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. Since launching her career, Roberts has now played the coveted Opry stage 16 times. Before that, she made a name for herself on Blake Shelton’s team on The Voice before she’d even graduated from high school. In a way, being named as a runner-up was the biggest win of all. Because now, with all of that performing, songwriting and recording experience, Roberts has already racked up more than 19 million streams and was recently named one of Rolling Stone magazine’s Best Acts of CMA Fest. Growing up in East 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. Working with producer Trent Willmon means she’s collaborating with some of Nashville’s most prolific songwriters. So now, Roberts finds herself surrounded by people who are like-minded about making country music that will make its mark in the studio and on the stage. “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, it’s safe to say that country music is in good hands with Roberts.