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Louisiana singer Zoe Levert’s path to ‘The Voice’ wasn’t swift, but Taylor still helped

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Louisiana singer Zoe Levert’s path to ‘The Voice’ wasn’t swift, but Taylor still helped


Should Zoe Levert win Season 25 of NBC’s “The Voice,” she’ll certainly thank her celebrity coach, John Legend, but she’s also likely to throw some appreciation Taylor Swift’s way.

After all, it was a video of New Orleans native Levert’s take on Swift’s song “Cardigan” (from her 2020 album “Folklore”) which went viral to the tune of 5 million online views, attracting recruiters for the singing competition series who contacted Levert about auditioning. This eventually led to the Baton Rouge songstress’ current spot on Team Legend as the show’s knockout rounds continue this week.

The key word here is “eventually,” Levert, 20, explained, as she unsuccessfully auditioned two different times when she was in high school.



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Louisiana native Zoe Levert, 20, is a contestant on Season 25 of ‘The Voice,’ competing on John Legend’s team.

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“It just wasn’t meant to be,” she said. 

She tried again for Season 24.

Levert’s third attempt provided a glimmer of hope when she heard from producers.

“But before we even started filming, they were like, ‘We actually don’t need you for this season, but we’ll call you back probably at some point,’” Levert said. “And then I got the call about Season 25 and decided to do it. It’s definitely been a long time coming for sure.”

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‘The Voice’ coach John Legend, back to camera, works with Louisiana contestant Zoe Levert on the song for her battles round.



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A flight to Los Angeles later and blind auditions rolled around at “The Voice’s” home at Universal Studios. Referred to as “the blinds,” in these tryouts, the judges/coaches’ chairs face away from the auditioner, thus they only hear the performance.

Along the way, if one or more coaches are interested in securing the singer for their teams, they press a buzzer and their chairs turn around. One chair turn and that singer automatically joins that coach’s team; two or more turns and the auditioner chooses their coach. No chair turns means bye-bye.

“They do a great job of kind of preparing you for that day because it’s a scary thing and I’ve never done anything like this before,” Levert said.

Her turn to audition came late in the day, thus there were few spots remaining on teams, which added to Levert’s stress level.

Her song choice was Little Big Town’s “Better Man,” coincidentally written by Swift.

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The OK3 trio, from left, and Zoe Levert, far right, listen with host Carson Daly as ‘The Voice’ judges critique the women’s performance of ‘The Bones’ by Little Big Town.



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“I get up and do my song and, you know, I’m going through it and I reached a certain point at the very end and I’m out of high notes — I’m out of cool tricks to do and still didn’t have any chair turns,” Levert recalled. “I was like, ‘This might not be meant to be.’”

She remembers consciously thinking, “OK, you have one more line, do something cool.”

So, she improvised an extra run in the last line.

“And right at that last second, John Legend turned around and I don’t remember much after that,” she said. 

When the episode aired a few weeks ago, Levert said it was nice to watch her audition along with the rest of “The Voice” viewers.

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Following her song, Levert took a moment to tell coaches Dan and Shay how much their music meant to her, and that she and her then-fiancé Ryan Turner (backstage at the time) planned to use the pop singer-songwriter pair’s song “From the Ground Up” for the first dance at their wedding.

“I figured they’d be like, ‘Oh, thank you,’ and just kind of leave it at that, but they ended up coming on stage. I hear Dan say, ‘Does anyone have a guitar?’ They pulled my fiancé up on stage and they sang our first dance song for us,” Levert said. “It was already such a cool moment — and then on top of that, Dan and Shay made it so personal about my life as well as about my wedding. And so that was just really special and I felt so loved.”

Afterward, her new coach welcomed her with an official Team Legend jacket.

“I get in a van (leaving the studio) with my fiancé and I’m like, ‘Did any of that just happen? None of that feels real,” she told him. 

The couple married Jan. 7, and yes, they did dance to Dan and Shay as scheduled.

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“It was funny because when the wedding happened, this (her audition) hadn’t aired yet or anything, and so it was our little secret and then everything aired and it was cool to share that moment with everyone.”

Levert is a student at Leavell College in New Orleans, where her major is psychology and minor is music. With their home now in the Capital City, Levert said she performs often at Le Chien Brewing Company in Denham Springs for open mic nights and weekend gigs.

She also sings at her parents’ church plant, The Mustard Seed, and at Abundant Life Church, where her husband is worship director. Both churches are located in Denham Springs. She’s also taken the stage at Jolie Pearl Oyster Bar a few times, and the couple takes singing engagements at other area churches as well.

A self-proclaimed “Super Swiftie,” Levert said she saw Swift in concert last May in Nashville, Tennessee, but doesn’t have tickets for the superstar’s three-show stop in New Orleans in October.

“But I’m hoping I can score a last-minute ticket and go see her again,” she said.

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In the meantime, look for Levert, a tall, slender blonde who happens to resemble you-know-who, on “The Voice” at 7 p.m. Mondays on NBC. The series also streams on Peacock.

Levert most recently won a “battles” round, singing Maren Morris’ “The Bones” alongside fellow contestants the OK3 trio.

The win advanced her to the knockout rounds, so her next show appearance will be soon, although “The Voice” won’t disclose a specific date. 



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Louisiana State Games boxing comes to West Monroe

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Louisiana State Games boxing comes to West Monroe


WEST MONROE, La. (KNOE) – The City of West Monroe announced the 2026 Louisiana State Games are coming to West Monroe this weekend, with athletes from across the state set to compete at The Rec at 7th Square.

According to officials matches begin at 6 p.m. Saturday and continue at 1 p.m. Sunday. Spectators are invited to attend and support the boxers.

  • Event location: The Rec at 7th Square on 1802 North 7th Street
  • Dates: Saturday–Sunday, June 27–28

Admission details, boxer registration information, and sponsorship opportunities are available in the event graphics, here.

Copyright 2026 KNOE. All rights reserved.



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Polls open for Louisiana runoff election | Everything you need to know

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Polls open for Louisiana runoff election | Everything you need to know


NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – It’s Election Day, and many voters are deciding on some closely watched primary run-offs, which will determine who appears on the ballot in November.

Polls are open as of 7 a.m. on June 27 and will close at 8 p.m. You will still be able to vote as long as you are in line by 8 p.m.

Election coverage

Fox 8 will bring you analysis as the numbers come in. Our election coverage starts at 9 p.m. on our streaming apps and online.

Who’s on the ballot?

Today is the Republican primary runoff between Stephanie Hilferty and John Young for Louisiana Public Service Commission District 1.

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And in the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 1 race, Joseph Cao and Ellie Schroder are going head-to-head.

Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming and Congresswoman Julia Letlow face off for the Republican U.S Senate nomination.

This week, a JMC Analytics poll put Fleming five points higher than Letlow.

Gary Crockett and Jamie Davis are the two candidates on the U.S Senate Democratic ballot.

On May 16, Davis got 47 percent of the vote statewide in the Democratic primary. Crockett got 26 percent of the vote.

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Fox 8 interviewed the Republican and Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate. You can watch those interviews below:

Voters will also decide how much they want to fund 140 St. Tammany sheriff’s deputies. Fox 8 covered this proposal extensively, and voters can learn more HERE.

New party primary rules

In June 27th’s runoff, voters must stick with the same party they selected in the May election. For example, those who voted Republican in May must vote Republican in this runoff.

However, in the November general election, all voters can select any candidate on the ballot regardless of party.

The Louisiana Secretary of State website lists requirements voters should know before heading to the polls.

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What should I bring?

Be prepared to show one of the following before voting:

  • a driver’s license;
  • a Louisiana Special ID;
  • LA Wallet digital driver’s license; 
  • a United States military identification card that contains your name and picture; or
  • some other generally recognized picture ID that contains your name and signature.

Where do I vote?

You can use the Louisiana Voter Portal to find where you vote on election day, or you can call your parish Registrar of Voters Office. Your voter information card, which is sent by mail, lists your polling place.

Click HERE to find your voting precinct by entering personal information, such as your zip code. This method gives you the most specific information.

Can I vote by mail?

In Louisiana, only certain citizens can vote by mail, including:

  • military or overseas citizens;
  • senior citizens (65+);
  • voters with disabilities;
  • higher education students & professors;
  • religious clergy;
  • voters temporarily absent during early voting and election day;
  • voters who moved to a new parish more than 100 miles from former residence within 30 days of election;
  • persons involuntarily confined to institution;
  • sequestered jurors;
  • voters hospitalized or who expect to be hospitalized during early voting and election day;
  • voters employed upon state waters;
  • voters incarcerated for non-felony with sheriff’s certification; and
  • participants in the state’s address confidentiality program.

For more information, click HERE.

What if I have a disability?

People with visual impairments and the person assisting them in voting may go to the front of the line at their polling place.

According to the Louisiana Secretary of State’s website, a voter is entitled to receive assistance while voting if they are unable to read or unable to vote without assistance because of a physical disability, including being visually impaired. A voter may choose to use the audio ballot instead of receiving assistance.

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However, voters must either file a statement with the registrar in person or by mail before the election if they need assistance in voting or complete an affidavit and/or provide specific documentation to the commissioner on election day.

For more information, click HERE.

Rules on advocating

According to the Louisiana Secretary of State’s website, you should never wear, hand out, or display anything advocating for or against any candidate, proposition, or political party appearing on the ballot in the election while voting. All polling places have a 600 foot campaign free zone.

To see what exactly will be on your ballot, find polling locations, and more, you can go to the Louisiana Secretary of State’s website HERE.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Click Here to report it. Please include the headline.

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Copyright 2026 WVUE. All rights reserved.



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Southern football’s Marshall Faulk visits Central Louisiana

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Southern football’s Marshall Faulk visits Central Louisiana


ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) – After being hired as the new head coach of the Southern Jaguars, Marshall Faulk made the trip to Central Louisiana to help promote his program.

“These are my eyes for the talent in this area,” Faulk told KALB. “We’re aggressive about recruiting the State of Louisiana, and so when there’s good talent and players coming up here, hanging out with some of the people that I know.”

Southern football’s Marshall Faulk visits Central Louisiana(KALB)

Southern is Faulk’s first head coaching job after spending last season as an assistant at Colorado.

“I’ve done a lot of stuff in the states that I’ve lived,” Faulk said. “Being born here, I hadn’t done a lot around helping youth sports and helping kids in this environment. I’ve got a lot of information and education around football and things that I can give, and this is a great opportunity to give back.”

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The Jaguars only won two games in 2025, but are just two years removed from a SWAC Championship Game appearance.

Marshall Faulk
Marshall Faulk(WAFB)

“Just the guys learning how to practice their willingness to learn,” Faulk said on the traits he’s seen thus far from his team. “They’re wanting their desire to get better, and that’s all you want.”

Southern opens up their season on August 29 against Alabama State at the Birmingham Football Classic.

Click here to report a typo. Please provide the title of the article in your email.

Copyright 2026 KALB. All rights reserved.



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