Only 3 of 1,300 singers on 'The Voice' have been from Delaware. That is about to change

There are plenty of great voices across Delaware, but only one of them is about to get a taste of the national spotlight in front of millions of people.

A First State singer will be a contestant on NBC's "The Voice," which kicks off its 25th season Monday night at 8.

Hockessin's Olivia Rubini, a graduate of Padua Academy, will perform during the initial blind audition round, which usually spans the first six to seven episodes of each season.

It will be a rare star turn for a Delawarean on the Carson Daly-hosted reality television singing competition, which has featured only three other Delawareans out of about 1,300 contestants over the years.

This season, the program's roster of coaches will have a new look.

John Legend and Reba McEntire will return, as will Chance the Rapper, who took a one-season hiatus from coaching duty. Gwen Stefani and Niall Horan will not return for another season with country duo Dan + Shay making their "The Voice" debut on the panel.

Who is Olivia Rubini?

Rubini, 24, has been independently releasing music since the age of 15, including her full-length album "Silhouettes" in 2021.

The 10-track pop album, called "triumphant" by WXPN 88.5-FM's The Key, was produced by her father and veteran Delaware musician Ritchie Rubini.

He's best known as the drummer for the Newark-based alternative rock band The Caulfields, which found national success and rotation on MTV with the single "Devil's Diary" in the mid-'90s.

Along with Ritchie Rubini playing on everything from drums to keyboard, "Silhouettes" includes contributions from a cadre of Delaware musicians including Sam Nobles, Cliff Hillis, Shane Trimble (High Reeper), Andrew Price (Challenger) and Dave Duncan.

A political science and international relations double major graduate from Maryland's Mount Saint Mary's University, Rubini lists her musical inspirations include Coldplay, Rihanna, Sigur Rós, John Mayer and Harry Styles.

It was last week when she first revealed she would be included in the blind audition round, which kicks off each season. A few days later, she posted on social media, "Feeling so unreal and eternally grateful for all the love."

Rubini, like all contestants of "The Voice," must wait until their audition episode airs before agreeing to media interviews.

Both Olivia and Ritchie Rubini will be among the 70 local acts headlining this year's Shine a Light concert at The Queen, singing the songs of 1984 to benefit the Light Up the Queen Foundation. Tickets are $75-$300.

Past Delaware contestants on 'The Voice'

Delaware's first contestant came in the show's ninth season when it featured a 24-year-old Nadjah Nicole, who now lives in Wilmington.

Her 2015 run on the show may have come to an end on the 16th episode during the live playoff round, but the coaches were wowed by her after just one song.

Maroon 5's Adam Levine said he was "blown away." Pop star Gwen Stefani said she was "incredible." Country singer Blake Shelton flat-out gushed: "You look like a star. You sound like a star."

Nearly a decade later, you can still find Nicole on stage in our area, most recently headlining shows at The Queen and Theatre N in Wilmington last year. This winter, she is overseas for a residency at Radisson Blu Hotel & Resort's Jazz Bar in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

She also co-hosts the local weekly talk show "Nadj N Jea" with fellow musician Jea Street Jr.

Three years later, 21-year-old Kelsea Johnson of Newark also made it through to the live playoff round of "The Voice," exiting on the 16th episode just like Nicole.

She won over judges during her audition with a rendition of Meghan Trainor's "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" with Levine telling her, "You are absolutely stunning from the way that you sing to the way that you look." Fellow judge Kelly Clarkson added, "Hands down, you could make a record right now, release it and have a career."

These days, she's a New York-based singer performing under the stage name Aria Bléu.

Delaware's third contestant came last season when a 27-year-old Lennon VanderDoes of Wilmington advanced to the live playoff rounds with the Lord Huron song "The Night We Met."

He was eliminated in the 19th episode and released a few singles last year, including a studio recording of the Lord Huron song that got him in "The Voice" door.

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).

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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware's Olivia Rubini hopes for big break on NBC's 'The Voice'