Ella Langley has been nominated for eight CMA Awards in the last two years, taking home a total of five. The industry accolade is helping her believe that she belongs in country music, something she admits she has struggled with in the past.
“I’ve put out one record,” Langley says on SiriusXM’s The Highway. “And so, just to me, it just feels like this town and the people that are listening to the music are getting it. They’re connecting to it. It’s a dream come true. And it’s also a little pinch-me moment. But I definitely feel like, this is my third award show, I’m pretty sure, maybe fourth. And even just from the ACMs, I think I’ve kicked aside a little of that imposter syndrome. It’s still here, but I think these things, you just have to be grateful for where you’re at, and just enjoy it.”
What Ella Langley Has Said About Her Mental Health
After winning five ACM Awards in May, Langley admitted she was struggling with her mental health. At a time when she should have been elated, the Alabama native acknowledged she was having a really hard time.
“I won’t lie, this last week has been probably one of the toughest mental health weeks I’ve had in a long time,” Langley told Audacy shortly after her multiple wins. “Which is crazy because so many good things are happening, so many things I’ve prayed for, and dreamed about. It’s just a struggle. It’s just the disease of my family, really.”
Langley could have kept her struggles to herself. But instead, she decided to boldly share them, in hopes of helping others.
“I think it’s important to talk about it and to share that just because I might seem like I’m on the top of the mountain right now, it doesn’t look like that all the time,” Langley said at the time. “Also, it’s okay to be two things. I was just actually talking to Lainey [Wilson] and Miranda [Lambert] about this and my impostor syndrome, like ‘What do you mean? How can I be in the same category as you two? That doesn’t make sense to me.’ I think it’s just about being grateful.
“I think at the end of the day, just spinning it back on being grateful for what God’s given me and the place that I get to be in,” she added. “Hopefully, my honesty and realness, some little girl or little boy who wants to do this gets to see that. It is tough, but tough things are worth going through if you want them bad enough.”
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Ella Langley’s Four CMA Awards Wins
Langley’s four CMA Awards wins are all for her “You Look Like You Love Me” duet with Riley Green. Langley won Single of the Year, Song of the Year, and Music Video of the Year, both as an artist and the director.
Backstage after their wins, Green praised Langley for believing in “You Look Like You Love Me,” even when he was skeptical.
“Ella may have known it was a hit, but I sure didn’t,” Green remarked. “I thought talking verses was a little too traditional. I thought it was a cool thing. I thought the chorus was catchy. It stayed in your head. We played it on the road, and it became a thing. You couldn’t open your phone without hearing it. It became a radio hit. ‘Don’t Mind If I Do’ was kind of the same way. I had no idea it was going to be that. So I got to watch fans’ excitement when Ella would come out on stage, when we were on tour together, and we would do those songs.
“It doesn’t happen much, to have two artists to have two really big songs together, while they’re touring together,” he continued. “We got to do that for the better part of two years. So, definitely, fans have ownership in this, because they made those songs.”
Photo Credit: CMA / Robby Klein
@everythingnash @Riley Green is excited about his future in country music, after winning 3 #cmaawards with @Ella Langley. #cmaawards #countrymusic #rileygreen #ellalangley ♬ original sound – EverythingNash