It’s been a big year for Olivia Rubini. The Wilmington, Delaware singer-songwriter recorded her first songs as a teen, released her striking debut album Silhouettes in 2021, and worked her way to the biggest stage she’s played; the long-running NBC talent competition The Voice.
Rubini competed on Season 25 of the show this spring, where she made it very far into the competition — the playoffs in episode 14 — and along the way impressed the panel of judges, including John Legend, with stellar performances that included a cover of the Linda Ronstadt hit “Long Long Time.”
Since her time in the national spotlight, Rubini has been slowly unveiling her next creative chapter. A yearning single called “Heartless Woman” was released this year as a pensive full band burner and a stripped-down “Olivia’s Version,” where she dipped the track in dreamy Nashvillia. While her earliest music on streaming services is decked out in cool electronic pop tones, her newest music finds Rubini embracing her love of Fleetwood Mac, something we see even more of in this week’s Key Studio Session.
Backed by a knockout band — guitarists Eric Galetti and Steve LaFascia, bassist Sam Nobles, drummer Brian Bruce, and keyboardist Nicole June — Rubini’s dynamic performance takes us through her past 12 months, first with a soaring “Heartless Woman” featuring her dad Ritchie on tambourine, then with that moody Ronstadt cover she played on TV, and finally with an absolutely scorching new song called “Light Of Now” that shakes the rafters in our studio space as the singer beckons listeners to seize the day.
Watch Olivia Rubini’s performance for The Key Studio Sessions in the player above, check out a gallery of photos from the set below, and for more, make plans to see Olivia Rubini and her band live this Friday, November 22nd, at The Queen in Wilmington with AJ Harvey. Details and tickets can be found at the WXPN Concert Calendar.