After 'The Voice,' Emily Ann Roberts Mastered the Long Game and Claimed Victory [Exclusive]

Emily Ann Roberts was the first to acknowledge that if it were solely her decision, she would have quickly released multiple new tracks right after coming in second place. The Voice in 2015.

Luckily, she received valuable guidance and was wise enough to follow it.

The season nine runner-up is experiencing something that very few show finalists get to enjoy, largely due to her patience. Tracks such as her latest drop "صندrites" reflect this rare opportunity. The Fence are of a caliber that a freshly minted reality show singing contestant is seldom able to achieve, particularly at just 16 years old.

With help from Blake Shelton Alongside his team, Roberts has evolved into a seasoned singer-songwriter, shedding the label of merely being a TV show contestant.

Related : 12 Things The Voice Wishes We Didn’t Know

· Emily Ann Roberts came in second place to Jordan Smith during Season 9. The Voice .

・A deluxe version of her Can’t Hide Country album was released in 2024.

• Popular tracks on Spotify feature "He Set Her Off," "Chickens," "A Whole Lot of Little" and "Easy Does It."

"It all began with this, but it also sort of haunts me," Roberts shares with Taste of Country about the show.

She doesn’t have to justify herself — you could count the instances on just one hand. The Voice Even fewer are the stars whose music has consistently topped country radio charts over time.

After the show concluded, Roberts started collaborating with Shelton’s manager, Narvel Blackstock, and his initial guidance was for Roberts to slow down and not rush things.

“She remembers, 'That was his initial comment: "You're only 16; you've got your entire life still ahead of you, so let’s take our time."'”

Blackstock and his crew (who still have Shelton as part of their group, since Roberts joined him on tour in 2025) set stringent standards for her and could be quite demanding at times. At 27, she expresses gratitude for this approach now.

The truth is, she didn’t have a great example to look up to otherwise. There was no auntie who used to have a record deal or father’s friend who played session guitar in Nashville. Add in youth and you get the ingredients for a career that typically finds every trap.

A quick route can lead to exhaustion rapidly.

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That could have tainted a vision that started so innocent. Although Roberts acknowledges she lacked the assurance to think she could pursue singing professionally until after appearing on the NBC reality series, she has always aspired to do so. As a child, her grandmother suffered from Alzheimer’s, and one of the final things she forgot was music.

“If we started singing … she would know every word and jump in and sing along with us,” the East Tennessee native says, with the same thick accent fans heard on TV. “And that changed my life.”

In 2025, the script has flipped. She’s the one the next generation of family is looking up to.

I have several nieces and nephews, and I've often overheard them saying things like, 'When I'm all grown-up, I want to become a songwriting artist just like my aunt Emily,'" Roberts shares, her voice tinged with emotion. "This means the world to me, as it allows me to tell them confidently, 'Absolutely, you can do that.'