Tears of joy will flow, as well as the beer, at the Mt Kembla Village Hotel on Saturday as former Illawarra politician Colin Markham watches his eldest grandchild Emily Markham launch her first EP.

"He always cries when I sing, God bless him," says Emily Markham of her high profile grandfather.

Not that he knows what an EP is - really. Like most people over 35 he still calls it a CD - EP, for those not in the know, is an extended play. Half way between a single and an album.

There has always been a special bond between the pair. Emily's name is enshrined in Hansard as Colin stood proudly in the NSW State Parliament to announce to the world that he finally had a granddaughter. The long wait for a girl in the family, after having three sons, was finally over.

Then two days after Emily's birth, Colin and his wife Melissa appeared in a Mercury story cradling their new offspring.

Melissa warned Colin would need all his political skills to resist the charms of his new granddaughter as she grew.

"She will twiddle him [Colin] around her finger," she told the reporter in August 1994.

It was no fanciful prediction, the former electrical coalminer and stalwart of the Illawarra Labor Party fell head over heels with the bundle of sweetness.

Now 20, Emily is about to launch her career as a professional musician and country singer/songwriter.

Not that she could be called an overnight success. Emily began singing lessons at the age of seven and has won and placed in countless Eisteddfods and singing competitions over the years.

"She's worked hard for this. I've often said 'if you work hard you get results'," says Colin. "I've said that as well as 'stand up for what you believe in', I think that's also important."

Colin is one of Emily's biggest supporters, so too is Melissa and the entire Markham clan who are regulars at her gigs.

They will be there on Saturday as she debuts her EP - a project she's been working on since July. Emily has spent up to $15,000, all of her savings, to produce the five tracks and pay for the production and graphic artist. Her uncle designed the front cover under the instruction to add lots of colour, which is one of Emily's trademarks. So too are her bling-covered cowgirl boots that she purchases online from Nashville, Tennessee.

"I have eight pairs in different colours now," she says, showing off the boots. "I bought a few on a trip to America in 2010 and have bought more online from the same supplier since then. I love them. I always wear them at gigs. For me it's an identity thing. I want people to think 'Oh, there's that girl with the boots'."

In 2012 Emily took out the Brand New Star Competition on the Central Coast, winning a scholarship to the Senior Academy of Country Music. It was life changing. During the two-week crash course in 2013 she learned everything she needed to know about the music industry - including how to conduct business and writing songs.

"It was non-stop, but one of the best experiences I ever had," she says.

Encouraged by her new knowledge Emily decided to proceed with an EP titled after her single Come on Over.

Emily has written three of the five songs on the EP, one she co-wrote and the final song is an original version of Dolly Parton's classic country hit Jolene.

"It's been hard work but it's paid off," she said. "It's been such a fun journey. I've written about 50 songs in a few years, mostly about my life experiences or the things that have happened to my friends. I try to write as much as I can even if it's just a sentence."

Emily still lives in the Mt Kembla house she's lived in all her life with her parents and two sisters. She teaches singing lessons at Voiceworx and is studying primary education at the University of Wollongong.

"If a music career doesn't happen for me I would be happy to be a primary school teacher," she said.

Emily's love of country music began as a 12-year-old when she sang her first country song.

"I was really drawn to the storytelling within the song," she says. "I found it honest and open. So after that first song I began to develop my country technique."

Emily lists her idol as Australian country artist Amber Lawrence.

"I really admire her hard work and dedication she has to her music."

The country music scene is growing in Australia but she says Nashville is still the centre of the country music world.

"If I want to do really well and make a proper living from being a musician I will probably have to, at some point, move overseas. I'm looking forward to doing that but I don't know how my family will feel. But to be able to do music full time would be wonderful."

Her accolades this year include coming first overall at the Macarthur and Dapto Talent Quests and winning the Australian Country Talent Seekers competition in Parkes.

Emily has regular gigs, almost every weekend, at either the Mt Kembla Hotel, Figtree Bowling Club, North Gong Hotel, Jamberoo Hotel or the Illawarra Brewery.

Emily will perform at the Mount Kembla Hotel between 3-5pm on Saturday. The EP will be on sale for $15 or is available through iTunes or via her website.