Ella Langley was the night’s big winner at the 2026 ACM Awards, winning seven trophies, including Female Artist of the Year. Langley won in every category she was nominated in, an accomplishment she admits she still can’t quite comprehend.
“I keep wondering when this is going to feel like real life, and it is yet to have done that, ” Langley said backstage at the ACM Awards. “I’m just so grateful. I’m so grateful to be here, and I’m so grateful that I get to do what I love to do with the people that I love to do it with.”
For Langley, winning any award, let alone seven, is more than her biggest dream come true.
“I’ve wanted this my whole entire life,” Langley says. “My whole entire life. I’ve watched these award shows the whole time. And I’ve watched a lot of these people that love me and support me up here from back home, in my living room on the TV. And standing up on stage and looking out at those women that have continuously had my back, made me emotional,” she adds.
Ella Langley Wins Female Artist of the Year
Langley was visibly emotional as she accepted the ACM Award for Female Artist of the Year, beating out Kelsea Ballerini, Miranda Lambert, Megan Moroney, and Lainey Wilson, who were also nominated in the category.
“I’m trying to get to say something, and I can’t,” Langley said through tears. “Thank you, to women in this category, to the women in this life. This is a weird thing to do. And today, I was having a strange day. I don’t know what it is about awards, but I have strange days in the mornings here. And I walked right in Lainey’s room, and I just got emotional. She hugged me, wrapped me up, and started praying for me. And then all of a sudden, here comes Miranda Lambert, in her little pink hat. And I would not be standing up here without the encouragement of so many women. Kelsea Ballerini, thank you so much for loving on me.
“Thank you to my parents for believing in me, and my family for showing up and being weird as always, so it keeps me humble,” she added. “Thank you, Jesus, for letting me do this for a living. Thank you. Thank you to the ACMS. Lauren Alaina, I love you so much. Thank you to the women. I would not be standing up here without that, so thank you.”
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Ella Langley Talks Success of “Choosin’ Texas”
Langley’s other wins include Music Event of the Year, for her “Don’t Mind If I Do” single with Riley Green, plus both Single of the Year and Song of the Year for “Choosin’ Texas.” Langely wrote “Choosin’ Texas” with Lambert, Joybeth Taylor, and Luke Dick.
“If you’ve ever met me, you know that I am not at a loss for words very often,” Langley said after winning the ACM Award for Song of the Year. “And all I gotta say is thank you God for putting me in a room with these three people right here. Thank you to the fans. I don’t know why you latched onto this song, but thank you for doing it. Every day we talk about it.
“We have a little group message called ‘Choosin’, and we send stats in there all the time,” she continues. “None of us believe it when it comes through, and we’re just so grateful. Thank you for loving this song. Thank you for making it your own. Thank you for making it do things that I never would have even imagined to dream for, and I’ve been dreaming about this job for a long time.”