Q&A: Hockessin's Olivia Rubini talks about 'The Voice' audition and previews next round

When it comes to competing on NBC's "The Voice," it hasn't been a long-held dream for Hockessin singer Olivia Rubini.

In fact, the Padua Academy graduate didn't seek it before landing on the program's 25th season earlier this month, when she advanced to the next round with her version of Linda Ronstadt's 1970 song "Long, Long Time."

A talent scout for the show found her online and reached out through Instagram.

"It's not every day you look in your DMs and see a talent scout for 'The Voice.' I absolutely thought it was a scam," admits the 25-year-old songstress. "I left it on read."

After a while, she decided to search for the scout's LinkedIn account to see if the person was legitimate. It turned out they were.

"I gave it a day or so to think on it and realized it's an incredible opportunity and I would be insane not to pursue it," she says.

A few audition tapes and interviews later, she made the cut as the last contestant in the show's blind auditions at Universal Studios in Hollywood, California, making her only the fourth contestant from Delaware out of about 1,300 in the show's history.

In her corner were parents Ritchie and Thérèse Rubini, who are more than just there for loving support, seen on the show in tears watching their daughter perform.

Ritchie Rubini is a music industry veteran who has performed in bands for decades, plays an array of instruments and also has spent plenty of time in the producer's chair, including for his daughter's full-length debut "Silhouettes" in 2021.

We caught up with Rubini in her Hockessin home on the eve of "The Battles," the next round of "The Voice," which paired two contestants together for a duet with one being voted off the show. This year's coaching panel includes musicians John Legend, Reba McEntire, Chance the Rapper and Dan + Shay with Rubini on "Team Legend."

"The Battles" round kicked off March 18 and runs through the end of the month. "The Voice" airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. and Tuesdays at 9 p.m.

We talked to Rubini about her strategy for the show, her winning blind audition moment and whether she will perform a local show for her Delaware fans any time soon.

Question: Was being on a reality television singing competition ever something you considered or auditioned for before?

Answer: I had not really considered it. I never had any negative connotations towards anything like that, of course. It was incredible opportunity. I just never saw myself doing it. I would see clips and things on social media and just be like, 'Wow, that's so intense. I don't know if I could do that.' It was never anything about the stigma of being on a show. I was just like, 'That seems like a really intense process to go through.' It's a lot of songs and you can tell that the performers are putting in a lot of work. I was always kind of intimidated by the prospect, I think.

So you go through all these stages, finally get to the blind auditions and then it's finally your time to walk out on that stage with all those people there. Can you just describe what that feeling was like?

I mean, it's absolutely still extremely surreal. I had a pretty crazy blind audition day. Given the timeline of things, I knew that it was really coming down to the wire. I knew that there were not a lot of spots left. So I was definitely really anxious throughout the day and I was just trying to sort of like talk myself down. I was like, 'Just don't cry backstage.' You know, save that for later. So you're backstage, you're hearing other people's auditions and hearing them get a chair turn. I was coming to grips with the fact that I wasn't going to get the opportunity to go up there at all, which was a little stressful. And then in a matter of minutes I went from that mentality of feeling like it was a wrap and trying to be OK with it to being on stage and having it happening. So it was the lowest of lows and the highest of highs in like a seven-minute span, which felt really, really intense. I felt really calm, oddly, walking up. I was just really excited. I think I was more excited than nervous. But I think everyone can see my reaction when John Legend turned around ― it was just an overwhelming wave of emotions. So much relief was in that moment.

And having your parents there on the side of the stage must have made it even more special.

Super special. I give all the praise and the credit to my dad. I would not be where I am today without him. I'm so beyond grateful for not only his musical talent, but also just his wisdom and everything he's imparted to me over the years. So it was just a great moment to share it with him and my mom as well, of course. Having their support in that moment meant absolutely everything.

Is your dad a crier, or was that a rare show of emotion from him that we saw?

He'll probably hate me saying this, but he is definitely a crier.

And you are too, it seems?

[Laughs]. I am. I am.

Can you explain what his role has been for you to help get you to this point? I know he produced your album, and I'm sure he gives you plenty advice about the music business. He's seen all sides of it. What's it like having someone with that knowledge able to help guide you?

He's just the best. I'll say it over and over again: He's the man. He really has been giving me so much wisdom throughout my entire life. I don't even really think that he was aware of what he was doing for me because there was definitely no grand design of 'I'm gonna make my child a star.' There was honestly none of that. If anything, he was really hesitant to let me start making music, I think, because he is so knowledgeable and knows how tumultuous a career in entertainment in the music industry can be. I think he wanted to sort of protect me from that for a multitude of reasons, but I just didn't let that happen. And I convinced him. So it's been ever since I was about 13 that we've been working together.

So "The Battles" are starting. What's your strategy going into it?

I look at this round like you should be putting on a show. It should just really be an entertaining performance between you and your partner. 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. 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. I think that's what results in a really high-energy performance that the coaches are going to love.

Are you confident going into it?

Yeah, I feel good. I'm really excited because I think it's going be a really strong performance from both of us. We just want it to be really hard for John. We don't want it to be a clear winner.

I don't know how much time you've spent with John Legend beyond what we saw on the show. But can you just give an idea of what he's like to work with?

He's a pretty chill guy. He's really sweet. And very Zen. I just respect him so much. What incredible music knowledge. He's such a wonderful vocalist and in terms of recording artists, he's just the top of the top. So being able to work with him at rehearsals is seriously so incredible. I'm so, so honored to be on his team.

This whole show is such a unique experience, and I'm sure you had ideas before you went in about what it was going to be like. Has there been anything that jumped out at you as being very different than what you expected?

I think the best example of that would be my expectations of the other contestants. I didn't know what to expect at all as far as the camaraderie and the interpersonal relationship aspect. I went in thinking I'll probably be hanging out by myself. Everyone's probably going to be really competitive. It would be really cutthroat with people being scary sometimes when it's competition time. So that's sort of what I went in expecting, which made me nervous because I'm not really that way. But it is so the opposite. Everyone is so lovely and supportive of each other, whether it's on the show or off the show. No one's judgmental. When they talk about 'The Voice' family ― I thought that was a total lie and it absolutely is not.

So once the show is over, can we expect to see you performing here in Delaware?

Yeah, for sure. I don't know what those shows are going to be, where they're going to be or when they're going to be, but they will be happening for sure. I would definitely love to play in Delaware and have all those people who've been supporting me so much get to come out and show the support in real life.

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).

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware's Olivia Rubini opens up about 'The Voice' experience