Cremorne’s Ruby Lafferty shares a special connection with US superstar Adam Lambert
When Ruby took to the national stage for her blind audition on Channel 7 show The Voice, she was nervous and excited. Yet she hoped at least one of the four superstar coaches would select her for their team, taking her through to the next stage of the reality television singing competition.
Ruby was only a few lines into her performance of Jessica Mauboy’s hit, Right Here, Right Now, singing to the back of four chairs, when Australian pop singer Kate Miller-Heidke turned her chair around for Ruby – quickly followed by US artist Adam Lambert.
What happened next was beyond the young singer’s dreams, as Adam used his ‘block’ against Kate, ensuring that Ruby would only be able to join his team.
“I had no idea that was even a possibility,” Ruby, 18, tells NL. “I’m beyond flattered that he would even go to that level to secure me.”
Ruby’s up-tempo performance was ‘very infectious,’ Adam said on the show, going on to say the song she chose was a ‘great anthem for owning who you are’; with Kate remarking: ‘you’re a natural singer, you have a talent.’
While Ruby ‘absolutely adores Kate,’ she just felt like Adam ‘was the coach for me.’
“I relate to Adam so much. We have a similar style in all different aspects. We relate so heavily on pop culture, on fashion makeup. I just had an instant connection to Adam even when he was talking to me.”
On stage Ruby shared her history, explaining that singing was her escape from the world, having suffered bullying as she was growing up.
The university student, who is studying performing arts, started singing at age eight and soon discovered that performing solo was her passion. “I’ve always loved to do it individually,” Ruby says. “I think that’s where I belong, just being a soloist. I feel like it’s so intimate when you have that connection with the audience and just yourself. I love to tell the story in my own way.”
If Ruby looks familiar, there’s a reason. Not only has the singer grown up on the North Shore, attending Mosman High School, but the artist was performing at local community events and doing gigs for Mosman Council well before she hit our television screens. She also works at a local gelato shop, Venchi, where customers can often hear her belt out a few hits.
She graduated Year 12 in 2023, having missed out on performing as a soloist on the main stage at the Schools Spectacular.
“It was actually getting rejected from the School Spectacular that made me want to apply. I’m a big believer that you need to be resilient, especially with any opportunities in the music industry.
“That just really drove me to say, ‘You know what, let’s take this risk and try something different’; and it got me here and I’m so grateful.”
Despite exiting The Voice competition following the ‘The Battles,’ where she sang Ariana Grande’s hit, yes, and? with fellow contestant Stephanie, Ruby says she is happy to have had the opportunity to sing on that stage. “It has just been so rewarding in so many different ways,” she says. “My mentoring and being on Adam’s team was one of the greatest things ever, so I’m really happy with everything that happened.”
From here, Ruby is looking towards a career in performing. “I really want to start working on writing my own music and releasing it, hopefully next year.
“I love spreading joy through music. That’s one of the biggest reasons why I sing.”
Season 13 of The Voice is on 7plus.