An Arlington native who picked up the bass in fourth grade because nobody else in the band wanted to play it is coming home to a sold-out arena. Emma Lambiase, who grew up in Arlington and graduated from Lamar High School, will perform in the opening act at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth this weekend as part of singer Gabriella Rose's band, which will open for Ella Langley on her Dandelion Tour.
The concert, set for tomorrow night, is part of the massive national run behind Langley's record-setting single “Choosin' Texas,” which spent 17 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2026 — the fourth-longest run atop the chart in its history, according to Forbes. The song was co-written by Langley alongside Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick, and Joybeth Taylor, with Lambert also contributing background vocals, per Wikipedia. Langley's Fort Worth stop is one of 16 dates on the arena tour, which launched after the April 2026 release of her second studio album, *Dandelion*, according to Dickies Arena.
A Bass Career Two Decades in the Making
Lambiase has played bass for 20 years and has been singing and performing since she was nine years old, according to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. She decided to play bass after nobody in her fourth-grade band wanted to take it on, and her parents asked whether she was interested in studying music seriously during her senior year at Lamar High School. That question led her to audition for a university in Nashville, where she went on to graduate from Belmont University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Music in Commercial Music focused on electric bass, having earlier performed with her student band, Group Nap, at the school's 2017 Rock Showcase, per the Belmont Vision.
Her professional path in Nashville started fast. During her senior year at Belmont, in November 2017, Lambiase officially joined the indie pop group Pet Envy as its permanent bassist and backing vocalist, a move announced by the band on Facebook at the time. From there, the station's report notes she has performed everywhere from dive bars to arenas, and has toured across the country many times over.
From Amythyst Kiah to The Who's Arena Stages
Before joining Gabriella Rose's band, Lambiase toured as bassist for Grammy-nominated Americana artist Amythyst Kiah, a run that included opening for The Who on its 2022 “The Who Hits Back!” North American arena tour, according to the Santa Barbara Independent. Per NBC 5, she has also played or opened for Zach Bryan, Kesha, Cyndi Lauper, and Panic! at the Disco, and has filmed several television appearances along the way.
Now she plays with singer Gabriella Rose, who first broke through in late 2024 when her original track “Double Wide” topped 25 million views on TikTok, drawing a sponsorship from Fort Worth-favored bootmaker Lucchese, according to Raised Rowdy. Rose went on to gain national attention as the featured vocalist on Zach Bryan's “Madeline,” which reached No. 62 on the Billboard Hot 100, before releasing her 13-song debut album, *I Just Wanna Be Loved*, in May 2026.
Coming Home to a $540 Million Stage
For Lambiase, playing the Dallas-Fort Worth area carries extra weight because of her history and family in the region, she told NBC 5. Dickies Arena itself opened in November 2019 as a $540 million public-private project between the City of Fort Worth and private donors, and it can hold up to 14,000 spectators for arena-scale productions. Planners designed the arena's acoustics to rival premier classical venues like Fort Worth's Bass Performance Hall while still handling heavy touring sound rigs, per The Business Press.
Lambiase said she aims to recapture the enchantment and satisfaction of performance in every show or recording, and that being someone others want to be around matters just as much while touring. She said professional opportunities have often come through personal referrals, and she advised aspiring musicians to try playing even when they're afraid, noting that people generally want to see aspiring musicians succeed. Between tour dates, she also teaches young artists through private lessons.
Looking Ahead to October
Lambiase said she believes the presence of women on stage and in touring is changing for the better, adding that more women than ever are performing and touring today — even as she has faced sexism from people who underestimate or undercut her skills because of her gender. Her run with Langley isn't the only big date on her calendar: she is also set to perform with Langley and with Kacey Musgraves in October on selected dates of the Middle of Nowhere Tour.
Hoodline has tracked Langley's rapid ascent throughout the Dandelion Tour, from an Illinois State Fair grandstand set to a springtime Austin showcase alongside Alanis Morissette. Dickies Arena has also hosted other major national tours this year, including a run from Phoebe Bridgers, underscoring the venue's growing pull as a stop for the biggest acts in music. Saturday's sold-out show adds Fort Worth's own hometown talent to that list, with Lambiase anchoring the low end for an opening act built around a fast-rising Texas favorite.
