Emily Ann Roberts has quickly become one of Nashville’s brightest rising stars, bringing together the storytelling traditions of classic country with the energy of a new generation. The Knoxville, Tennessee native first caught the public’s eye as the runner-up on Team Blake Shelton during The Voice, but her journey since has been defined by grit, growth, and a voice that feels both timeless and fresh. Her debut album, ‘Can’t Hide Country,' showcased her signature blend of traditional country and bluegrass influences, earning praise from Billboard, MusicRow, and People while helping her amass more than 78 million streams worldwide. Along the way, she has shared stages with legends like Blake Shelton, Cody Johnson, Jamey Johnson, and Clint Black, and built a reputation as a captivating live performer with a clear sense of identity.
Now Roberts is stepping confidently into her next chapter with the release of her new EP, ‘Memory Lane.' (Our review here) Across its songs, she captures the many shades of womanhood—heartbreak, resilience, self-discovery and celebration—delivered with her tuneful twang and vivid storytelling. From the haunting title track to witty story-songs like ‘Jack and Jill Daniels' and retro-styled standouts like ‘Pretty in Pink,' the project feels like both a love letter to the traditions she grew up on and a bold statement of where she’s headed. With ‘Memory Lane,' Roberts proves she isn’t just honouring country’s past—she’s helping define its future. We were thrilled to catch up with her to talk all about it.
Thank you for your time today, Emily Ann, we know how busy you must be in release week! You must be excited to have ‘Memory Lane' out on Friday?
Oh I am so thrilled! I can't wait to finally release this music. A lot of folks don't realise the amount of months, and sometimes years, of work that goes into getting a release out into the world.
Did you deliberately choose the day that Taylor Swift releases her next album as your own release day?
(laughing) Here's the deal. Nobody knows what's going on in the genius mind of Taylor Swift! We picked this date a long time ago and then she posted her project was coming out on the same day. We ain't competing with her, I can tell you that!
You've built your career on the foundations of hard work and traditional Country. What drew you to traditional Country when you were growing up?
I think it was just the music that my dad always had playing. I had my own taste but I fell in love with those sounds. It was Bluegrass music, traditional Country, old Gospel music and then stuff like the Eagles, James Taylor and Jackson Browne. Man, I loved that stuff and when I started playing guitar and writing my own songs and always came back to that sound.
Traditional Country is making quite a comeback right now, I think, but it wasn't making a comeback when I was in high school! (laughing) It was not cool back then I can tell you!
From small stages in Knoxville to a national platform on The Voice. What did you learn about yourself from your time on The Voice?
Wow. I guess I learned what I was capable of. Before The Voice I didn't dream that big and I knew that I knew that I wanted to sing and do music but I didn't know how to make that a career. When The Voice came along it showed me that it could be a reality and it showed me that I was capable of singing under stressful circumstances on live TV too! (laughing) It was a tool that equipped me for what was coming next – a launching pad for what was possible rather than being the end of a story.
Your debut album ‘Can't Hide Country' introduced you to the world as someone committed to authentic storytelling. How has your sound and writing evolved since that release?
It has definitely evolved – I have a song on ‘Memory Lane' called ‘Pretty in Pink' that sounds different to anything else I've ever done before. There have even been folks saying, ‘Oh, she's signed a record deal now and she's selling out.' I have been doing this for ten years on my own now, there ain't no-one that has made me change! If there is any new sound or style that you can hear it's because it was my idea!
‘Can't Hide Country' was a great way for me to put a flag in the ground and show, at my core who I am, that I am Country and that I want to make Country sounding records and sing about things that are real to my life and the other folks that live in the south. I'm always going to push the boundaries of what I can achieve, maybe lean into quirkier sounds sometimes and maybe even quirkier subject matters because they might be interesting to me.
When you meet somebody for the first time, you always put your best foot forward and maybe have a little bit of a guard up so that the person only gets to see what you want to show them, right? Maybe the second or third time you hang out with them, they get to see under the surface a little more and you let your guard down and that's how I have approached this second project – folks know who I am now and where I am from and now it's time to show them a little bit more of me in a creatively free way.
You touched upon the record deal with Sony. How are they going to take you forward and work for you in this next phase of your career?
For the first time in my career I have a huge team of people around me now. I've done it all by myself for the last 10 years and I've given it all I've got. I recently got to honour Pam Tillis at the Opry for her 25th anniversary as a member and when she introduced me on stage she said, ‘This young lady is the hardest working young woman in show business!' (laughing) Man, I wish that I could frame that quote!
I accomplished a lot independently but there is nothing like having a team of people whose job it is to get the music to the masses, market it correctly and take the songs to Country radio. That's the biggest thing I am excited about. They also have so many connections with folks and can introduce me to a wider set of people, writers and media within the industry too so it really just expands my reach and helps put the fuel on the fire that we already started.
‘Memory Lane' feels like something of a soft concept project to me. Each song focuses on a different aspect and facet of femininity and womanhood. Was that the vision you had for the project going into it?
I will say that I am leaning into girly stuff right now. Some of it is tough, some of it is super-girly. Woman are more than just one thing – we all have so many different layers that make up who we are. For so long in Nashville…… I felt like that girls in Pop music could be so girly but girls in Country music had to be one of the guys, that's how it felt to me. I'm a tender hearted person and I wanted to lean into that – so that's why there's songs about heartbreak, falling in love, defiance, working hard and keeping the train on the tracks.
More than anything, I love storytelling, which I hope comes through on this EP. The reason I named it ‘Memory Lane' was because when I think about where I draw inspiration from, whether I am writing from a personal experience, like I am in songs like ‘Scratching Out a Living,' or story songs like ‘Bus to Augusta' I draw from real feelings that I have had or have watched family or friends have and I have to lean back on past experiences or memories.
This EP is just the beginning. I have a full album in the works that will come out in 2026 and you will see how ‘Memory Lane' connects with what is next! I'm so excited to be able to share the whole concept but I just can't say any more than that just yet! It will make a lot sense when I get to share the full project next year.
As a happily married woman, where did the inspiration for ‘The Fence' come from and what did your husband, Chris, think about the song when he first heard it!
(laughing) Chris was, like, ‘This song is not about me, right?' (laughing) Man, ‘The Fence' did come from a real place though. When I first met Chris he was so perfect! The relationship was so easy and I trusted him so much but that happened in other, more toxic relationships that I had been in before. There were elements, however, of those relationships that seemed more exciting – I think when we are younger that thrill of the rollercoaster ride appeals more than what I sing about in ‘Easy Does It,' right? That ‘they love me, they love me not' thrill ride but Chris was so steady and constant, which made me think that something must be wrong!
I'm so thankful that the Lord opened up my eyes and showed me what love is supposed to be like. A rollercoaster ride is fun for a minute but it ain't fun for life!
‘Bus to Augusta' is a classic Country murder song. What sets is apart from something like ‘Goodbye Earl,' however, is that swampy, southern gothic feel although I can hear The Chicks in it as I can in a song like ‘Jack and Jill Daniels.' Were they a big influence on you growing up?
Oh my goodness, yes!b When I heard ‘Fly' for the first time, somewhere around the age of 10, I felt like I had never heard anything like that in my entire life! It was so unique, so different and it had a huge influence on me. Natalie Maines is one of my favourite singers of all time. I even studied her vocals – take a song like ‘Cold Day in July,' for example. There's a yodel-esque hitch in her voice (Emily Ann proceeds to sing the song across the zoom to me!) – I would sit and listen and mimic it in my bedroom for hours on end. She was my muse and I'm still so inspired by their music!
When The Chicks and Shania Twain come along no-one else had a sound like that. They weren't trying to be anything other than who they were. They just did their own thing which is really hard to achieve in a market where people want to know where you fit and to be able to categorise where your music sits and for you to stay in your lane.
Talking about being out of your lane – ‘Pretty in Pink,' as you mentioned earlier, is a slightly different feel for you. Retro-tinged, playful and so charming. I can see the makings of a great video for that song – have you filmed one for it yet?
I have not but I do have some ideas around it and I really hope we get to do that soon! That song was born out me feeling like I have to be one of the guys in Country music. I opened for Jamey Johnson and was wearing this cute little Barbie doll dress and I posted it on Instagram. I got all these comments back telling me that pink was my colour! I literally went into a co-write with Autumn Buysse and Paul Sikes and said that I wanted to write a song about the colour pink!
It feels like the radio single to me if Sony are thinking about taking something to radio…..
Well, I will tell them that you said so!
Speaking of videos, I really love the video to ‘Scratching Out A Living.' Did I see Mac McAnally making a cameo in that?
You did! He was my boss in that video which is so fitting because he should just be the boss of all music! (laughing) Mac is such a legend – he actually produced that track so I asked him to be in it, expecting him to be busy and he was willing to do it! I loved that video – my niece and nephew is in that video, my dog, my husband – they were all in that video!
I get the feeling you are a natural in front of the cameras. Do you enjoy that side of the industry and business?
I love the video side! When I'm writing and recording songs I'm always thinking about how we can bring them to life visually. It's a fun, creative outlet for me, even down to setting my phone up and getting down to doing things with fans on TikTok for Instagram, I love that side of things. It's an awesome way to get to connect with people.
And we've got you coming to Europe next March for the C2C shows in Germany and the Netherlands! That's exciting.
I am! I have been working towards that for so long, ever since I released ‘Whole Lotta Little.' That song really made an impact over in Europe. We are making it happen. My band is excited, my husband is excited and we're hoping to do some shows of our own whilst we are over there to make the most of the trip because we don't get to come over as often as we would like!
Check out Emily Ann Roberts' fabulous new EP ‘Memory Lane' which is out in all the usual places today and keep an eye out for in Europe next March!
