16-year-old Ruby Leigh showed that she is in it to win it with another stellar performance during the first night of The Voice‘s two-part finale.
The Voice‘s Season 24 Top 5 contestant took the stage Monday night (December 18) to try one last time to win America’s vote. Each finalist was tasked with singing one uptempo song and one ballad.
Ruby Leigh brought her dynamic vocals to the finale and gave it everything she had when she covered Elvis’s “Suspicious Minds” as her first performance. Without the help of her guitar, Ruby stood confidently as she covered the Elvis hit, a move Twitter fans considered a bold move. Others thought the song was too mature for the teen, despite her powerhouse vocals.
About “Suspicious Minds”
“Suspicious Minds” was written in 1968 by Mark James, the same songwriter who penned “Always On My Mind.” Elvis Presley recorded and released the song a year later.
The song is credited with reviving Presley’s career following his ’68 Comeback Special. It became The King’s final chart-topping hit in the United States.
“Suspicious Minds” was covered by other notable artists such as Dwight Yoakam (1992) and Waylon Jennings & Jessi Colter (1970). Jennings and Colter’s rendition earned them a Grammy nod when it was re-released in 1976. But, no other rendition matched the success of Elvis’s original.
About Ruby Leigh’s Voice Journey
Ruby Leigh first wowed The Voice coaches during the Blind Auditions with a rousing performance of Patsy Montana’s “I Want To Be A Cowboy’s Sweetheart.” The cover earned Ruby a coveted four-chair turn and a spot on rookie coach Reba McEntire’s team.
Ruby has consistently delivered top-notch performances in the weeks since with covers of songs from artists such as LeAnn Rimes, Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt. She has been considered the season frontrunner for most of the competition and proved Monday night that it’s a title she certainly deserves.
Watch Ruby Leigh sing “Suspicious Minds” in the video below and vote for her to win Season 24 of The Voice on the show’s official app or at NBC.com/VoiceVote.