Reuben De Melo: WA singer's journey from FIFO dad to touring family man after winning The Voice 2024
Removing the familiar high-vis from his wardrobe following years as a mine site rigger, the doting WA father has admitted 'life's changed heaps' as he balances time in the studio with simply being present for his three young kids and wife Olivia.
'We have actually bought a house closer to the kids' school, so a lot of positives have come out of this,' he told The West Australian.
'Obviously (I'm) not flying out to work, but I'm spending time with the kids a bit more and getting used to that sort of life being in the studio, using my time wisely, recording songs and just basically having everything in the bank to release.'
With his soulful vocals striking a chord with viewers nationwide, De Melo says his newly released debut single Slow brings a 'commercial' edge to his very human sound.
Ironically, it was written two years ago during his UK travels with family when he felt 'everything had become monotonous'.
While the temptation might now be to trade his rawness for record sales by conforming to industry pressures, the 'father figure' is conscious of staying true to himself.
'I don't know if the world's going to change me, and if it does, I'm going to reassess,' he said.
'I think I'm going to stay true to my music, which comes from the heart and mental health, and that mining story.'
What has changed, is De Melo's profile — which has seen his billing upgraded from modest Perth bars to the likes of Thursday night's Western Australian of the Year Awards.
Copping second glances from strangers at the airport has become the singer's new normal, along with random photos with fans, and even messages of support from public figures such as Ben Cousins who the singer described as 'an absolute legend'.
'I have to pinch myself and go, 'You're just human mate'. But it's surreal,' De Melo said.
Building a team over the past three months to propel him into the next chapter of his career, the talent is set to release additional tracks to feature on his upcoming EP which will be he'll perform on his first Australian tour this July and August.
However, perhaps a sweeter reward will be his reunion with beloved The Voice coach and pop star LeAnn Rimes during her national run of shows in September.
And if he's lucky, the duo's dynamic might shift from master-and-apprentice to that of equals when Rimes returns to Australia.
'She's asked me to get in the studio with her to work on a track as well, which is quite exciting. Not sure when that that will be released or anything yet, but I'm looking forward to it,' De Melo said.
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