The C2C Sit Down with Emily Ann Roberts
They say the path to the grandest stage is paved with relentless practice, and Emily Ann Roberts embodies this mantra. From humble beginnings on small Knoxville stages to numerous performances at the Grand Ole Opry, Roberts has diligently earned her place in the spotlight. Her journey began as a standout and runner-up finisher on Blake Shelton's team on The Voice, a remarkable achievement even before graduating high school. Since then, Roberts has amassed a wealth of experience in performing, songwriting and recording. This dedication has translated into more than 107 million global streams, solidifying her status as a rising star in country music. With her brand new single ‘Whipped’ released the day before Valentines Day offering another taste of new music, Emily Ann will head to the UK, the Netherlands and Germany for the first time next month to perform at C2C: Country to Country in London, Belfast, Glasgow, Berlin and Rotterdam.
Thank you so much for taking the time to hang this morning. We’re really excited that you're finally coming over!
“Finally, I know that's the right word. I have been dreaming of this for so long.”
Let’s start with the killer one and why has it taken you so long, girl?
“Ha-ha, well, I guess it's pretty expensive and number two, I hadn't been invited yet, so this is the first time I've received the invitation and I'm thrilled. I have been dreaming of playing C2C for years because I know I have a lot of listeners over in y'all's neck of the woods, so I just have really dreamed of going and finally, this year was the year that I got the invitation.”
Thank you so much for taking the time to hang this morning. We’re really excited that you're finally coming over!
“Finally, I know that's the right word. I have been dreaming of this for so long.”
Let’s start with the killer one and why has it taken you so long, girl?
“Ha-ha, well, I guess it's pretty expensive and number two, I hadn't been invited yet, so this is the first time I've received the invitation and I'm thrilled. I have been dreaming of playing C2C for years because I know I have a lot of listeners over in y'all's neck of the woods, so I just have really dreamed of going and finally, this year was the year that I got the invitation.”
What’s really cool is that when the lineups first got announced, you got announced for Berlin initially and then everyone saw your name for the Spotlight Stage in London people were really excited to see names your yours, Ashland Craft and Elizabeth Nichols probably more than guys like Scotty, Russel D and even Keith because you ladies hadn’t been to see us before. Have you actually been over to Europe even as a tourist or is it going to be your first time getting a passport and all that jazz?
“Well, I have toured overseas three times in Norway, Spain and in Israel, so we've done a little bit, but I have never been to Berlin, London, Glasgow or to any of the places we're going for C2C. So, this is just my first time and it's actually funny, my tour manager called me last night was like, what things were you wanting to see? Where are you wanting to go? And I was like, I don't even know so I need to start researching and see what we're gonna see and experience because I know it's gonna be a lot of work, but hopefully there'll be some tourist time too and to get to experience some of these places I've never been to before.”
So, you're just going to go with the flow and follow feet and hopefully see some old buildings because that's the biggest difference you will see between Europe and America. You guys are like that building's thirty years old, we need to tear it down and rebuild it. Whereas we're like, this is three hundred years old, we have to protect it!
“Oh, that's amazing. I bet it's absolutely beautiful. You know, I grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee and we didn't travel much. The first time I ever went on an airplane was to audition for The Voice in 2015. I had never been anywhere but Tennessee and Florida, so thinking that I get to now travel to Europe to sing is absolutely wild. I've become more well-travelled, at least in the States, but to think that my music has taken me all over the world is wild.”
What have you heard about C2C that excites you so much about wanting to play it?
“Well, I have just heard the most incredible things about the fans over in Europe. I think that in America, this is what I've at least seen with singing in Norway a couple times that I've been able to play there, country music is so common here, I mean, you can go anywhere in Nashville and hear it and it's not that special in America anymore, at least to the fans. Whereas I have heard that the fans at C2C are just absolutely so thrilled and excited to have the music brought over to their home. That just makes the artists feel so appreciated and I just think that that's what I'm most excited about. I see the comments that are like come to London or come to Europe to tour and it's just neat to finally be able to bring it to those people.”
It must be so crazy, not just the fact that your music can travel the world, but people that don't even speak our language love what you do.
“Oh, it's absolutely wild. I'll never forget the first time I played in Norway and folks were singing my song ‘Chickens’ back to me and I literally said, how do you know me? This is not your main language, like you said, but they fell in love with the song and it just shows me over and over again that this big old world is actually pretty small. We're all more alike than we think we are, we may live totally different lives, we may speak different languages but music is something that brings us all together.”
The other thing a lot of people seem to like, particularly as you will find with Berlin, where you'll get to play a couple more shows during the day, it's not like when you play a festival at home, where you turn up, you sit backstage getting ready, play your set, maybe do a meet and greet but then you're off. Also just getting to spend time with your friends that are playing the festival as you are not passing like ships in the night for a change.
“You’re exactly right. You know, it's like Nashville comes to Europe, it’s like how I see CMA Fest here in Nashville every single year, all of the artists are in one place. It's neat that I'm not over there by myself, but you mentioned Elizabeth Nichols earlier, I absolutely love her. She is precious and I've never been on a bill with her before so I'm really excited that we get to be over there together and my friend Mae Estes is going to be over there too, I've got a bunch of friends who are part of this.”
“Well, I have toured overseas three times in Norway, Spain and in Israel, so we've done a little bit, but I have never been to Berlin, London, Glasgow or to any of the places we're going for C2C. So, this is just my first time and it's actually funny, my tour manager called me last night was like, what things were you wanting to see? Where are you wanting to go? And I was like, I don't even know so I need to start researching and see what we're gonna see and experience because I know it's gonna be a lot of work, but hopefully there'll be some tourist time too and to get to experience some of these places I've never been to before.”
So, you're just going to go with the flow and follow feet and hopefully see some old buildings because that's the biggest difference you will see between Europe and America. You guys are like that building's thirty years old, we need to tear it down and rebuild it. Whereas we're like, this is three hundred years old, we have to protect it!
“Oh, that's amazing. I bet it's absolutely beautiful. You know, I grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee and we didn't travel much. The first time I ever went on an airplane was to audition for The Voice in 2015. I had never been anywhere but Tennessee and Florida, so thinking that I get to now travel to Europe to sing is absolutely wild. I've become more well-travelled, at least in the States, but to think that my music has taken me all over the world is wild.”
What have you heard about C2C that excites you so much about wanting to play it?
“Well, I have just heard the most incredible things about the fans over in Europe. I think that in America, this is what I've at least seen with singing in Norway a couple times that I've been able to play there, country music is so common here, I mean, you can go anywhere in Nashville and hear it and it's not that special in America anymore, at least to the fans. Whereas I have heard that the fans at C2C are just absolutely so thrilled and excited to have the music brought over to their home. That just makes the artists feel so appreciated and I just think that that's what I'm most excited about. I see the comments that are like come to London or come to Europe to tour and it's just neat to finally be able to bring it to those people.”
It must be so crazy, not just the fact that your music can travel the world, but people that don't even speak our language love what you do.
“Oh, it's absolutely wild. I'll never forget the first time I played in Norway and folks were singing my song ‘Chickens’ back to me and I literally said, how do you know me? This is not your main language, like you said, but they fell in love with the song and it just shows me over and over again that this big old world is actually pretty small. We're all more alike than we think we are, we may live totally different lives, we may speak different languages but music is something that brings us all together.”
The other thing a lot of people seem to like, particularly as you will find with Berlin, where you'll get to play a couple more shows during the day, it's not like when you play a festival at home, where you turn up, you sit backstage getting ready, play your set, maybe do a meet and greet but then you're off. Also just getting to spend time with your friends that are playing the festival as you are not passing like ships in the night for a change.
“You’re exactly right. You know, it's like Nashville comes to Europe, it’s like how I see CMA Fest here in Nashville every single year, all of the artists are in one place. It's neat that I'm not over there by myself, but you mentioned Elizabeth Nichols earlier, I absolutely love her. She is precious and I've never been on a bill with her before so I'm really excited that we get to be over there together and my friend Mae Estes is going to be over there too, I've got a bunch of friends who are part of this.”
Coming on to things music wise, I want to start with 'Come Home to You' which you put out at the back end of last year but it was really soon after you put the EP out. Also, it's a song that you didn't write yourself. Why did you decide to put that out kind of on its own? Was it something that you'd only been sent after the EP came out or was it something that you really loved but wasn't quite a fit with the EP?
"Well, ‘Come Home to You' was actually recorded and finished before the EP was released but I am very particular about where songs live, what projects they live on and 'Come Home to You' is actually gonna be a part of my second album, that'll be coming out this year. I just felt like that song needed its own moment and its own time. I didn't write that song, but I know that that song connects with so many people. While marriage and relationships can be a wonderful thing, they can also be a really tough thing and I think that that song does a good job of showing that just because you're with somebody doesn't mean that you have the company with them, friendship and relationship with them, you can still feel completely alone, even if somebody's at home with you. I hate that that's the truth, but sometimes that's how love is. The first time I heard it, it just absolutely took my breath away that I knew that I wanted to give wings to it and to bring life to it, so I recorded it. It was really cool to see the reaction that I got from fans, because not only did people say this is exactly how I feel and thank you for singing this, it's good that I'm not alone, but they also commented stuff like, hmm, this makes me think would I want to come home to me? You know, am I the type of partner that I would want to be with? I didn't even think about it that way when I recorded it, but it's really true, kind of makes you think am I being a good partner to this person I'm in a relationship with? I thought that it was really cool that it made people kind of turn the lens onto themselves and reflect on the person that they were."
With that song and the ‘Memory Lane’ project which came out just before that, there's a lot of Brandon Hood all over it as he was the one helping you out and pushing all of the buttons. What's he like to work with and how did he come about being your producer for this phase of Emily Ann Roberts music?
“Brandon is incredible, he is so talented, he puts so much time and energy into making the songs the absolute best they can be and that's all an artist can ask for, to have somebody who's really putting their heart into the recording of these songs. Brandon and I actually started working together years and years ago before COVID, I guess. It's funny that's how we date things now, but it was probably 2018 or 2019 that Brandon and I started writing together, we talked about working together and it ended up not working out back then. When I recorded more music and we were looking for another producer after I finished my last record, we took a meeting with Brandon and we picked up right where we left off. It's interesting how there are seasons for different relationships in your life and it wasn't the right time for my first record, but it definitely was for this next one and it's been really fun to work with him.”
"Well, ‘Come Home to You' was actually recorded and finished before the EP was released but I am very particular about where songs live, what projects they live on and 'Come Home to You' is actually gonna be a part of my second album, that'll be coming out this year. I just felt like that song needed its own moment and its own time. I didn't write that song, but I know that that song connects with so many people. While marriage and relationships can be a wonderful thing, they can also be a really tough thing and I think that that song does a good job of showing that just because you're with somebody doesn't mean that you have the company with them, friendship and relationship with them, you can still feel completely alone, even if somebody's at home with you. I hate that that's the truth, but sometimes that's how love is. The first time I heard it, it just absolutely took my breath away that I knew that I wanted to give wings to it and to bring life to it, so I recorded it. It was really cool to see the reaction that I got from fans, because not only did people say this is exactly how I feel and thank you for singing this, it's good that I'm not alone, but they also commented stuff like, hmm, this makes me think would I want to come home to me? You know, am I the type of partner that I would want to be with? I didn't even think about it that way when I recorded it, but it's really true, kind of makes you think am I being a good partner to this person I'm in a relationship with? I thought that it was really cool that it made people kind of turn the lens onto themselves and reflect on the person that they were."
With that song and the ‘Memory Lane’ project which came out just before that, there's a lot of Brandon Hood all over it as he was the one helping you out and pushing all of the buttons. What's he like to work with and how did he come about being your producer for this phase of Emily Ann Roberts music?
“Brandon is incredible, he is so talented, he puts so much time and energy into making the songs the absolute best they can be and that's all an artist can ask for, to have somebody who's really putting their heart into the recording of these songs. Brandon and I actually started working together years and years ago before COVID, I guess. It's funny that's how we date things now, but it was probably 2018 or 2019 that Brandon and I started writing together, we talked about working together and it ended up not working out back then. When I recorded more music and we were looking for another producer after I finished my last record, we took a meeting with Brandon and we picked up right where we left off. It's interesting how there are seasons for different relationships in your life and it wasn't the right time for my first record, but it definitely was for this next one and it's been really fun to work with him.”
Talking about seasons in life, let's go back to season one and the way we all first came across you. Firstly, is it crazy to think that was over ten years ago now that everything started off, then looking back on it, what things do you think you learned through that whole process and if you could have known things before going on The Voice, would you have done things differently?
“Yes, it is wild that it's been ten years. In some ways, I feel like that was just yesterday and then in other ways, I feel like I've lived ten lifetimes in the past ten years. I have learned so much, grown so much and experienced so much, my life has been very full since I got off The Voice and I'm very grateful for that. I would say one of the biggest things I learned from the show is staying true to who I am, no matter what. That was something that Blake showed me on the show and told me to do, he always poured that into me, but I learned things about performing in stressful situations, live television, showing up and doing your best, even when you're nervous and when there's a lot of pressure on you so that's a huge thing that I learned. I learned about hair and makeup, I learned about wardrobe and I learned about interviews so it was kind of a crash course for stuff like that. I think one thing that I would have told myself that I didn't realise back then was that I needed to be patient. You know, when I was on that show, everything happened overnight, you sing a song on national television and the next day, it's number one on iTunes, everybody knows who you are, your followers are going up and I thought that's how the music business worked. Then when I got off the show and I came to Nashville, I realised, wow, this takes a long time to get anything done and to move the needle and that is one thing that I wasn't prepared for. The show did not prepare me for the ten years of work that would come afterwards to really build a real career in this business but I learned over the past ten years, I definitely figured that out, but that's one thing that I wish that I would have known.”
Did you almost feel at times coming off The Voice, you're labelled as somebody that's come from that background and initially like you said, when you're doing things on the show, your name is up in flashing lights and then all of a sudden you go to Nashville where you're not at the top of the food chain anymore. Did you ever feel there was a stigma attached which you needed to move away from and show that you're not just Emily Ann from The Voice, you're Emily Ann Roberts, an artist in your own right?
“Yes, absolutely. I think that a lot of folks who have been on these TV shows will feel that pressure to break away from it. I used to not want to talk about it at all, because I thought I know I want to stand on my own two feet but now, I'm proud that I was able to do that. I learned so much from it and it really helped me get my foot in the door in this business. It's not the tip of the iceberg, it's not the final moment in my career and it was just the beginning, so I think now, I don't mind talking about it as it's a part of my story.”
“Yes, it is wild that it's been ten years. In some ways, I feel like that was just yesterday and then in other ways, I feel like I've lived ten lifetimes in the past ten years. I have learned so much, grown so much and experienced so much, my life has been very full since I got off The Voice and I'm very grateful for that. I would say one of the biggest things I learned from the show is staying true to who I am, no matter what. That was something that Blake showed me on the show and told me to do, he always poured that into me, but I learned things about performing in stressful situations, live television, showing up and doing your best, even when you're nervous and when there's a lot of pressure on you so that's a huge thing that I learned. I learned about hair and makeup, I learned about wardrobe and I learned about interviews so it was kind of a crash course for stuff like that. I think one thing that I would have told myself that I didn't realise back then was that I needed to be patient. You know, when I was on that show, everything happened overnight, you sing a song on national television and the next day, it's number one on iTunes, everybody knows who you are, your followers are going up and I thought that's how the music business worked. Then when I got off the show and I came to Nashville, I realised, wow, this takes a long time to get anything done and to move the needle and that is one thing that I wasn't prepared for. The show did not prepare me for the ten years of work that would come afterwards to really build a real career in this business but I learned over the past ten years, I definitely figured that out, but that's one thing that I wish that I would have known.”
Did you almost feel at times coming off The Voice, you're labelled as somebody that's come from that background and initially like you said, when you're doing things on the show, your name is up in flashing lights and then all of a sudden you go to Nashville where you're not at the top of the food chain anymore. Did you ever feel there was a stigma attached which you needed to move away from and show that you're not just Emily Ann from The Voice, you're Emily Ann Roberts, an artist in your own right?
“Yes, absolutely. I think that a lot of folks who have been on these TV shows will feel that pressure to break away from it. I used to not want to talk about it at all, because I thought I know I want to stand on my own two feet but now, I'm proud that I was able to do that. I learned so much from it and it really helped me get my foot in the door in this business. It's not the tip of the iceberg, it's not the final moment in my career and it was just the beginning, so I think now, I don't mind talking about it as it's a part of my story.”
Then the newest chapter has taken you to RECORDS and Sony in Nashville. In terms of signing with those guys, what made you feel that was the right place and the right fit for you to what you wanted to do?
“You know, I waited a long time to sign a record deal. I was able to accomplish a lot independently and I'm very proud of that, but the truth is that there are people who are absolute professionals in the record business and that is what they do. They know how to market artists and market their music, they have the connections to get an artist on country radio, they have connections with streaming services to get on playlists and to help get your music as far as it can go. So, I think I realised that if I really wanted to take this to the next level, that I needed those pros in my corner and I wanted to partner with them to see how far we could take this thing. It was just an incredible fit with RECORDS and Sony, it hasn’t been the full year yet, it’s only been about six or seven months since I signed and it has just been incredible to get to work with this great team of people. They have helped me bust down so many doors and we're just getting started, which is so exciting.”
When you're playing over here, is it just going to be you or are you going to have some friends doing a little bit of acoustic type thing or have you got a band coming over with you this time?
“We're bringing a guitar player, my fiddle player and then I'll be playing guitar, so we'll have an acoustic trio and I'm so excited to have the fiddle over there. I learned when we sang in Norway, that the fiddle was not that common in Norway, they did not have fiddle players on every street corner so, I am proud to get to bring the fiddle over. My band are so excited, this is their first time playing in London, in Germany and all these incredible places too, so they're really excited.”
I cannot wait to see, can't wait to meet you in person, I'm really excited to get to see you play and I appreciate you for taking the time to hang out this morning.
"I appreciate you and I am excited to get over there. I can't wait"
C2C: Country to Country will take place in Berlin and Rotterdam over the weekend of on Friday 6th to Sunday 8th March where you can full more details about the German event on their WEBSITE or on INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOK.
The event then heads to the UK for the following weekend where London, Belfast and Glasgow will host the showpiece of the country music calendar which you can more details and ticket information on their WEBSITE and socials (FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM & TIKTOK)
The new track ‘Whipped’ from Emily Ann Roberts is out now and is available HERE. In addition to this trip to Europe for the festivals, Emily Ann already has her next trip to the UK planned as she will be joining Cody Johnson and Parker McCollum on tour for shows in October and November, which you can find full dates and ticket information on her WEBSITE. In the meantime you can up to date with all that she is up to by following her socially on INSTAGRAM X FACEBOOK & TIKTOK.
“You know, I waited a long time to sign a record deal. I was able to accomplish a lot independently and I'm very proud of that, but the truth is that there are people who are absolute professionals in the record business and that is what they do. They know how to market artists and market their music, they have the connections to get an artist on country radio, they have connections with streaming services to get on playlists and to help get your music as far as it can go. So, I think I realised that if I really wanted to take this to the next level, that I needed those pros in my corner and I wanted to partner with them to see how far we could take this thing. It was just an incredible fit with RECORDS and Sony, it hasn’t been the full year yet, it’s only been about six or seven months since I signed and it has just been incredible to get to work with this great team of people. They have helped me bust down so many doors and we're just getting started, which is so exciting.”
When you're playing over here, is it just going to be you or are you going to have some friends doing a little bit of acoustic type thing or have you got a band coming over with you this time?
“We're bringing a guitar player, my fiddle player and then I'll be playing guitar, so we'll have an acoustic trio and I'm so excited to have the fiddle over there. I learned when we sang in Norway, that the fiddle was not that common in Norway, they did not have fiddle players on every street corner so, I am proud to get to bring the fiddle over. My band are so excited, this is their first time playing in London, in Germany and all these incredible places too, so they're really excited.”
I cannot wait to see, can't wait to meet you in person, I'm really excited to get to see you play and I appreciate you for taking the time to hang out this morning.
"I appreciate you and I am excited to get over there. I can't wait"
C2C: Country to Country will take place in Berlin and Rotterdam over the weekend of on Friday 6th to Sunday 8th March where you can full more details about the German event on their WEBSITE or on INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOK.
The event then heads to the UK for the following weekend where London, Belfast and Glasgow will host the showpiece of the country music calendar which you can more details and ticket information on their WEBSITE and socials (FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM & TIKTOK)
The new track ‘Whipped’ from Emily Ann Roberts is out now and is available HERE. In addition to this trip to Europe for the festivals, Emily Ann already has her next trip to the UK planned as she will be joining Cody Johnson and Parker McCollum on tour for shows in October and November, which you can find full dates and ticket information on her WEBSITE. In the meantime you can up to date with all that she is up to by following her socially on INSTAGRAM X FACEBOOK & TIKTOK.
