Abbeville Rotary Club welcomes Koryn

Koryn Hawthorne’s journey on “The Voice” earlier this year captivated so many around the country.
That is especially true for her hometown of Abbeville, which brought people in droves to welcome her during a parade through downtown Abbeville in May.
Members of the Abbeville Rotary Club packed Vermilion Oaks Wednesday afternoon to find out what Hawthorne, 17, has been up to since “The Voice” wrapped up in late May. She placed fourth out of thousands who auditioned for the season.
“I just want to say thank you for allowing me to have this opportunity,” Hawthorne expressed to the Rotarians. “This is amazing. It looks pretty awesome from up here.
“I’m just glad to be invited.”
She told Rotary members that her experience on the show represents all that she has ever wanted to do.
“Singing has always been something that is just me,” Hawthorne said. “People will ask me when did I start singing. When did I realize that I wanted to be a singer?
“There has never, ever been a point in time when I did not want to sing.”
In her younger days, Hawthorne said she used to walk around the house with a hairbrush as a microphone. She did well behind the real thing on national television, winning over audiences and fans on “The Voice.” Hawthorne also captured the ear of one of the show’s four celebrity judges, Pharrell Williams, with whom she worked most of the season.
“He is a pretty cool person,” Hawthorne said.
Hawthorne’s successful run on “The Voice, which took more than a year to come to fruition, was not her first attempt at a TV competition. She auditioned multiple times for “American Idol”, X-Factor and “America’s Got Talent.” While she turned heads at those auditions, she never broke through. There is one to whom Hawthorne gives credit for helping her breakout this year.
“I am thankful to God,” Hawthorne said. “Through this journey I learned to trust him, if I learned anything. He knew when it was the right time for me to go through that.”
At this time, Hawthorne is back at school, a senior at Lighthouse Christian Prep in Abbeville.
“After graduation I just want to take a vacation with my family,” Hawthorne said.
Her local fans will be able to see her in early October when she will serve as the Grand Marshal of the 67th Annual Louisiana Cattle Festival Grand Parade. The event is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 10 at 1 p.m. in Abbeville. Whether she makes her way to one of the event’s stages remains to be seen.
“I actually want to sing for the Cattle Festival,” Hawthorne said. “I have always wanted to sing on that stage.”
She added with a laugh that her Gospel style may not be what festival-goers want to hear.
“I think all they want to hear is Zydeco,” Hawthorne said. “I think I need to learn a Zydeco song.”
She does have a record deal through “The Voice” with Republic Records.
“I want to continue to do music no matter what,” Hawthorne said. “I have been in the studio. I am just really excited to put out music that inspires people to follow their dreams.”
Vermilion Parish School Superintendent Jerome Puyau, who is a Rotarian, told Hawthorne he has seen first hand what kind of an inspiration she can be.
“Thank you for being a positive role model for my two daughters,” Puyau said. “Never lose your voice or your faith.
“Continue to be that positive role model for so many young children.”
Many of those children, as well as plenty of adults, came out to a welcome-home parade that aired on an episode of “The Voice.” Turning in to a packed Magdalen Square proved overwhelming, she recalled.
“I can’t even express how I felt,” Hawthorne said. “When we hit the corner and I saw all the people, I broke down. The show goes by so fast that you forget some things. When I got back home it snapped be back into reality and I could fully appreciate it.
“It was amazing.”
It is difficult to imagine Hawthorne’s voice not creating countless more amazing moments of the future. She’s definitely looking forward to it.
“I’m excited,” Hawthorne said. “I’m excited for the rest of my career.
“This is only the beginning and I’m excited to see what happens.”