Ella Langley can’t wait for people to hear her sophomore album. The 26-year-old has had two hits, both “You Look Like You Love Me” and here current Top 10 hit with “Weren’t For the Wind” from her freshman Hungover album. The record earned her accolades, awards and more, but Langley says they are all just a precursor to what is coming next.
“It’s unlike anything I’ve put out, and it’s the most me I’ve ever felt on a record,” Langley tells Billboard. Langley doesn’t share a lot of details but she does say that the new project, likely out in early 2026, will feature a few surprise guests.
“There will be things this year with collaborations that will appease the fans,” she teases.
Langley is known for her gorgeous looks, both on a red carpet and on stage. Still, the recent five-time ACM Awards winner acknowledges that her music will show a different side of her that shows her country music influences.
“I’m a tomboy [who] grew up with brothers, but I love to do my makeup and get dressed up,” Langley reveals. “Jessi Colter was the outlaw of the outlaws. She didn’t put up with s–t, and I don’t either. I think the things they wrote about were very honest. That’s all I’m trying to do — write songs that mean something.”
Before moving to Nashville, Langley made her mark in her home state of Alabama. Although the industry has come far in its equity between male and female artists, it still has a long way to go, as Langley can attest.
“I was the only woman, really, in that scene,” Langley recounts. “I was living with two other artists who were getting gigs over me. I was like, ‘I play just as good as they do. My band’s just as good as theirs. Give me a chance.’ There were times I’d have to send a couple of extra emails, but once they let me in [the venues], they would want me back. It made me work harder. But I grew up with a lot of strong women, so I’ve never looked at myself as anything other than equal.”
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Langley just received Billboard‘s Rising Star Award, presented to her by her good friend, Lainey Wilson.
“As soon as I met her, I knew she was different,” Wilson says of Langley. “She had this spark and this go-getter attitude that I was drawn to, and the kind of attitude that it takes for anybody in this business to do it. Before I even heard her sing, I knew that she was pretty special. She’s the kind that just jumps in headfirst and gives it 190 percent. It don’t matter what it is. If that means her show, her songwriting, she’s in it, and I like people like that. There’s no doubt that she has already made her mark in this industry, and she ain’t going anywhere.
“She’s got the gut and the grits to be here as long as she wants to be, and she has become a dear friend … Any wisdom that has been passed on to me from the business, I tried to share it with Ella, and Ella seems like she’s all ears,” Wilson continues. “She wants to listen. She wants to know more and do more and be more, and that’s what makes her a superstar. I’m proud of Ella, not just for being the trailblazing artist that she is, but for the heart that she’s got to go with it.”
Find all of Langley’s music and upcoming shows at EllaLangley.com.
Photo Credit: CMA / Josh Brasted