Emily Scott Robinson, from Magnolia Queen to Traveling Mercies

As a child growing up in North Carolina, Emily Scott Robinson didn't necessarily envision herself as an Americana recording artist. One thing she knew is she wanted to help others. 

The Furman University alum graduated with degrees in Spanish and History. Emily spent time as a social worker - a noble calling indeed - before embarking on a musical journey that has taken her down roads unimagined. The journey continues. 

When she decided to switch gears and become a full-time artist, this singer-songwriter had a plethora of stories to tell. Now all she had to do was to get them down on paper and make records. For some, that's easier said than done. However, it doesn't appear to be the case with Emily's songs.

In 2016 Emily recorded Magnolia Queen, an eight-song compilation including the title track which describes a typical small-town housewife with the lines:

"I spent all that, time practicing my smile; because I had babies and went to work, we raised the kids up in the church. Sunday's I play and sing, Monday's are for Junior League. I wanted all those things...Magnolia Queen."

Another track, "Marriage Ain't the End of Being Lonely," discusses a challenged young lady who eventually married, working on being a good husband and wife.

"Well our demons didn't take to long to show up. Turns out when I drink I love to fight. And then you leave you the house and wouldn't tell me where you went to ease your sorrows late at night. And we fought for three whole days when I got pregnant. Where I disappeared to no one knew. When I came home I carried myself different. It was all the growing up I had to do."

Her current album, Traveling Mercies, sets the young Americana artist apart from many of her contemporaries. Rolling Stone magazine named her one of "10 New Country and Americana Artists You Need to Know" for 2019. Accolades from Billboard and American Songwriter also followed. 

Her emotional penning of "The Dress" that caught the attention of critics and fans alike.

At the age of 22, Emily was raped after being drugged at a bar by her date. The next few years brought forth an array of emotions ranging from guilt to anger to depression. She realized she was telling one story to her therapist, one to her parents, and another to the man she would eventually marry. "I needed to reconcile me and my story," Robinson told me in a phone interview during our podcast.

Emily has moved on. The painful memories transpose themselves into positive energy. She hopes they will help others struggling with life-issues. Yet there are so many more stories to tell and songs to write. 

"Westward Bound," "Better with Time," and White Hot Country Mess" tell the story of Emily Scott Robinson in detailed yet simplistic statements.

She and her husband have logged well over 250,000 miles, and both are eager to get back in their paid-for, used RV. The line in "White Hot Country Mess" explains some of the challenges a female singer encounters on the road in these few lines:

"You put men in charge of dressing rooms, there will be beer and whiskey, that's assumed, but not a single mirror to be found. It's just dirty bathrooms, dingy lights, dealing with the drunk sound guy; 'hey buddy, can you turn the readers (lights) down?'"

Penned during the coronavirus pandemic,  Emily asked fans to submit photos and videos of their stay-at-home lives to include in the official music video of "A Time for Flowers."

Emily talks about these topics and much more during our interview while spending time with family back in North Carolina. Like our previous episodes, you don't want to miss this conversation.