "When I was hurt and couldn't do anything, I prayed. I prayed a lot," she said. "And the answer I got was: You're not done yet." Country music is also making a comeback, with everyone from Beyonce to Post Malone and Lana Del Rey dabbling in the genre. "Country music swings. Right now, it's coming back to that traditional sound -- the one I came up in," she explained. "Kids are listening to Brooks & Dunn again. Travis Tritt. It's the perfect time." And while thanks to TMS, newer fans now know her as Pearl, many still remember her as the unapologetic "Redneck Woman" who redefined what it meant to be authentic in Nashville. That message, Wilson said, still holds up. "You don't have to live in a high-rise or drive a Cadillac. You can live in a single-wide, raise your kids, and be the happiest woman alive. That's the redneck woman. And Pearl -- well, she's that same woman with sequins and sparkle," she explained. "I don't feel like I've reached my real purpose yet," Wilson added of what's next for her following her win Wednesday night. "This is all part of something bigger. I'm just going to keep putting one foot in front of the other until I figure it out."