Ruby did Reba proud!
“The Voice” contestant Ruby Leigh brought Reba McEntire to tears when she sang one of the country icon’s own songs during the first live show of Season 24.
Leigh, 16, delivered a powerful rendition of “You Lie,” a single from McEntire’s 1990 album, “Rumor Has It."
McEntire was visibly moved by Leigh’s performance. She smiled throughout, and placed a hand on her heart and appeared to mouth, “Oh, my gosh,” as she applauded for the teen.
“You blew it out of the water. It was absolutely spectacular. The way you can hold a note out, and so powerful, it just absolutely slays me,” McEntire told Leigh, and paused to dab her eyes with a tissue. “The best thing you can do is connect with the person when you’re singing, and you definitely do it.”
“Gwen and I are bawling,” she added, as the camera cut to her teary-eyed fellow coach, Gwen Stefani.
Coach Niall Horan was also blown away by Leigh’s performance.
“There hasn’t been a time that you’ve performed on this show where I haven’t gotten goosebumps. That was special,” he said. “The way you sold that story and did it in Ruby’s way. I loved that you were looking over at Reba for approval. It was a really cute moment between coach and singer.”
McEntire also praised Leigh’s performance in a video in her Instagram story.
“Oh, my gosh, for Ruby to make Gwen and me both cry — she’s 16 years old and singing my song in front of me and doing as well as she did, she’s a superstar,” McEntire said.
Leigh is one of three remaining singers on Team Reba this season, along with Jacquie Roar and Jordan Rainer.
Rainer also impressed McEntire during the blind auditions with her take on one of McEntire’s biggest songs, “Fancy.”