Emily Ann Roberts, a Knoxville native, on her rise to fame: ‘A lot of hard work paid off’

• The Knoxville native is selling out shows at the Bijou Theatre while also on Blake Shelton’s “Friends & Heroes” tour.
• Roberts is set to release “a lot of new music” in 2025, with a new album out sometime in 2026.
• The singer and her husband, Chris Sasser, are chasing their dreams and inspiring others to do the same.

Ten years ago, Knoxville’s Emily Ann Roberts was battling it out on the singing competition show “The Voice” with Blake Shelton as her coach. Now, she’s on tour with not only her superstar mentor but other country music legends, and selling out shows in her hometown.

“It feels like a lot of hard work paid off and a big dream come true,” the rising country singer told Knox News after her thrilling opening set in Knoxville for Shelton’s “Friends & Heroes” tour.

Roberts is set to headline two shows at the Bijou in November. A second show was added after tickets for the initial performance sold out within an hour.

This year will be a monumental one for the singer-songwriter, filled with new music, career highs and personal fulfillment.

Emily Ann Roberts connecting with fans and making new music

Fans eagerly awaiting new music from Roberts will get their wish this year. Her newest single “Easy Does It” was released in January, and another, “Scratching Out a Living,” comes out March 14.

And, yes, she’s in the studio working on a follow-up album to her 2023 debut, “Can’t Hide Country.” It just might come later than fans would like, though.

“I can promise they will get a lot of new music this year, and they will absolutely get a whole new album early, early, early in 2026,” she revealed to Knox News.

Roberts performs “Easy Does It” along with a handful of other songs on the “Heroes and Friends” tour, showcasing her powerful vocals and charming stage presence. But what truly stands out is her genuine connection with the audience.

“I always try to make the crowd feel just as important as myself and my band and everybody on stage because they are. Without them, it would be very boring and lonely,” she explained.

Shelton’s fans might not even know who Roberts is. So she treats the opening act slot as “an audition or a first date,” inviting the crowd to enjoy a great night of country music.

“When I leave (the stage), I feel like I’ve made some new friends and won some people over,” she said.

Learning from Blake Shelton and other legends

It’s a “huge blessing” for Roberts to be on the road with music legends Shelton, Trace Akins, Deanna Carter and Craig Morgan. She’s watching the masters at work and learning how to headline a tour and embrace being personable and vulnerable on stage, and the behind-the-scenes efforts it takes to pull a tour together.

“You can’t learn that type of stuff in a textbook. You can’t be coached through it. You have to go out and experience it,” she said. “(It’s) that stuff that you just can’t know until somebody gives you the opportunity to come alongside them.”

Roberts met Carter, known for her signature song “Strawberry Wine,” on the first night of the tour in Lexington, Kentucky.

“She immediately made me feel like a friend. A couple hours later, she had written me a handwritten note and given me a gift,” Roberts recalled. “It sure feels good when those folks take time to say, you know, ‘I was where you are right now, and I remember what it’s like.’”

Roberts’ favorite moment on stage at Food City Center show

The Knoxville performance Feb. 28 was only the second show of the “Friends & Heroes” tour. And it was Roberts’ first time performing at Food City Center, the same venue where a Brad Paisley concert sparked her desire to pursue country music.

“This has been a big old dream of mine, for so many years, to get to stand on this stage, and I pray that it won’t be my last,” Roberts told the hometown crowd during the show. “I’m so thankful for where I’m from. I’m so proud to be from Knoxville and I’m proud of all y’all here tonight.”

The singer reveled in the special moment with her family, who got to be onstage during her soundcheck. But her favorite moment of the night was being able to dance with Smokey, the University of Tennessee mascot, during her performance of “Rocky Top.”

“That was the first time in my career that I’ve been able to surprise the crowd. And it meant a lot to me to be able to do that in my hometown and have Smokey come out and get everybody excited for ‘Rocky Top,’ and for a night of great country music,” Roberts told Knox News.

Though it was a surprise for the audience, Smokey gave Roberts a shocking surprise, too – an unrehearsed marriage proposal, complete with a bended knee!

“I wanted to say, ‘Smokey, you should have done this in private. My husband’s watching. I don’t know what you’re thinking,’” the happily married Roberts laughed. “He caught me so off guard.”

Chasing the Sasser dream

Roberts married her high school sweetheart Chris Sasser in 2020. He put his dream of being a full-time content creator on hold to support his wife’s musical ambitions by being the one with a steady income – his father-in-law’s advice.

Now that Roberts’ career is on the rise, he’s been able to quit his 9-to-5 and focus on producing DIY content for the couple’s @SasserHouse YouTube, TikTok and Instagram channels as they remodel their first home. One of the latest projects was, of course, a new closet for his wife.

“I told him that I felt like Hannah Montana. It was absolutely gorgeous,” Roberts said. “It’s been really, really special since he has allowed me to chase my dreams all these years to now be able to step back and help him and watch him pursue his dreams,” she added.

That’s what the Sassers are all about: chasing dreams and inspiring others to do the same.

“I’m getting to show that big dreams can become reality,” Roberts explained to Knox News. “I didn’t really have anybody in my life that could show me that and made me believe that this is obtainable.”

That’s what she tells her audiences, too. “Whatever that dream is that you’ve been too afraid to take the first step toward, let me be the voice tonight that tells you that if I can do it, you can do it. Because you never know where the road might take you,” Roberts said during her Food City Center show.

Roberts will be back in Knoxville Nov. 7 and 8 for her headlining performances at the Bijou.

Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email devarrick.turner@knoxnews.com. On X, formerly known as Twitter @dturner1208. 

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