KNOXVILLE, Tenn — On a recent trip home to Knoxville, Emily Ann Roberts stopped by West Lonsdale Baptist Church to visit old friends and mentors.
The East Tennessee native writes about the place where Jesus changed her life in a song called 'The Building' on her debut album.
"There's so much family history for me in this building," Roberts smiled. "My great-grandfather was the pastor here. My Nana was the church secretary here. My dad grew up here. My mom and daddy met here, and so my roots just run really deep here in this little church."
Roberts reflected on her journey from the pews of the century-old sanctuary to when she burst onto the stage of NBC's 'The Voice' in 2015.
And now a debut album, 'Can't Hide Country', where she collaborates with big names like Ricky Skaggs and Vince Gill.
"I just can't hardly believe that they're singing on my album," she smiled. "The song says, 'I'm still searching for answers, still searching for reasons to believe, still searching for ways to imagine that fail and still searching for someone who's searching for someone like me.' And that's how I felt in my career. I was searching for somebody who was looking for somebody like me."
Raised on Smoky Mountain music and bluegrass players, Roberts is on a mission to bring country back to country music but says she felt like giving up at times in an ever-changing industry.
"This dream that I'm chasing has felt kind of slow-going to me since 'The Voice', but now that I look back, I realized that I needed all that time to grow and to develop, and if I had given up back then it would have been such a shame because I'm able to now start to feel like I'm seeing the fruit," she said.
Roberts held two sellout performances this fall at the Bijou Theater in downtown Knoxville for her album release party.
In November, she attended her first CMA Awards, and on Thanksgiving weekend she performed at the Grand Ole Opry for the 18th time.
"It just doesn't feel real," she beamed.
One of her biggest gigs yet is just around the corner. This February she's hitting the road with mentor and country music superstar Blake Shelton.
The 17-date tour will lead the singers across the country from Texas to Canada.
"I kind of got my start working with Blake, and then now all these years later I get to do my first-ever arena tour with him, it's incredible, and it's such a full circle moment," she smiled.
In the meantime, she's enjoying married life with her high school sweetheart and home-making, streaming videos on her YouTube channel of hobbies like crocheting.
"I'm only 25, but I really feel like a 75-year-old on the inside. It's so true," she laughed.
But it's her passion for the music that keeps her grounded, and she carries home with her wherever she goes.
"I love getting on stage, I love being able to share my heart with folks and connect with them. That's what fills up my cup. That's what keeps me going," Roberts said. "I wouldn't be the woman I am today without East Tennessee."