Ruby Leigh of Missouri yodels her way onto season 24 of NBC’s The Voice

THE VOICE — “The Blind Auditions Part 2” Episode 2402 — Pictured: Ruby Leigh — (Photo by: Greg Gayne/NBC)

Ruby Leigh, 16, is turning heads and all four chairs on season 24 of The Voice. Leigh performed Patsy Montana’s 1935 single “I Wanna be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart” on night two of the blind auditions.

Her journey to The Voice started off as a joke. She had been encouraged to try out for years but never went through with it. On a whim, Leigh decided to submit some rock covers she had recorded, much different than the classic country she has been known for.

“I got an email back, and it was like, congrats, you made it to the next round. My sister and I looked at each other and were like, ‘Whoa, okay.’ Then we started taking it a little bit more seriously.”

Soon, Leigh and her family flew out of their small town of Foley, Missouri, to Hollywood for the blind auditions.

Country legend Reba McEntire won Leigh’s alliance with the promise of tater tots and a chance to be mentored by an artist she has spent her whole life admiring.

“As young as you are being a fan of Patsy Montana. I’m a third-generation rodeo brat, so Patsy Montana—a country western singer, not just country, there is a difference—I’m very flattered. Very proud of my heritage that you’re singing this song,” said McEntire after the audition.

“Reba is just so wonderful. It’s really a dream come true,” says Leigh. “She’s just she’s treated me so well. She’s always treated me like a daughter. It’s really awesome.”

Leigh joined 13 other artists on Team Reba, including Jordan Rainer, Mac Royals, Caitlin Quisenberry, and Ms. Monet.

“The other contestants are so amazing. They’re all so supportive of each other. It’s just really great. It’s not even, like, competition. It’s really just like a big family.”

Her classic country voice and yodeling have garnered the attention of many, with her audition gaining 11.9 million views on TikTok. Before her audition, Leigh’s TikTok account had only 260 followers and now boasts over 150,000.

The audition even gained the attention of Mason Ramsey, a fellow young country artist who went viral in 2018 for his yodel-filled rendition of “Lovesick Blues” by Hank Williams in a Walmart. Ramsey commented “Yodel Queen” on Leigh’s TikTok stitch of the video.

While Leigh does not come from a musical family, they have supported her pursuit of music since childhood. At just nine years old, Leigh’s parents began posting videos of her singing on Facebook for friends and family to see.

“My sister, my mom, my dad—they really are just like my biggest supporters. They try to help me with everything that I do,” says Leigh.

She says in a caption on a TikTok of Leigh performing throughout the years: “Everyone in my immediate family has made sacrifices for me to do well[…] I have worked so extremely hard because I don’t come from a wealthy family or musical family so seeing my family so excited, just know there were MANY YEARS of hard work from all of us. We literally have blood, sweat and tears invested into this.”

Leigh’s biggest mentor as her career grew, Mickey Gilley, taught her what it means to be a performing artist. They played shows together at the Mickey Gilley Show in Branson, Missouri, giving her a platform to share her voice.

“He never talked to me like a kid and made me feel like a legitimate artist. Unfortunately, he has passed away, but since I’ve started, he’s been my biggest helper,” says Leigh.

She hopes her experience on The Voice will lead to her playing the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, and then eventually Red Rocks in Morrison, Colorado.

Her biggest piece of advice: “Don’t stop believing in yourself. Never give up. Work hard. Things don’t happen just because you’re lucky. It happens because you put in a lot of hard work.”

Follow her journey on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.

The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC at 8 p.m.