Despite falling short of winning of The Voice, Ruby Leigh, the 16-year-old country crooner who was runner-up on the latest season of NBC’s popular singing competition, has plenty to look forward to musically. One of those things is an interesting, but enigmatic, offer she received from Voice coach Gwen Stefani.
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“Gwen said something exciting to me [after the finale] I can’t share,” Leigh revealed in a new interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “We’ll see if it works out.”
[RELATED: Watch: Winner Huntley Embraces Ruby Leigh After Defeating Her in The Voice Finale]
While Reba McEntire was the coach of her team on The Voice, Leigh said Stefani and another coach, John Legend, told her she was “their favorite” contestant.
As for McEntire, Leigh said, “I have her email to reach out to her. If I ever need anything, she’s there.”
New Year’s Eve Show
Next up for the teen sensation will be a sold-out New Year Eve’s concert at an American Legion hall in the St. Louis suburb of Edwardsville, Illinois. At the show, she’ll perform some of the same tunes she sang on The Voice, most of which were country songs, as well as some other types of tunes.
“I sing a little bit of everything: rock, blues, pop, not just country,” Leigh explained to the newspaper. “It’s going to be a lot of fun, a lot of stories. I’ve got so many stories of my time in California, new things I tried and experienced, stories of me and Reba, funny things that didn’t air on the show.”
Proud of What She Achieved
Leigh finished second on The Voice behind Huntley, the rock-and-soul powerhouse who sang for Niall Horan’s team. Although she didn’t win, Leigh, who hails from the small Missouri town of Foley, population 68, noted that her fans have no need to feel sorry for her.
“I feel like a winner honestly. I made it so close, more than anyone in Missouri [ever has],” said Leigh. “I was the highest-finishing female on the show, and I’m a minor.”
She added that she also was proud to have done so well for McEntire, who was in her first season on The Voice and is her dad’s favorite singer.
“I’m Just Getting Started”
Looking ahead, Leigh revealed that she’s planning to tour in 2024 and also intends to graduate early from high school this May. The singer told the Post-Dispatch she’s not sure if she’ll go to college; that will depend on how her music career goes. That being said, she added she is eyeing some music colleges.
Leigh also has eventual plans to do some recording, and she wants to put together a band to support her.
“It’s only the beginning for me,” she said. “I’m just getting started.”
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