Penticton singer Jerri Rouw hopes to repeat her success auditioning for The Voice with a similar program that doesn't restrict its contestants by nationality.
Image Credit: Facebook / Jerri Rouw
June 27, 2020 - 6:00 AM
It wasn’t quite what she’d hoped for, but a Penticton entertainer got an ego boost recently after making the cut on The Voice only to find she didn’t qualify because she’s not an American citizen.
Jerri Rheanne Rouw says she’s proud of how far she went on the program and believes she’ll ultimately find success through another show.
It all started back in April when Rouw completed a video submission to "The Voice," an American singing competition series broadcast on the NBC network.
“It took a week to hear back from them. I actually got through the first round and then on June 19 had to do a virtual audition. There’s a countdown, and then you go online and all of a sudden you’re live on video and you have to perform a verse and chorus of a song of your choice. You also have to introduce yourself, all in about a minute and thirty seconds,” she says.
Rouw performed “Baby I Love You,” by Aretha Franklin, one of her favourite artists.
She waited 24 hours to find out if she was confirmed to go to Los Angeles to be a part of the show.
Then she found out a contestant had to be an American citizen.
“I wasn’t aware of that when I did my audition. They fail to tell you until you make it through. I guess they thought I had dual citizenship,” she says.
Still, Rouw found the experience worthwhile.
“It was a lot of fun and it was interesting to see how far I could make it. I’m encouraged now. American Idol allows anyone to try out, so I’m going to audition for that show as a next step. If I can make it to The Voice, I should be able to do that,” she says.
She’s also philosophical about the experience.
“When one door closes, another opens. It’s a shame there are no Canadian platforms for things like this at the moment. I was looking at auditioning for Canadian Idol, but they aren’t producing it right now. And with the way the U.S. is going with COVID-19, I’m kind of happy I don’t have to go down there right now,” she says.
Rouw performs with a band called “Jerri and Friends” at wineries, breweries, Cascades Casino and other venues around Penticton.
She was raised in Penticton until the age of eight, returning to her hometown four years ago after living in Spain for 12 years.
“I sang and performed with a band, playing in various venues near Majorca, Spain. It was my full time job until four years ago when I decided to move back to the Okanagan. I’m hoping for it to become my full time job again, but it’s a tough business right now with the COVID-19 restrictions on crowds,” she says.
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