Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Ruby Leigh, 16, Foley, Missouri, “Cowboy Sweetheart” by LeAnn Rimes and others: John Legend, surprisingly, turned quickly for Ruby’s country performance. When she started yodeling, more chairs started turning. Until Ruby had all four chairs facing her way. John predicted she could win The Voice. She joined Team Reba.

Here’s more about Ruby:

* She’s Ruby Leigh Pearson, a 16-year-old country artist from from Foley, Missouri, population 150.

* And she’s got a long list of accomplishments in spite of her young age, including performances with Mickey Gilely, Lorrie Morgan, Vince Gill and Pam Tillis, among many others, according to her website.

* Though she came from a non-musical family, Ruby Leigh says she knew she wanted to sing since age 9 1/2, when she was introduced to the classic country her father listened to while working on his race car.

* One of her first public performances came soon after when she visited a flea market with her parents, came across two strangers playing music and asked if she could sing with them.

* She only knew six songs at the time and they didn’t know those songs. They suggested she sing a cappella. So that’s what Ruby did, drawing a crowd in the process, she says in an interview with CanvasRebel.com.

* In 2018, she competed in the World Championship of Performing Arts, winning a gold medal in the 10-16 age group for country music and a silver medal in the gospel division. She was also winner of the overall country music division, according to her web bio.

* The same year, she was named grand cham of the Dolly Parton Soul Mountain Vocal Competition in Sieverville, Tenn., that bio says.

* And in 2019, Ruby Leigh was selected to be a featured performer at the National Association of Music Merchants show in Anaheim, Calif., an event attended by 160,000.

* At this time, Ruby Leigh has just one track available on streaming sites, a version of “God Bless the Land of the Free,” released in 2017 when she would have been about 10 years old.

* Ruby wound up being the youngest contestant on Season 24 to make it to the voting rounds and wound up finishing second, runner-up to Season 24 champ Huntley. Her performance of The Eagles’ “Desperado” turned out to be one of the most popular from the finale based on YouTube views.

Ruby Leigh on social media:
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