East Tennessee native Emily Ann Roberts first shot to fame when she appeared on The Voice back in 2015, whilst she was still in high school.
She finished in second place and since then has gone on to gain critical acclaim for her soaring vocals, traditional country sound and honest, heartfelt songwriting with a dash of humour. In 2023 she released her latest album, ‘Can't Hide Country', and has been winning over fans around the world with over 20 million global streams, as well as playing the Grand Ole Opry 16 times so far!
Whilst I was in Nashville for CMA Fest recently, I sat down with Emily for a chat about her experience of the festival, touring with her The Voice coach Blake Shelton, the deluxe edition of ‘Can't Hide Country', her love of crochet, what the rest of the year holds for her and more.
How was your CMA Fest experience?
Oh, it's been so fun! I'm so excited to be here. You know, there were a lot of years that I was in town, dreaming of being a part of the CMA Fest, so I never take it for granted. I've been able to be a part of it the past couple of years and every time I get asked back it just means the world to me. So we played the Reverb Stage and I was really excited to get to do that, I've never played that stage before. I had my whole band with me, so it was a lot of fun!
Do you get time to see other artists whilst you're there? And if so was there anyone you were looking forward to seeing?
Well I did get to go to the stadium so I was really excited about that. I have not been able to do that the past couple of years, I've actually never gone to the stadium. So I was really excited to get to experience that for the first time this evening, and I was really excited to see everybody. The line up was just incredible. But so many of my friends were performing. I love Mae Estes, I love Zach Top, oh my gosh yes. There's so many incredible artists that are up and comers right now and I'm just so honoured to be coming up at the same time that they are! [laughs] I'm so inspired by their music and I got to sneak away and see some of my friends.
How do you find the experience of playing a festival compared to your own shows?
Oh, what a good question! You know, at my own shows, I feel like I'm with friends a little bit, because for the most part folks know what they're coming to see, who they're coming to see, they've heard the music. Whereas sometimes at festivals there's folks that have never heard of you before. And so I do get a little bit more nervous in situations like that, because I want to make a good impression, and I want folks to have a good time and enjoy the music. And so that's a big difference that I see in between those. But man, it's just so much fun. Every time I make it on stage I just try to soak it up like it could be the last time, because I love it so much. I'll never wanna take any of that time for granted.
You put out the deluxe edition of ‘Can't Hide Country' earlier this year – how's the response been?
Oh, it's been so good! It's been so good. So we released three new songs for the deluxe edition, and one of the songs ‘Workin' On Love' really struck a chord with folks – we played it at CMA Fest. And it's been so fun to see the reaction because that song was written from such a real place as being a newly married woman, and I actually wrote that song after a fuss that I had gotten in with my husband. We had been fussing and I'm so thankful, he won't let us go to sleep without talking things out. He never wants it to carry over to the next day. And I'm thankful because I'm not always like that [laughs]. I can definitely sit and chew on it for a while.
But I was talking to my co-writers about it and us just sitting there and talking things out, and how thankful I am that he's willing to talk things out with me, and they said, “you know, love takes work”. And it's something that if you want it to last, you've gotta work at it. And so that's how the whole song was born. And it's all the different things that you do of working to pay the bills and working to keep the car running and making supper and cleaning the house and doing all these things that are a part of love, but at the end of the day you know, “we're gonna work through the fight. We're gonna keep on working on this dream and working on this promise and never giving up on it”. And so it struck a lot of chords with a lot of folks, and I'm thankful that it di and they were able to relate to it in their own relationship.
Are there any songs you've been particularly enjoying playing live at the moment?
Yes. At the moment, probably one of my favourite songs to perform live would be my song ‘Chickens', off my album. It's kind of a funky love song, but a lot of folks know this if they have chickens or if they've been around chickens, but chickens go to bed when the sun goes down. You don't have to, like, put 'em away – even if they're free rangin' they'll get back and they'll go to bed with the sun. And so it's kind of a song about newly married couples do the same thing. It's really fun to play that live because it's just high energy, it's kind of like a honky-tonkin' soundin' song. The band loves it, and we just have a whole lot of fun with it.
I also wanted to ask about your songwriting as I know you co-wrote almost all the tracks on the album. Can you tell us a bit more about how you approach your writing?
Well, writing is somethin' for me, I feel like I'm still learning about every single day. I don't know if all writers feel that way but for me it's something that I can't really force, and any time in my life where I have tried to force it and been like, “I'm gonna just write every single day” I get to a place where I just wanna cry. Because I'm like, “I dont know what I wanna say any more”. It's hard to continually pour yourself into something, at least for me. It's hard to pour yourself into something day after day after day and not take time to refill the tank.
And so my process for writing really looks like going out and livin', and having conversations with friends and family, spending time with my husband, thinking about the things that really matter to me in my life. And then saying, “OK, if this stuff means something to me, surely it'll mean something to somebody else too”. And then taking those things and trying to put that into words. And then I cannot write without a melody. I do not enjoy poetry at all, it feels like school. And so I always come up with a melody first and then write my words to that.
Were there any songs on the album where you found writing them either particularly easy or particularly challenging?
That's a great question. A song that was… oh gosh, that's really difficult, because they all are so different. A song that was easier was probably ‘Back Home', which is a song on the deluxe. That one was easy because it just felt like the music that I was raised on. I didn't feel like I was trying to do anything except enjoy and embrace that style of bluegrassy rootsy music. And that one flowed really easily. I wrote that with Joe Clemmons and we had a great day writing that.
One that was more difficult, was probably ‘Devil Wears Denim'. That's a story song, and my producer Trent Willmon had that title, ‘the devil wears denim', but he didn't know what it meant. So me and Trent and Autumn McEntire sat down, we were saying, “OK, what does that mean?” And we crafted that whole story. And so that one was a little bit more difficult because we wanted to tell a story but we also wanted it to feel fresh, and like something new. And so we worked on that one for quite a while.
You also got to work with Ricky Skaggs and Vince Gill on the song ‘Still Searching' and then performed on the Grand Ole Opry with them recently – what were they like to work with?
Yes! Man, that is still just such a dream come true. And being able to have them on the record meant the world to me. But we didn't get to record our vocals at the same time, so I had never even met Vince. I knew Ricky and he put his vocal on and Vince put his vocal on and then I was able to sit back and listen to it. But it really felt real standing in front of them at the Grand Ole Opry, rehearsing that song for the first time live. I mean, that was crazy. That was a moment that I was like, “am I dreaming?” Like, how did this happen? How did I get here? I will never ever ever ever forget it.
And you know, the other day, if I'm just being honest I was kind of down in the dumps about everything – just about my career and this dream that I'm chasing and it can get discouraging sometimes. And my husband had me write down a list of the things that I've accomplished from last year to this year, and some big goals that I had that I've been able to check off. And at the top of my list I got to write ‘sing at the Opry with Vince and Ricky'. And immediately I was like, “OK Emily, count your blessings, not anything else”. God has been so good and I've been so blessed to pursue this career and have opportunities like that to sing with my heroes. So that is definitely a framer moment and it's a framer on my wall, that picture of me with Vince and Ricky. So I'm just honoured that that got to happen. It was so cool.
You also recently released the video for ‘Find Me A Man' – tell us a bit more about that…
Yes! So that video was so much fun. We got to record it at an Airbnb here in Nashville, and it was all decked out. it was just like over the top girly and colourful and that's what I wanted for the music video. When I wrote ‘Find Me A Man' I wanted to write it for my girlfriends that were going out on a date, and they knew what they were looking for in a man, and I wanted it to give them a confidence boost. I wanted them to feel confident when they heard it, and sing along. And so that's what I wanted to do with the music video.
So the music video is basically just like grown up dress up. Like I'm going through the closet and trying on different stuff and fixing my hair and fixing my makeup. I don't know if it's like this for everybody but for me growing up, my favourite way to get ready was to have music playing and singing along to some of my favourite songs whilst I'm doing my makeup or doing my hair or picking out my outfit. And so I just wanted to bring that into a music video. And so that's what we did.
One thing that really stands out with the album is the variety of it – like you've got sassy songs and love songs and more spiritual songs, and then obviously the mix of sounds as well. Is that something that's important to you with your music?
It is. You know, I am a little bit all over the place as a person [laughs] and it's hard for me to think about writing an album that's only one emotion. Or only one vibe. And a lot of people do that and it works great for them, and that's awesome. But that's just not me. So I do sing about all kinds of stuff. I tell people ‘Can't Hide Country' is like a smorgasbord. There's something for everybody. And I think it makes for a very interesting live show. For me, when I go to a concert, I wanna feel happy, I wanna be excited, I want those epic moments. But then also i wanna cry at the sad songs and I wanna laugh at the funny stuff. I wnna feel all of it. I don't wanna just feel one emotion. I want to go through that journey. And so I try to do that in my live show and I try to do that when I'm putting together a body of work.
You recently wrapped up a tour with Blake Shelton who was your coach when you were on The Voice. How was being out on the road with him?
It was a dream come true. I don't wanna sound cliché saying that but it really was a dream come true. I've been working towards having the opportunity to go out and support somebody out on the road for years now. I've been in Nashville for almost nine years. And so the fact that the first tour I ever got to go on was with Blake, was just better than I ever could have known to ask for or pray for. I learned so much from him on The Voice and I'll never forget what he left me with. The advice he left me with was, “Emily, don't ever try to be anybody but yourself”.
And when I got to Nashville there were all these different opinions and voices in my head of “you should sound more like this” or “this is what's working on the radio” or “this is what's marketable” and I tried to chase that. But I'm so thankful that I was able to finally get a hold of myself and say, “”OK, what did Blake tell you? What's your momma and daddy told you? What's at your core?” And that's that you've gotta be authentic and you've gotta share the music that's real to you. If you don't believe in it how's anybody else ever gonna believe in it?
So he has been so supportive through the years, and him lending out that helping hand to have me out on tour with him meant the world. And the crowds were so nice! It was just so much fun. The only negative was that it was only six weeks. I wish that it was longer. I'd still be doing it every weekend if it was still going on. So man, I will always hold that first tour so close to my heart, because I learned so much, and Blake is a literal all star entertainer and performer, vocalist. The way he interacts with his fans is so inspiring, and it was incredible to get to sit back and watch his show night after night.
I know you're very creative outside your music and so I wanted to ask you about your crocheting…
Yes!
What's your favourite thing that you've made?
Oh man, that's a hard question. I love to crochet. I've been doing it for a couple of years now and it's such a fun little creative outlet for me. You know, I got to crochet a dress this last year. I crocheted my dress and it's just a full dress of granny squares. I call it my dress of many colours, like Dolly's coat of many colours [laughs]. And so that's probably my favourite thing that I've ever crocheted. But I can only wear it in the wintertime because it's so heavy. It's like walking around in a blanket [laughs].
So I made this little kind of cape, this fringy cape, for CMA Fest because I thought that it would be more breathable, because it's very hot, it's Nashville in June [laughs] and so I need something that's a little bit more airy and light. And so this is what I came up with. I love it. If it turns out good and holds up while I'm on stage I think I'll make some more and start wearing 'em more to my shows.
Is there a song you wish you could have written?
‘The Fool' by Lee Ann Womack. I love that song so much. I love how it puts you right there in that moment, and the melody is one of the most beautiful melodies I've ever heard. I wish that I would have written it.
What's still on the bucket list for you in terms of people you'd want to work with, places you'd want to perform at and so on?
Man! I'd love to open up for Lainey Wilson. She is so inspiring to me. Yeah, I'd love to open up for Lainey. And I'd love to get to collaborate with some of the up-and-comers like me right now. Like I said I'm a huge fan of Zach Top, I'm a huge fan of Mae Estes. I am a huge fan of the Tigirlily Gold girls. So many of the girls that are in the CMT Next Women [of Country] class are so inspiring to me. HunterGirl's incredible. I mean, the list goes on and on. I'm sure I'm leaving people out. But yeah, I'm just inspired by this group of folks and I'm really hoping that I'll get to collaborate more with them, and get to do more with them. Because I'm proud of the music that we're all makin' right now.
What does the rest of the year look like for you? I know you're out on tour with Jamie Johnson – is there going to be more live shows, or are you working on any new music or anything like that?
Yeah, so I am going out on tour with Jamie Johnson and I am so excited for that. I actually got to meet him at the Ryman, we were both singing at the Randy Travis concert and so we got to meet. And that was wonderful, we got to talk about going out on the road together, so I'm really excited for that. And then I am writing like crazy right now and I am planning on having new music out by the fall. So I'm really excited.
You know, ‘Can't Hide Country' was something I worked on for so long and when it was done and the deluxe was out and I knew, like, “OK, it's done, it's time to think about something else” it was kind of intimidating at first. But now that I've started writing again I realise I just still have so much to say. My momma calls me talker talker Betty Crocker, so I don't know if I'll run out of stuff to say. But it's been fun to pour myself into writing again. We got a good mix coming up the next six months. We got live shows and then I'm writing and recording new stuff. So I'm really excited for what the future holds.
Is the new music going to be a similar sound to ‘Can't Hide Country', or is that still up in the air at this point?
Yes, it'll definitely be a similar sound to ‘Can't Hide Country'. It took me so long to finally get the guts to just make the music that I wanna make and so I'm not changing from it. If anything it'll just get countrier [laughs]. So I'm really excited and inspired to be able to go in and work on what's next.
And do you have any plans to come over to the UK at all?
Yes! Well, it is on my list. It is on the top of my list. On Spotify, my listeners, my top streaming city is London. Which is crazy! It's crazy crazy. I've never even been over there. So I want to get over to London so bad, and that is on the to-do list. We are going across the pond though. I get to play in Spain in August, so I'm excited about that. That gets me a little bit closer over there. And then I'm going back to Norway for the second time in November. So we'll be at Yule Country in Eiken, Norway in November and I'm really, really excited to get to go back. Last year I went for the first time and folks were singing my songs back to me. I'm like, “how did you hear about me? I've never been over here!” But they said they found me on TikTok. So I'm really excited to get to go back.
I was going to say, you'll definitely need the blanket dress for Norway in November!
[laughs] Oh, it is cold! Oh my gosh, it's like a cold I've never experienced. When we got there the first time, kids were getting home from school and they were running across the street to go ice skating on a frozen lake. I was like, “OK, this is a whole ‘nother life!” Nothing like that's happening in East Tennessee where I'm from. But anyways, I'm excited to go back.
Emily Ann Roberts' album, ‘Can't Hide Country (Deluxe Edition)' is out now on Starstruck Records.
