TROY, Mo. — Ruby Leigh is finally back home in Lincoln County, Missouri, after her final performance in Los Angeles on this season of NBC's "The Voice."
The show's second-place finisher met Monday with fans who helped her make it to the finals at Troy Furniture Company.
At just 16 years old, many say Leigh has a generational voice.
The Foley native sat down with 5 On Your Side on Monday. She said she's still in touch with her coach, Reba McEntire, former competitors and even opposing coach Niall Horan.
Being home now for a few weeks, Leigh shared how enjoyable it is to be back with the people who helped her grow roots here in Missouri.
"It's just really cool to have my hometown and people around my hometown support me so much," Leigh said. "Even people who have no idea who I am. I'm just a stranger to them."
Leigh first wowed fans and the judges by yodeling during her blind audition. It earned her a four-chair turn. Her audition video is now the second-most viewed blind audition in the history of "The Voice" YouTube channel, not to mention the most viewed of her season.
During the nationwide popular vote when it came time for the semi-finals and finale, Troy Furniture Company decided to buy billboards in the area for Leigh telling people how they could vote. Plus, purchased another local billboard to welcome her home in congratulations for all her success on the show.
Performing a Judy Garland classic from "The Wizard of Oz" for co-owner Jennifer Ellison's grandchildren and staff ahead of the meet-and-greet on Monday was emotional for the local business owner.
"When she first started singing 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' and watching some of my grandchildren look at her, it actually brought a tear to my eye," Ellison said. "She has just a very angelic voice."
"We're so proud of you," State Sen. Travis Fitzwater (R-District 10) said when talking about what he wants Leigh to know now that she's back in Lincoln County. "You've made this incredible accomplishment. It's great for the state because you have this really young leader that has a good head on their shoulders. That's representing us all really well."
So well, Leigh came in second place on "The Voice" by only 1% of votes. Winner Huntly on coach Niall Horan's team received 31% of America's votes during the finale, and Leigh came in with 30% to secure her silver ranking through the online submissions.
"Voting was difficult because some people had messaged me being like, 'How do I vote for Ruby?'" Ruby said. They told her, "'I've never done this before, but I really want to.'"
Ruby said with a laugh, "I would tell them to go to the app store. They'd be like, 'Can I buy that at Walmart?' I would be like, 'No, it's on your phone'."
Leigh plans to release her debut album sometime this year. It will include original songs and some of her fans' favorite "The Voice" covers.
Beginning to perform regularly at the age of nine, Leigh's older sister said she knew this kind of success was inevitable.
"Some people have recognized me beside Ruby," said Sandra Pearson, nicknamed Grumpy. "They'll say 'I didn't even notice it was you,' because they'll recognize me with the crazy hair and the mohawk. They'll be like, 'We saw you first,' and then they'll say, 'That's Ruby's sister. There's Ruby!'"
The powerhouse teenager has now become the most successful "The Voice" contestant from Missouri in history.
She'll be celebrated on the floor of the Missouri Senate and recognized with a resolution at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 1, potentially with a special 300-person performance afterward in Jefferson City.
You can still buy tickets to some of Leigh's local and nationwide performances in the coming weeks. Click here to see where she's performing.
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