Lake Wylie pastor tunes in to cheer for Emily Ann on ‘The Voice’

River Hills Community Church pastor watches “The Voice” each week cheering on her relative, Emily Ann Roberts.

Gayle Montgomery was happy to make it through another elimination round Dec. 1.

“Now it’s all up to America,” she said of Roberts’ quest on the reality singing program, which airs Monday and Tuesday nights on NBC.

Montgomery has family in Tennessee and Roberts, 17, is the pastor’s brother’s niece. Roberts is a top nine contestant this season on the show.

Montgomery said the past several months, from the show contacting Roberts for a regional tryout to cuts along the way, has been surreal. Including having Thanksgiving Day apart, when family on this side of the country logged on “about five times a day” to chat with contestants in Los Angeles.

“I was there the day she was born and we’ve spent our lives together,” Montgomery said.

Montgomery was scheduled to support her from the audience Dec. 7.

Country musician Blake Shelton, who coaches Roberts on the show, marveled on the Nov. 30 episode about the performer who has a No. 1 country song on iTunes. Shelton called Roberts “what we need” in country music, said he’s “never had a better collaborator” in his time as a judge and she is “so smart and knows who she is as an artist.”

Judge Pharrell Williams called her performance “fantastic” and “unbelievable,” and the singer “wise and talented and focused beyond (her) years.” Judge Adam Levine called her a “phenomenal singer,” her performance “amazing.” Shelton called the Nov. 30 performance her best of the season.

“The whole thing has just been a dream,” Montgomery said.

There are singers in the family, but most people “sing like normal people,” Montgomery said. The pastor remembers Roberts picking up a guitar and teaching herself to play.

“That was literally it,” Montgomery said. “To her it was magic.”

Montgomery texts for updates with family members. Live shows in recent weeks have been difficult, but Montgomery is confident in the talent and exposure so far to watch even elimination episodes without worry. She says Roberts has too bright a future ahead of her regardless how the show ends.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen until everybody else does,” Montgomery said.

America’s gain could, at least momentarily, be Lake Wylie’s loss when it comes to the breakout singer. Montgomery had plans to bring Roberts to the church for a performance. Now that gig is on hold.

On the Nov. 30 episode, Roberts talked about what it would mean to advance into the top nine, which she did the following night.

“I would love to make it to the top nine and make Blake Shelton proud and make my family just proud of me, to make it one more week,” she said.

It took a night to make it one more week. As for family, Montgomery said, Roberts had that goal all along.

This story was originally published December 4, 2015 at 3:52 PM with the headline "Lake Wylie pastor tunes in to cheer for Emily Ann on ‘The Voice’."