‘The Voice’ surprise leaves Rubini ‘shaking’
Hockessin’s Olivia Rubini was stepping off stage after having just lost during the second round of NBC’s “The Voice” on Monday night when she got a second chance that left her on her knees, face buried in her hands.
The dramatic moment came in the final moments of the two-hour episode just after her coach, 12-time Grammy Award winner John Legend, chose a fellow contestant to advance after the competitors duetted on Stevie Nicks’ 1981 classic “Edge of Seventeen.”
At the last second, fellow “Voice” coaches/country duo Dan + Shay agreed to “steal” Rubini for their team, saving her from packing her bags and heading back to the First State.
“I’m literally shaking,” a smiling Rubini was seen saying from underneath a black cowboy hat she wore for the performance. “I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to do. But this is incredible.”
The Padua Academy graduate will now continue to the program’s “Knockouts” round, which kicks off early next month.
Rubini and Jackie Romeo, a Massapequa, New York, native who previously had advanced on the strength of her rendition of Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” earlier in the month, each shined during their shared performance, making for a hard decision.
The made-for-television drama played out on the Carson Daly-hosted reality television singing competition after coaches Reba McEntire and Dan +
Shay both passed on choosing a winner and fellow coach Chance the Rapper picked Romeo.
The final decision was up to Legend, who explained his thinking before making his pick.
“I just loved your interaction with each other, your unique approaches to the song,” he said. “Olivia, you have this stylized, softer approach. And Jackie, your voice just cuts through in this really powerful way. It has this crispness to it, and it was a joy for me to be a part of. “The winner of this battle is Jackie.” As Romeo celebrated, Rubini, 24, left the Universal Studios stage in Hollywood, California. And that’s when she was thrown a lifeline.
“Want to get her?” Shay Mooney asked Dan Smyers, who quickly answered, “Yeah.”
Ahead of the episode, Rubini told Delaware Online/The News Journal about her strategy going into the “Battles” duet.
“I feel like if you go into it as a competition, you’re gonna sense that vibe out of the performance. And I don’t think that’s a good one to put out,” said Rubini, who has been independently releasing music since the age of 15, including her 2021 full-length album “Silhouettes.”
“I think you want good vibes going and should be supportive of your partner — you just want it to be a really good energy between both of you,” she added.
During Rubini’s coaching session with Legend ahead of the duet, he complimented her, saying, “Olivia’s so cool. She’s got style. She’s got nuance. And she’s got that old-school sensibility.”
Later she was seen taking it all in: “It hurts my brain to think about John Legend complimenting my voice. My favorite thing he said was that I sang with finesse.”
After Legend voted Rubini off the show, he had even more adulation to add: “I’m going to miss Olivia. She’s such a great artist. I love interacting with her, and you can tell she’s a real musician with great musical ideas.”
Rubini is only the fourth Delawarean to compete on the 25 seasons of “The Voice,” which has hosted more than 1,300 singers during its run.
If you’ve become a Rubini fan thanks to the show and want another taste of her talent before the “Knockouts” round, she has a treat for you.
The singer released a new original single, “Heartless Woman,” across major streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music earlier this week.
During Monday’s episode, she also teased that she has been working on a new album with her father/producer/ veteran Delaware musician Ritchie Rubini.
Have a story idea? Contact Ryan Cormier of Delaware Online/The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier) and X (@ryancormier).