EXCLUSIVE: Rising Country music star Emily Ann Roberts has revealed the ‘powerful’ advice her hero Dolly Parton gave her as a teen which has stuck with her and helped her throughout her career
Emily Ann Roberts is becoming a huge name in Country music after initially rising to fame on The Voice US as a teen. And she admits advice her hero Dolly Parton gave her on the show still sticks with her 11 years on.
The 28-year-old musician was runner up on the hit NBC show as a teen under the guidance of Blake Shelton. But, in such a cutthroat industry, she admitted she used her short time with icon Dolly on the show to get advice she has carried with her ever since.
Speaking exclusively to the Mirror ahead of her tour dates alongside Cody Johnson, the Tennessee native said: “I got to meet her when I was 16 and I was on The Voice. She came on to mentor us, and everybody, all the contestants were asking her questions and I was thinking, ‘What in the world can I ask Dolly Parton?’
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“I mean, this might be my only opportunity to talk with her, and it was. And so everybody was asking these smart questions about business and songwriting and strategy and all this stuff, and I was so homesick at the time.
“And so I said, ‘I’m from East Tennessee, and I know that it means so much to you and it means so much to me, too, and I’ve never been away from home this long. What do you do when you get homesick?'”
Emily Ann went on: “She told me that over the years, she had gotten so homesick, and there were so many times that she wished that she was back home in the Smoky Mountains. And she said the most helpful thing for her was to get out her guitar and sing the songs that she used to sing with her mom and daddy on the front porch.
“And she said before she knew it, if she closed her eyes, she could hear them singing along with her, and she could feel the mountain breeze on her skin, and she was back home in her heart. That was so powerful to hear that at such a young age, not knowing what was ahead for me with touring.”
Emily Ann admits the advice has rung true, especially this year as she has been on the road “way more than I’ve been home,” including her debut Country 2 Country Festival in the UK.
While she says she misses home so much, she said: “I’m so thankful that she reminds me that no matter where I am, I can go home in my heart, and I can think about the good times and those memories that I have that take me back to my roots and keep me grounded.
“I can always carry it with me no matter where I am. And Dolly, I only met her once, but I felt like she had my best interest in mind and giving me that advice as well.”
Emily Ann recently completed five days performing at Dolly’s iconic Dollywood as part of Harvest Festival. And at each show she received a standing ovation.
She told us of the occasion: “You know, I think that it’s very bittersweet going to Dollywood after Dolly’s passing, and I felt that in the air and at our shows. But we put together a 10-minute-long medley of Dolly Parton songs, and we played that for every crowd that came to see us over the five days.
“And there was not one show where we didn’t have a standing ovation. And I don’t take credit for any of it. I think that standing ovation was for Dolly… but I was honoured to get to continue to sing her songs and keep her memory alive.”
As well as returning to the UK as a support act for Cody this month, Emily Ann will once again entertain fans at C2C next March. She admits she is buzzing to come back, especially as she has “graduated from the Spotlight Stage to the Main Stage”. She gushed: “It feels so good!”
And she also released her latest album, Memory Lane, earlier this year, which features her viral track Jack & Jill Daniel’s. Despite her success on The Voice, she admits it took so long to share her first album – Can’t Hide Country in 2023 – with the world as she was working hard to get the right songs and sound.
Despite the grind, she is now fully on her way and going from strength to strength. She said: “I’m thankful for those years, as much as I wished back then that it would have moved a little quicker for me. I’m very thankful, because I got to learn so much.”
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