Musical gem from Curtorim shines at The Voice Australia

Originally from Maina Curtorim, Reuben De Melo was brought up in Perth, Australia but kept Goa close to his heart by visiting home regularly. When he was recently declared the winner of the 13th edition of The Voice Australia 2024, the joy resonated across the seas to Goa.

Reuben had a great start for the blind auditions when he performed 'I see fire' and was blocked by LeAnn Rimes with the new Ultimate Block. He won the season with the most votes through online voting.

Speaking about the moment the winner was announced, his father Augustine shares the excitement, “We were there for the finals. It was crazy with the audience. It was really an amazing experience. I have been to a lot of live performances but the finals was very impressive.“

Son of Augustine and Maria Aurit De Melo from Maina Curtorim and brother to Reuel, Reuben is married to Olivia and has three children who were present at the finals. Besides working as a rigger in the mining industry, Reuben does a lot of solo gigs and sometimes as a duo with his wife.

“My wife has taken a lot of initiative to get him going with the violin in Goa itself. We used to play together at home. But now I cannot compete him at all. I used to play the guitar and my wife used to play guitar with mouth organ together. When in Goa, we used to play, sing, and even our neighbours used to come and sit around with him,” informs Augustine.

After moving to Perth, Australia in 2004, Reuben studied at Apple Cross Senior High in Australia where he was playing violin for the school which had a very big orchestra. The school is recognized for good music and has produced many musicians. "We have so much of instruments here at home, we made a studio for him. On Spotify, he has done a lot of his own numbers and music composing. Now he wants to promotes only originals. He is growing as an artist and you need to show your own versatility and style,” says Augustine.

Usually Reuben cracks jokes and has

fun with friends during his gigs but on the stage of The Voice, he was a bit cautious. He has also performed at the Goa Day events in Australia.

When Reuben is visiting his parents its mostly fun and music with his kids. "When he comes, he will just take the guitar and start singing even if we are not singing. Sometimes he will say, ‘papa, we‘ll jam up' and we‘ll sing something and his kids start singing with us. He creates his own music and songs,” says Augustine.

Franz Schubert Cotta is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist born to a Goan musical family. He performed with the Goa State (Symphony) Orchestra in the early 90s and later the Goa String Orchestra and other musical ensembles. As a dedicated music teacher, Schubert has been following the process of his student. Schubert's sister, Chantale Cotta taught Reuben solfeggio and then Schubert taught him the violin at the Grace Music School run by Our Lady of Grace Church, Margão and he is now very happy to see his student doing so well.

“I've been tracking his progress for a long time. I‘m really happy with what he's doing and how he's doing it. He has found his niche,” says Schubert, who taught Reuben the violin.

Reminiscing of Reuben as his student, he says, “He was fabulous as a student, he's got music in his genes. He's really remarkable. He aced as a student even in his music exams at Trinity College exams, before he moved to Australia. He produced music just naturally. When it was singing and playing, and to top it all, his effortless jovial nature made it easy to get along with other students."

Schubert also informed many of his friends in Australia to vote for him because that was very crucial. He says, "He could have been the best, but if he didn't have votes, that would have been a loss for him. He's got a big following over there. He's got beautiful original compositions on Spotify. I hope he can come and perform in Goa sometime. I am proud, I am really proud of him. I don't take credit for anything of his because my work was when he was very small."

Zubin D’Cruz, a well-known musician and member of the Goan band, True Blue was Reuben’s classmate in school at Loyola High School, Margao. “We were going to Loyola High School together in Class 6, that's when he left Goa. We were part of the choir and he used to play the violin. I met him last when he came down from Australia for holidays. He came to one of our shows and that's when I reconnected with him and we ended up jamming. This was like a casual, fun, post-show meet-up. This was before he was married,” says Zubin.

Expressing his helplessness in voting for his childhood friend as the lines were open only to nationals in Australia, Zubin was still rooting for him. How did it feel to know that he's making it to the big stage? “I felt very proud after I got to know about him in The Voice Australia after his first post, I was following it a lot. The best part is he's on the world stage, and it was someone who I knew as a kid. It felt really nice and most importantly proud,” adds Zubin.

Franky Fernandes from Australia has been supporting Rueben by spreading the word about voting for him in Australia, especially among the Goan community. ”Reuben De Melo's captivating performance on The Voice Australia 2024's blind auditions put him firmly on my radar, and I was instantly convinced of his potential for stardom. Under the expert guidance of LeAnn Rimes Cibrian, Reuben's talent was transformed, catapulting him to global recognition and making Perth, Western Australia, India, and Goa proud. This remarkable journey is a testament to the power of discovery and mentorship, proving that with the right support, exceptional talent can shine bright and inspire positive change. Also the backing of his family, wife Olivia, mother Aurith and dad Augustine who backed him all along has been incredible,” says Franky.

A Grammy voting member from Australia, Bobby Baskaran learnt about Reuben after his blind audition on the show and was impressed by his singing. However, he advises to take advantage of the time and find the right team to begin his career on a global stage. "There are many unknown yet deserving singers in Australia and it's difficult to keep up with everyone. The Voice has given a platform to a lot of performers. Reuben was amazing on the show and it now gives hom a jump start. Now and within the next three months, he has to make the most and get the right team of mamgaers and agents," concludes Bobby.