Fans Think Dolly on The Masked Singer Is Em Rusciano — Let’s Take a Look Back at Her Career

She’s best known for her stint on Australian Idol back in 2004, but it seems Em Rusciano may be making a comeback if The Masked Singer has anything to do with it.

Fans of the show believe she’s hiding behind Dolly, so what better time to reflect on Rusciano’s career than now?

Rusciano was 24 when she made her debut on Australian Idol, making it right to the end as a finalist of the season.

Her voice had soul, and her talent was unquestionable, especially after people found out she had never sung publicly and had no prior singing experience.

The entire experience is what kickstarted her career.

Rusciano went from publicly performing on stage to co-hosting multiple breakfast shows on radio, with her most recent gig being the 2Day FM’s breakfast show with Harley Breen. Em joined the show in 2017, saying goodbye a year later so she could have a baby.

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Multiple outlets at the time reported that Rusciano, who co-hosted the show with Grant Denyer and Ed Kavalee in 2018, wasn’t exactly a team player.

A claim that Rusciano admitted to, saying she didn’t take on the news very well when she found out she was getting two new co-hosts after Breen resigned.

“All of a sudden, got two co-hosts that I’d never really met or spoken to, and then I’m expected to have this instant chemistry with. And it was just hectic. And it was The Em Rusciano Radio Show. It was my show, and all of a sudden Ed’s anchoring, the show’s called The 2Day FM Breakfast Show, like I took all these big ego hits,” Rusciano said.

After leaving radio, Rusciano went back to what she knows best: The stage. 

In April this year, Rusciano announced that she will be going on tour, titled LIVE & Unleashed, where her family will be making appearances alongside her.

“After nearly a year of hibernation, my Live At The Bowl show in Melbourne gave me a taste of what I’ve missed most about performing, my audience and the enthusiasm that they bring to each and every show,” she said.

“I am so thrilled that this time around I’ll be able to share the stage with my daughter Chella and father Vincie.

“To have three generations of my family on stage with me has long been a dream of mine. Old power-stance Rusciano is back.”

The show is expected to take place next year in Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane.

Rusciano has kept herself busy in 2021, launching her podcast titled Emsolation during Melbourne’s lockdown.

She went on to sign a contract with Spotify, allowing her full creative control while giving Spotify exclusivity rights.

“[Spotify] enjoy me and don’t endure me, which has so often been the case in the past with previous employers,” she said.

“They have been incredible. To have one of the biggest listening platforms in the world love what I do and believe and back what I do and not ask me to change a thing.”

Watch The Masked Singer at 7.30pm on Channel 10 and 10play.