But now the 23-year-old has won the New Zealand Gold Guitar Award, it's official - she really does have a golden voice.
The former Kaitangata resident has been singing country music since she was 11, when a local singing teacher rounded her up along with other school children in the area to compete in the Kaitangata talent quest.
"I gave it a go and managed to get second. I went to get singing lessons after that and I haven't looked back."
Ms Evans won the senior gospel and the New Zealand composition categories, and teamed up with Cameron Scott, of Cave, to win the duet in Gore during the weekend, before going on to win the award in what was a highly contested event with competitors from as far away as Australia.
The singer-songwriter won the overall prize with her own song Lipstick Stains.
"It was inspired by a moment of sadness. It's a story of heartbreak."
Ms Evans said she had been competing at the Gold Guitar awards since she was 11, and believed her success should be a lesson to younger performers.
"Every year, I watched people win, and every year, I remember wishing I was up there with the trophy.
"It's a life lesson. A lot of perseverance and dedication, and eventually the rewards will come."
Since winning on Sunday night, Ms Evans said her trophy had accumulated a few lipstick stains.
"I couldn't stop hugging it all night. It's such a good feeling when you've been in it for so long, and wanting to win, and when you finally get it, you can't explain the feeling.
"I just couldn't stop crying when they made the announcement."
While the success had been overwhelming, Ms Evans said it had also been inspiring.
She woke yesterday morning with lots of new song ideas and lyrics going through her head.
She now plans to record a CD in Dunedin, and hopes it will be on shop shelves before the end of this year.
Otago country musicians fared well in the competition this year.
Six-year-old Dunedin singer Jayden Jesudhass won the under-14 Freeze Ya Bits Off busking competition, and 17-year-old Katie Mason was the Intermediate Overall New Zealand Gold Guitar winner.
Katie said she was "thrilled and surprised" when she won the intermediate gospel, country rock, vocal solo and overall intermediate categories.
"The competition was so fierce. There's so much talent there. I was so lucky."
However, the excitement of the win quickly went west, as she returned to Dunedin yesterday to continue her study for mid-year exams.
Katie is in her final year at Kavanagh College, and plans to follow a career as a professional musician next year by studying music at a New Zealand university.
Senior final results
New Zealand composition: Vickie Evans (Kaitangata).
Group: Tempo (Dunedin).
Vocal group: Timwinpoint (Pleasant Point).
Instrumental: Daniel Cosgrove (Invercargill).
Traditional: Matthew McNeilly (Blenheim).
Gospel: Vickie Evans (Kaitangata).
Duet: Cameron Scott (Cave) and Vickie Evans (Kaitangata).
Country Rock: Craig Adams (Cromwell).
Male vocal solo: Matthew McNeilly (Blenheim).
Female vocal solo: Catherine Short (Dunedin).
Yodelling: Paul Nees (Nelson).
New Zealand Gold Guitar runner-up: Matthew McNeilly (Blenheim).
New Zealand Gold Guitar winner: Vickie Evans (Kaitangata).
