Blake Shelton Bringing ‘The Voice’ Alum on ‘Back to the Honky Tonk’ Tour

Blake Shelton has announced a string of new tour dates, and he’ll be bringing along an alum from his team on The Voice. When Shelton kicks off the next leg of his Back To The Honky Tonk Tour presented by Kubota, Emily Ann Roberts will be the opening act, followed by multi-platinum singer-songwriter Dustin Lynch as direct featured support for Shelton. Fans of The Voice will recall that Roberts was a member of Shelton’s team during Season 9 of the hit competition series, and came in as runner-up to winner Jordan Smith.

“Emily Ann was on season 9 of The Voice in 2015. We were both so young,” Shelton said of Roberts, quipping about how far they go back. “She has such a pure country voice and I’m so damn proud to have her on the Back To The Honky Tonk Tour next year. She’s a perfect fit!” Roberts added, “It feels like such a full circle moment to be able to open for Blake Shelton. He has been such a supporter of me through the years. I am so thankful for this opportunity and can’t wait for the tour to start!”

During her time on The Voice, Roberts stole viewers’ hearts with incredible renditions of songs like Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5,” as well as Parton’s duet with Kenny Rogers, “Islands in the Stream,” which she collaborated on with Shelton. Afterward, she eventually went on to release her first album, a gospel record, Bigger Than Me. In 2018, her country music career got a kickstart when she signed with Starstruck Records and began working on new music. In September of this year, Roberts released her debut country album, Can’t Hide Country. The project has received millions of streams since its release and has garnered widespread critical acclaim.

Notably, Roberts returned to The Voice in 2019 to perform the single “Someday Dream,” from her EP of the same name. Billboard reported that the performance was a hit with the crowd, ending in Roberts receiving a standing ovation from the audience. “Emily Ann totally killed it on the Voice stage last night,” Shelton said in a statement at the time, heaping praise on his former The Voice protégée. “I couldn’t be more proud of all the work she has put in and she continues to be an awesome vocalist.”