Did Emily Ann Roberts just deliver the best National Anthem the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) has ever seen? At least one fan thinks so. The country singer performed the anthem ahead of Round 9 of the Wrangler NFR in Las Vegas on Friday, December 12.
In her finest fur over a black-tie-affair gown, and lit by only a dim spotlight, Emily Ann belted a subtle, traditional version of the song that fans haven’t stopped gushing over since.
“That’s pure talent! And how that song was meant to be sang!” someone with the username @becky2220 wrote on Instagram after watching the video (below).
“This! This is the version of the National Anthem that I want to hear at every event. Classic, beautiful, effortless!” added @alissa_vansetten.
“It was flawless!! And you definitely have a cowgirl heart,” @kyliefrenchfrey said, while @h_m_poston went there, declaring Emily Ann the “best anthem singer the NFR has ever had.”
It truly was a classic rendition with no bells and whistles, but its simple beauty — especially in the silence of the rodeo arena — made the cowboys and cowgirls waiting to compete emotional.
Emily Ann was in her feels about it, too.
“I sang the National Anthem at the Super Bowl of rodeo,” she wrote in a post to social media after the big moment, adding, “and now I want to be a cowgirl.”
NFR really is the Super Bowl of rodeo, where the best of the best cowfolk compete in categories like barrel racing and bull-riding, hoping to be crowned champion of their field.
In a ‘Get Ready With Me’ social media video ahead of her appearance at the Thomas & Mack Center, Emily Ann gabbed about her trip to Vegas while she curled her hair. The importance of her role that day wasn’t lost on her.
“Just singing the anthem? You can’t say just singing the anthem, because if you mess it up, you’re toast,” she quipped.
The week-long NFR event wrapped on Dec. 13. Randy Travis made a surprise appearance, while Morgan Myles, Jeffrey Steele and Walker Montgomery did the honors of the anthem on other nights.
We first met Emily Ann when she competed for Team Blake on The Voice in 2015. She was runner-up to Jordan Smith’s first place win, and country music fans never forgot why they fell in love with her. Just this year, the 27-year-old singer signed a major label record deal with Sony Music Nashville, and a 7-song EP called Memory Lane followed in October.
