The Kitty on The Masked Singer was thrilled people thought she was Vanessa Hudgens

Warning: This article contains spoilers about Wednesday's episode of The Masked Singer.

This kitty deserved many more lives.

On Wednesday, the flashy feline — a.k.a. Jackie Evancho, the America's Got Talent finalist from 2010 who went up to become a platinum recording artist — was (wrongly?) eliminated from The Masked Singer. Here, the classical-singer-turned-pop-star talks about how Kitty was more than just a costume.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Were you in it to win it?

JACKIE EVANCHO: Oh yeah, definitely. I was trying to win it all. I really wanted that mask.

What do you think went wrong?

I think it could have been that I didn't have a really good song that hyped up the audience, got them excited. I think ultimately, that's why I got kicked off. If I had a different song, I probably would have still been on the show.

Your performance of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" was terrific. How did you choose that one?

I was kind of just hanging out in my room and thinking about Kitty and what I feel like when I'm her. I feel so extravagant, like a diva and a princess. And then I immediately remembered that song because I love old movies. Kitty reminds me of Marilyn Monroe, and I was like, this is perfect. It was actually one of my favorite performances.

Kitty's mask sure seemed heavy, though.

Oh, yes. It was very heavy and it was also really frustrating. I worried about being close to Nick Cannon on stage. I didn't want to hit him with my feathers.

Does the heat of that costume affect your ability to sing?

I would say yes. It's frustrating because you already have this crazy adrenaline going, and then you feel all that heat. I think it just kind of intensifies everything. And then you can start panicking. But luckily we went through a bit of a training to test out the mask, to see how it feels while you go through your routines.

Guesses about your identity were all over the board. What was your favorite?

It would probably have to be Vanessa Hudgens because I really admire her and think her showmanship is amazing. Her integrity for her job is amazing. So that was actually a huge compliment to me.

Some of your clues were kind of confusing. What did it mean that you "grease up your gears?"

I think that was just to throw off the judges, to make them think that I was somebody that I'm not.

Were you assuming judge Robin Thicke would guess who you are right away, since he apparently wears a bracelet you gave him?

No, I didn't. I didn't think anybody was going to be able to get me because everyone knows me from when I was 10 years old. I'm totally different now. I mean, I'm 20.

Somebody online recognized your hand movements.

I tried my best to sort of change up how I perform. I mean, it's kind of obvious because most of the time I wouldn't be moving my hips the way I did with Kitty. But I was really shocked that people could figure that out through my hands. I thought I was doing a good job and not using them the way I would if I was singing.

Was it easy to convince you to do this show? Did it take some thinking on your part before you said yes?

Oh, not at all. It was so easy for me to do this because I actually loved the show before I was offered to be on it. And I was like, this could be such a fun experience to be anonymous. It was actually a great learning experience for me.

So, what's next for you?

Kitty is inside of me. She wasn't all fake. She's a part of me that I had never got to show the world. Because if I even dared to, people would say I was trying to be an adult… even though I am! So I would really like to make songs, record songs, and write songs that are taken more seriously. And then I would really love to act and model, although I'm 5 feet 2 inches, so that probably won't happen. I would love to do some fashion stuff, too. I would love to make a clothing line and perfume and makeup. There's no limit!

The Masked Singer airs on Wednesdays on Fox.

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