Aled Jones has said doing The Masked Singer was “liberating” and a “joy” because it gave him the chance to sing different material.
The Welsh singer and radio presenter, 51, was revealed to be Traffic Cone on the popular ITV series earlier this year.
He dazzled the panel with a rendition of Escape (The Pina Colada Song) by Rupert Holmes before being unmasked in a double elimination during the semi-final, alongside Destiny’s Child star Michelle Williams, who was revealed to be the voice behind Rockhopper.
Jones told the PA news agency: “I loved it. It was quite liberating for me singing stuff that I would never get to do on TV.
“I can’t imagine for one minute that the Pina Colada song will feature on Songs of Praise any time soon.
“The Masked Singer was just such a joy to do and it was fun. For me it definitely wasn’t a singing competition or anything like that… and you know, I miss the cone.
“On tour now, the cone makes a little appearance … and people’s faces are just kind of, you know, they love it. It was a real joy to do.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t disguise my voice very well after week three, week one I had everyone guessing, week three the whole nation just went ‘Yeah, that’s Aled Jones’.”
Jones features on a new podcast launched by Classic FM, called Classical Dreams and launched in conjunction with World Sleep Day, which is a collection of “soothing stories” to help listeners fall asleep.
On #WorldSleepDay we launch Classical Dreams, a new @GlobalPlayer podcast of soothing stories voiced by Classic FM’s @XanderArmstrong, Moira Stuart, @KlassMyleene and @realaled – specially designed to lull you into a dreamlike world. ☁️
🎧 Listen 👉 https://t.co/Y5TyV9hHPX pic.twitter.com/i3B1M31A2h
— Classic FM (@ClassicFM) March 18, 2022
Launching with four episodes, other names which feature include Alexander Armstrong, Moira Stuart and Myleene Klass, with each story focusing on places that have inspired famous pieces of classical music, including Vienna, Venice and The Appalachian Trail.
Jones said: “Having been on tour now for almost three weeks, sleep is something that’s so vital. When you’re lying in bed, having done a concert but you know you’ve got a concert the next day, you are literally willing yourself to sleep.
“So when I heard about this idea, I just thought this would be a fantastic thing for me to listen to myself, even to go to sleep, you know, and I’ve listened to a few of the podcasts now and it really does what it says on the tin.
“You listen, and even the breathing exercises at the beginning of it, it’s something I suppose I’ve taken for granted. But actually, when you do train your mind to do that, it’s amazing how relaxed you feel.”
Philip Noyce, Classic FM’s managing editor, said of the podcast: “Alexander, Moira, Myleene and Aled are the perfect presenters to launch the podcast and we’re proud to have created a beautiful series that will bring a moment of calm to our listeners’ busy lives.”
Jones’ daughter, actress Emilia Jones, was nominated at this year’s Bafta film awards in the best actress in a leading role category for the film Coda. She also performed a rendition of folk star Joni Mitchell’s ballad Both Sides Now, a song taken from her performance in the film, at the star-studded ceremony.
He said: “I was nervous for her of course, because, you know, it’s the Royal Albert Hall but she’s got nerves of steel.
“I was with her in the morning before the event, there listening to the soundcheck and stuff like that. I admire her so much, but more than anything, I just love the fact that she’s a gorgeous person.”
The episodes of Classical Dreams are available exclusively on Global Player.