Ella Langley is heading into the CMA Awards as a six-time nominee. Langley is tied with Megan Moroney and Lainey Wilson for the most nominations, followed by Zach Top with five nominations, and Riley Green and Cody Johnson, who have four each.

“I think it’s awesome that three women are the most nominated,” Langley tells the Country Music Association. “I feel blessed to be a part of that. It feels like people are connecting to the music in a way that I would hope.”

Langley will also perform during the live ceremony, singing her current single, “Choosin’ Texas.” It’s a song she wrote with Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick, and Joybeth Taylor, for her next album.

“I’ve got a year and a half of headlining shows under my belt,” Langley says. “I definitely feel a little more confident in the artist that I am, and my craft, and what we’ve been working so hard on. We’ve just been out there singing to these fans for so long, that getting to be on the CMA stage, it’s a step up, and it’s still a little nerve-racking, but it’s so exciting.”

Ella Langley’s Six CMA Awards Nominations

Langley is nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year and New Artist of the Year, plus Single of the Year, Song of the Year, and Music Video of the Year, all for “You Look Like You Love Me,” her collaboration with Green, and Musical Event of the Year, for “Don’t Mind If I Do,” also with Green.

Langley is thrilled with all of her nominations, especially Music Video of the Year, since she directed the Western-themed video alongside Wales Toney and John Park.

“It was so cool. I’ve always loved movies; I’ve always loved music videos,” Langley shares. “I remember being a kid, just waking up and every Sunday watching music videos. So I wanted something that the fans could really feel like it’s a story in a movie that way. Whenever I was writing the song, I just felt like it was a singalong. It was a honky tonk, and that’s what it came out to be. John Park helped me write the whole thing, and then we brought it to Wales, and he found the location, and it just came together perfectly.”

What Ella Langley Says About Miranda Lambert And Her Next Album

The writers on “Choosin’ Texas” wrote the song while on a writing retreat together. Langley hints that “Choosin’ Texas” may not be the only song that Lambert co-wrote for her forthcoming next project.

“I’ve looked up to Miranda Lambert for as long as I’ve known who she was,” Langley says. “And she’s somebody who I would just love to write a song with. So getting the chance to write ‘Choosin’ Texas’ with her, and a couple other songs off this record, it was just one of the coolest things. I mean, who gets to do something they dreamed about as a little kid. I was like, that little kid got to come out and experience it that day, so it was awesome.”

The 2025 CMA Awards will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, November 19, at 8:00 PM ET on ABC. The show will stream the next day on Hulu.

Photo Credit: CMA / Josh Brasted