Marksville native auditions for 'The Voice' TV talent show

   Since she was a 6-year-old girl singing for friends and family, Erin Jenea Simon has dreamed of someday being a professional singer.

   For a brief moment this past summer, that dream seemed within reach.

   Erin, a Marksville native, auditioned on June 4 for "The Voice," a TV talent show. She gave it her best effort at the auditorium in Atlanta, Ga.

   That effort was good enough for judges to put her through to the second round of the try-outs to be on the television series. Unfortunately, when she returned for Round 2, she did not get a ticket to continue her trek.

    “I will definitely do it again next year,” Erin said. 

   Erin just recently moved to Dallas, where she works as an associate for Amazon.com.

   She said she misses her parents, Carol Daranda and Aaron Simon, and her other family still in Marksville, but she talks to them by phone often.

   “This is my first time away from home,” Erin said. “I am still getting settled in.”

   She has been attending church, but hasn’t joined the church choir yet, but that definitely may happen in the future.

   Erin, 29, began singing in the youth choir at Starlight Baptist Church when she was six. She was also a member of the Marksville High School Choir.

   She was recognized during a talent competition at Fox Theater and performed for the Muscular Dystrophy Telethon in Alexandria.

   She also gained local accolades as a singer for weddings and funerals in Avoyelles Parish.

   Erin said she still has that dream of being a singer and will be preparing for her next opportunity.

   “I will be taking voice lessons to prepare for next year,” she said. “I know what to expect, so I won’t be as nervous.”