Emily Ann Roberts isn’t holding back with her latest releases. Today, the powerhouse vocalist drops her brand new single “The Fence,” a bold and emotionally charged track that paints a vivid story that hit straight to the heart. The release follows the debut of the official music video for her striking tune, “Scratching Out A Living.”
Sitting down with Country Now, Roberts takes a deep dive into the two songs that, despite their contrasting energies, each carry a powerful message of female empowerment.
Penned by Roberts with Jessi Alexander and Paul Sikes, “The Fence” offers a tender portrayal of a woman who’s faced with the difficult decision of ending her relationship. While she describes him as being the “good man on the porch” who looks perfect on paper, there’s something telling her he’s not the one for her.
Of the intentions behind the song, Roberts shares, “This song takes you right into that place of kind of deciding, am I going to stick it out and see if this is right, or am I going to leave and move on? And it breaks my heart to sing it, but I hope that people can relate to it and it’ll take ’em back to those moments. That is probably my favorite thing about what I get to do is getting to transport people to those moments in their life, whether it be a happy moment, whether it be a sad moment, and it makes you think and it takes you back and it makes you feel something.”
As for “Scratching Out A Living,” the Knoxville, TN native takes on the role of a hard-working woman and calls attention to the unfiltered life of trying to balance a family and a career all while also making time for herself. This striking narrative comes alive in the music video full of stunning visuals that channel a ‘70s vibe with its bright colors and nostalgic imagery.
She will bring her music directly to fans throughout her sea of opening tour dates for Megan Moroney, Clint Black, and Cody Johnson in 2025.
Keep reading to learn more about Emily Ann Roberts’ latest releases, her upcoming project, stories from the road with Blake Shelton and more.
Talk About Your New Single, “The Fence,” and what you hope listeners take away from this story.
So I wrote ‘The Fence’ with Jessi Alexander and Paul Sikes, and it was actually Paul’s idea that he brought into the write that day. And it just absolutely broke my heart as soon as he said it. I have been there in my life where you’re in a relationship with somebody and on paper everything looks perfect, and you think to yourself, this man is going to make an incredible husband, but for whatever reason your heart’s just not in it. And I think that those breakups hurt the absolute worst. It’s easy to break up when you hate somebody. You never want to talk to ’em again. You never want to see ’em again. That’s pretty easy. But when you break up and you know that the other person is a great person and you don’t have anything against them and you wish ’em all the best, but they’re just not the one for you, I think those really, really hurt…I’m just honored that I get to make music that can hopefully make people feel something. And I really think they will when they hear this song.
This release follows “Scratching Out A Living.” Can you share the writing process behind this song?
So I wrote ‘Scratching Out a Living’ with Shane Minor. It was one of the first songs that I wrote after I finished my last album, Can’t Hide Country, and I almost didn’t show up to the write that day because I was so exhausted. We had been on the road, and I had just been burning the candle at both ends, and it was my first time writing with Shane and I thought, ah, maybe I need to reschedule because I just don’t feel like I’ve got anything left in the tank to give. But I showed up and I just said, this is where I’m at and this is what I’m going through. I said, ‘there’s all these songs about men working hard. There’s ‘Hardworkin’ Man’ and ‘Workin’ Man blues,’’ I said, ‘Dolly’s really the only one that’s given us a hardworking woman song.’ And I was like, ‘we need more hardworking women’s songs.’
So we were thinking of what would be a cool way to frame it and what would be a cool way to say it and my mama used to have this picture of a rooster in the kitchen growing up that said, ‘scratching out a living.’ I pitched it to Shane. I thought, ‘what do you think about this?’ And I immediately started singing that rapid fire melody and the words just fell out. And my favorite part about the song is how it literally takes you throughout a whole day of getting up, getting out the door, getting to work, dealing with that, getting home, getting food on the table, taking care of your husband and your kids, and everything else you got to worry about. And it’s very relatable to me. I hope it’s relatable to other folks too.
Did you have a hand in any of the ideas behind the visuals for the “Scratching Out A Living” music video?
Yes. So I worked with Leah Steiger on this video. She has produced probably the past four or five videos that we’ve done. And she is so wonderful because I can just send her a voice message or a video and say, ‘this is what I picture.’ And she brings it all together and brings it to life. And so I knew that I wanted to tell the story of the song and start at home and show that whole dynamic and rushing out the door and then show a hectic work scene. And it was so cool. We got to have Mac McAnally in the video and he played the boss, which is fitting because he is literally, he should be the boss of country music. He’s so incredible. So he produced the song and then he played the boss and the music video. I knew I wanted him. And then of course we got to show rushing home and getting back to the kids. And then it’s like this whirlwind of all that happening over and over again.
Where did the idea come from to incorporate the dreamy scenes of the woman in a more laid-back, relaxed setting?
Something that Leah brought into the mix that I thought was so cool, the chorus of this song talks about, ‘people say you ought to slow down, cut loose and have some fun.’ And she said, it’s so obvious this girl is dreaming of having some downtime. She is dreaming of a break. And so in the video she kind of goes into this dream sequence where she’s laying out on a lounge chair reading a magazine. Her husband brings her lemonade. And so Leah pitched that to me and I absolutely loved it. I think I’m such a workaholic. And so I was so focused on just showing the hustle and bustle of it all. But Leah was like, ‘no, we got to show what she’s dreaming of.’ And so she brought that into the mix and I was so inspired by that too. And we even brought in some of my crochet into those scenes, which is really fun. I love bringing in any yeehaw Mamaw stuff that I can squeeze into anything I try to do.
Do you crochet in real life too?
Oh yes. I love it. I make my own clothes and I make gifts for folks. I make blankets and hats, and I absolutely love it. It’s like a way for me to be creative when I need a break from music.
It seems like you really enjoy taking on those acting roles as well.
Oh my goodness. I love it. And I loved the ‘70s vibe that we did because it allows me to kind of separate myself a little bit and like you said, step into a new character. And that is so much fun for me growing up. I always dreamed of being on Disney Channel. I know that sounds crazy, but I think every girl my age looks back and they think, I could be Hannah Montana, and that’s what I wanted to do. And so for the longest time, that was my dream. And then when I got into music, my dream kind of shifted and music just absolutely stole my heart, and I started focusing in on that. But it’s so fun when I’m writing and I’m thinking of all the visual content that will support the songs that I’m getting to release because I get to see these things come to life in my little brain and then step into whatever story I’m telling in the song. And so I feel like it is kind of the best of both worlds, as Hannah would say, when I get to do a music video or any type of content shoot, I get to step into that kind of acting role a little bit. And I’d love to do more of that. I hope that an opportunity that comes up at some point in my career, I think that would be a lot of fun.
‘The Fence” and “Scratching Out A Living” both deliver powerful messages, but they’re also very different in tone. How do you approach switching gears like that, and what does that variety mean to you as an artist?
I always say my music is kind of like a sampler platter. I don’t stick to one message and write only about that. I live a very full life and I try and put myself in other people’s shoes and tell as many stories as I can tell. So yeah, it is a little bit like whiplash listening to ‘Scratching Out A Living’ and going into ‘The Fence,’ but that’s life. I mean, there’s got to be room for all of it.
Do you see these songs coming together as part of a future project?
Yes. I am working on my second project, and it has been really exciting to roll out some new music. With my first album, it was my introduction and when you are meeting somebody for the first time, you get to know ’em and get to know the basics about ’em. But then when you really start hanging out with them, that’s when you really get to know. It’s those second and third dates that the walls all come down and you really get to know people and you might learn more than you wanted to know. But that’s what I’m focusing on with this next record. I feel like there’s so much freedom at this point. I’ve already introduced myself and folks know who I am and what I’m about and what I stand for. And now with this second project, I just feel like I get to dig deeper and I’m really, really excited to get to share all this new music. And I can’t believe we’re already on the third single, but we have got so much more music coming this year and I really can’t wait for everybody to hear it.
You started out the year on the road with Blake Shelton. How was your time on the road with him? Do you have a favorite memory from those shows?
Well, Blake is incredible and he has been so awesome to learn from. And there are so many goofy fun memories…Blake is a big old jokester, and when we were playing in Atlanta, there was a big old storm coming through and they had to cut my set that night. And so I was so bummed because of course I love getting to get out there and sing, but I totally understood they had to keep everybody safe and get ’em out earlier. And after, I was backstage and he was headed to his dressing room and he looked at me down the hallway and he was like, ‘Emily Ann, that was your best set of the whole tour.’ And I was like, ‘thanks, thanks.’ But that’s the way he talks. He keeps you on your toes and he is such a jokester, but he’s so much fun and his crew is so incredible. And we had a ball.
What can fans expect from your upcoming headline shows?
We do have a bunch of headline shows coming up. We just announced a headline show in Newbury, South Carolina, so I’m really excited about that one. And just about a month ago, we announced another headline show in my hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee, and it sold out in 30 minutes. So we added a second date, and it sold out in the first day. And so we have two sold-out shows in November in my hometown, which I’m really excited for, but we’re playing all over this year, and so folks should absolutely check out my tour schedule and see if we’re headed to a city near them because we’re going to have a lot of fun and I don’t want ’em to miss out on it.
Are you going to do anything different for your hometown shows?
Oh, absolutely. I am going to pull out all the tricks for those hometown shows. I just want to make my friends and in East Tennessee proud and I want ’em to really feel like they got to experience something special those two nights because they have made me feel so special and so loved. And it just blows my mind that those are sold out and they sold out so quick. It’s like the stuff you dream about and you pray for, but then when it happens, it’s like, oh my gosh, okay, I’m living it. And that’s a wild feeling. So we’ll definitely do everything we can to make those shows extra special for those folks. And I already feel like I’ve won. I mean, it’s just crazy. And so I’m just excited.
Fans can keep up with Emily Ann Roberts on Instagram and TikTok.
The post Exclusive Q&A: Emily Ann Roberts Talks New Single, ‘The Fence,’ The Nostalgic Music Video, Touring & More appeared first on Country Now.
