They say the way to the biggest stage is practice, practice, practice. And that’s exactly what Emily Ann Roberts has done, paying her dues from tiny stages in Knoxville to the biggest stage of all, the Grand Ole Opry. Now she’s poised for everything that’s coming next.
Since launching her country music career, Roberts has now played the coveted Opry stage 16 times. But before that, she made a name for herself on Blake Shelton’s team on The Voice before she’d even graduated from high school. Her classic song choices said so much about the kind of country music she wanted to make: The Chicks’ “Cowboy Take Me Away,” Lee Ann Womack’s “I Hope You Dance,” Patty Loveless’ “Blame It on Your Heart,” The Judds’ “Why Not Me,” Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5,” and Patsy Cline’s “She’s Got You.” Even after the show ended, they invited Roberts back to perform her single “Someday Dream” in 2019. At the time, Shelton told Billboard, “I couldn’t be more proud of all the work she has put in, and she continues to be an awesome vocalist.”
In a way, being named as a runner-up in 2015 was the biggest win of all. Because now, with all of that performing and songwriting and recording experience, Roberts has already racked up more than 19 million streams of her music and was recently named one of Rolling Stone magazine’s Best Acts of CMA Fest.
But even with all that’s ahead of her, Roberts is quick to recall the one concert that inspired her more than a decade ago. She went to the Opry, sat way in the back, and watched Vince Gill sing “Threaten Me with Heaven.” That was when she knew exactly what she was meant to do. “It was just him and his guitar,” Roberts says, “and it was like the whole room was holding its breath. I knew that if I could ever stand on that stage with my guitar and pour my heart out in a song, there’s nothing more I would ever want. Now every time I’ve played the Opry I’ve had to pinch myself and thank the Lord. To be in that circle and keep country music going is such an honor.”
Growing up in Knoxville, Tennessee, Roberts was raised on Smoky Mountain music, bluegrass players, and country artists from every era: from Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton to Miranda Lambert and Cody Johnson. And all of that has prepared her to bring the country back to country music.
What started as just a hobby for a kid in East Tennessee – singing in local fairs, fests and talent shows – eventually became her life’s work. “Music was always part of my life, but the moment that I realized music was what I was meant to do was when I saw how powerful music could be,” she explains. “My grandma had Alzheimer’s disease, and the very last thing to go away is music. So when she was in assisted living, on Sunday afternoons they’d bring people in to sing hymns for everyone. My grandma didn’t recognize us at all, but she knew every word to ‘Amazing Grace’ and ‘It Is Well with My Soul.’ I started to really understand how music lives on.”
Since that epiphany, Roberts has dedicated herself to the gift of music God gave her, and to the crafts of songwriting, singing and performing. “I am passionate about entertaining. I do love singing, and songwriting has become a means to an end for me. I write so that I can take those songs and perform them, not the other way around.” With that, the stage is set for Roberts to make her mark on country music.
Besides the music that Roberts listened to growing up, she was also influenced in a large part by all of the shows she saw. “Back then and even now, I try to be a sponge at every concert whether I’m on that tour or just in the crowd. Anytime I have the opportunity to see these pros get on stage, I soak it all up. And here’s what I’ve learned: you just have to be you.” The bottom line? Nobody else can be Emily Ann Roberts but her, which gives her the self-assured confidence rarely seen in a rising country artist. “I don’t have to try to be anybody but me. And that’s what connects with people. So I’m grateful for every tour I’ve been on, because I’ve learned so much from every one.”
When she’s not on stage, you’ll most likely find Roberts in a songwriting session somewhere in Nashville. Working with producer Trent Willmon (Cody Johnson, Kevin Fowler, Chancy Williams) means she has the chance to collaborate with some of Music City’s most prolific and sought-after songwriters. After seven years of honing her craft in Nashville, Roberts is quick to point out how much her music has evolved. “When I listen to these new songs, they sound more settled. I sound like I’m more sure of who I am. When I first got to town at 17, I didn’t know anything. People told me, ‘We love who you are but we’ve got to figure out a way to make you fit and make you sound like everyone else.’ That whole first year, I tried to do that, to sound like everyone else. But when I would play the songs that I’d written, I didn’t believe in them. It wasn’t until one day I woke up and thought, ‘What good does it do for me to chase something somebody else is doing?’”
So Roberts changed her M.O. and went with her gut instead. She started making music that was honest, that was in her heart and was running through her veins. And she says it’s people like Johnson and Lambert who have encouraged that authenticity inside her. “Cody has given me hope that there is a place for the music I want to make. He is a trailblazer for getting the true country sound back again. I am a firm believer that there are fans who want to hear country-sounding country music again,” she says of his impact on her. “And Miranda is someone I have really looked up to in so many ways for so many years. The first time I saw her in Knoxville, I remember thinking she was so real, just like me. And she always says just what she wants to say.”
And that’s where Roberts finds herself now: knowing exactly what she wants to say, and exactly how it should sound. It’s safe to say that country music is in good hands with newcomers like Roberts.
https://www.emilyannroberts.com/
