Emily Ann Roberts
The Back Road Music Festival
Galva, IL
Saturday August 9th, 2025 at 4:30pm
With the hot sun shining down in Galva, fans entered the Back Road Festival grounds excited for a day of music. Even though a small burst of rain came out of nowhere, fans stayed near and held out, excited to see the first opener of the day, Emily Ann Roberts.
Roberts is a country music singer-songwriter from Knoxville, Tennessee. In 2015, she was a contestant on Season 9 of The Voice, where she took second place. After competing on The Voice, she finished school before focusing on her music career. She was later signed with Starstruck Entertainment and released her first single “Stuck on Me and You” in 2018 which charted in the top 40 on iTunes. In 2019, Roberts released her EP Someday Dream. Her debut album Can’t Hide Country was later released in 2023, and the deluxe album was released in 2024. Roberts was given the honor in 2024 to become the new voice of Trixie for reimagined Country Bear Musical Jamboree attraction at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. She has received the honor of performing on the Grand Ole Opry stage 20 times, where some of the greatest country music artists have performed. Her dedication to her music has translated to over 45 million streams, which has solidified her status as a rising star in country music.
Roberts set had some minor changes due to the weather conditions, including a shortened set from 1 hour and 15 minutes to 45 minutes, as well as performing acoustic. The weather didn’t knock them down, as she emerged onto the stage and kicked off the show with her song “He Set Her Off.” She followed with “Chickens” and then covered Dolly Parton’s song “9 to 5.” “Working on Love” and “Can’t Hide Country” were a few other songs Roberts sang off of her debut album.
She has always been influenced by many female country artists, including Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, and Martina McBride. Roberts wanted to honor many of these inspiring female country artists by covering their songs. She covered songs from many generations, including some of the more current artists. Moving farther down the stage, Roberts kicked off her medley with “You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man)” by Loretta Lynn, “Fancy” by Reba McEntire, “Goodbye Earl” by The Chicks, “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood, and “Gunpowder and Lead” by Miranda Lambert were just a few of the songs she performed in her medley.
Roberts then moved into performing one of her newest songs “Easy Does It”, which she wrote about her husband, Chris Sasser. She then shared with the crowd how her father has been one of her biggest supporters and introduced her to a variety of different country artists. She covered one of her father’s favorite songs, which is “Sixteen Tons” by Tennessee Ernie Ford. Before performing her next song, Roberts shared how this is one of her favorites and most meaningful song she has written. “The Building” was written about the church she grew up in and where Jesus saved her life. She closed out her set with her song “Whole Lotta Little” and had the crowd singing and dancing along with her.
As Roberts set came to a close, fans were eager to head over to her merchandise table to meet her. She spent time greeting every fan that came up, signing autographs, and taking pictures with everyone. She stayed out until she met with every fan that was in line, grateful for all of the love and support her fans have always shown her.
For more information on Emily Ann Roberts and The Back Road Music Festival, please visit:
Emily Ann Roberts- https://www.emilyannroberts.com
The Back Road Music Festival- https://www.thebackroadmusicfestival.com
Galva Township- https://www.galvail.gov
Additional Images:
Photography and writing by Jaclyn Duske