On Sept. 10, a young singer with local roots made her way to the podium at one of the premier talent contests in Ottawa.
Elizabeth Jones, who grew up in Quyon from the age of nine to 15, was crowned this year’s Ottawa Idol at the Villa Lucia Supper Club. This is her fourth year entering the competition and her first time cracking the top six.
Jones said that singing has always been a part of her life and growing up in rural Quebec, the songs she learned were country.

“My mom always had Alan Jackson, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, pretty much the oldies,” she said. “I fell in love with Terri Clark and anything by the Dixie Chicks. One of the first songs I ever learned to sing was ‘I Just Wanna Be Mad.’”
Jones cites Clark as one of her biggest inspirations.
“I got to see her in concert a few years ago,” she said. “I remember crying my eyes out when she came out on stage, it was amazing to see her perform, especially because she’s Canadian too.”
Though she is currently studying to become a personal support worker (PSW) at Herzing College in Ottawa, Jones’ passion has always been for song.
“Ever since I was little I’ve just wanted to sing. I just sing anywhere I can, pretty much. In the shower, in front of my family, just anywhere I can,” she continued, explaining that her start in the competition was rather seridipitous. “When I was 15, when I moved back to Ottawa, my grandma found an ad for Ottawa Idol in the paper and she said I should go audition for it.”
While she only made the top 20 in her first year, she came back in the subsequent years for two solid, top-ten finishes. She was then advised by the judges to take vocal lessons and took two years off to practice and expand her range and repertoire.
She learned about how to properly sing with her diaphragm rather than with her throat and how to manage her presence on stage.
This year was Jones’ last chance to pursue her goal of winning Ottawa Idol, since the competition only allows competitors 13 to 21-years-old.
“I went for it and I auditioned and I wasn’t disappointed, that’s for sure,” she said with a laugh.
Though she was self-taught up until age 15, Jones’ family had a big influence on her musical education.
“A lot of my extended family comes from a musical background,” she said. ‘When I was about, I think nine or ten, my grandfather took me to a St. Patricks Day party in Ottawa where Gail Gavan was playing and he got me to go up on stage and sing with her. I sang ‘The Log Driver’s Waltz’ with her and at the Jamfest a few years after that, I sang with her there too.”
At a competition in Quyon when she was 12, she also rubbed shoulders with another local country musician, Adrienne Taylor.
“I got some really good advice from her,” she said “She sang there and I absolutely loved her voice.”
In fact, Jones performed Taylor’s 2014 hit ‘Backwoods Saturday Night’ at an Ottawa Idol event several years ago.
“I absolutely love that song,” she said.
Auditions for this year’s competition began in July with a video audition followed by a live audition at the St. Laurent Shopping Centre, which is also where she works and goes to school.
“It was pretty convenient,” she said with a laugh.
After the first round of live auditions, the entries were pared down to the top 26.
“I made the top 26 with a lot of other really talented girls. The competition was fierce this year,” she said. “During the top 26 they do a showcase, which is nice because it’s not a judged portion of the contest so it’s an opportunity to get to know everybody and hear their voices. It’s more relaxing than nerve-wracking.”
For the previous rounds, Jones had stuck to staples from the Dixie Chicks and Little Big Town, but she changed it up with an original tune entitled ‘You and Texas’ to make it into the top 12.
She then reverted back to her roots, opting for the Dixie Chick’s classics, ‘Wide Open Spaces’ and ‘Cowboy Take Me Away’.
“Later that day they announced the top six, which I made and was amazing,” she said. “I’d never made it that far before so I just started crying. I got all emotional and I just enjoyed it.”
If Jones was elated when she made the top six, she was floored when the judges announced that she had made the final three.
“I couldn’t believe I made it. The two girls with me, one was 13 and one was 14 and they had such amazing voices. To hear them sing is unbelievable,” she said. “For that I sang another original that I hope to be recording soon, called ‘Deceiver’. Very powerful, very fun song to sing and I just went up there and danced around and sang it without a care in the world. I was just so happy at that point.”
Even a week after the fact, Jones still struggled explaining what it felt like to win, on her fourth and final attempt.
“I actually don’t have a word to describe what it’s like hearing your name being called, but it’s phenomenal,” she said. “I had a ton of friends and a ton of family there and they basically took up one side of the room. They had shirts that said Team Lizzy. My family’s pretty loud so it was crazy during the competition.”
The prize for the competition is 20 hours of studio time with a professional songwriter in Los Angeles. Jones said she is currently fundraising for the airfare to California but can’t wait for the once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“I’m looking forward to being one-on-one with the songwriter and listening to the wisdom she has,” she said. “Being in a real recording studio, that’s exciting, I’m really looking forward to that.”
She said that the whole experience has been a big boost to her confidence and has taught her the value of perseverance.
“It really proved to me that I’ve really expanded what I can do and it’s a rewarding feeling,” she said. “It goes to show that hard work really does pay off.”