Ella Langley knows exactly what she would tell her younger self. As the 26-year-old gets ready to release her sophomore album Dandelion on April 10, Langley says she would remind herself that hard work pays off.
“Keep working hard and doing everything I possibly can to make my dreams come true,” Langley tells People of the message she would give a younger version of herself. “Every show I’ve played, and every song I’ve written, has led me to this moment of releasing Dandelion, and it means the world to me to do what I love and tell my story.”
View this post on Instagram
How Ella Langley Unwinds Amid Her Busy Career
Few artists are as busy, or work as hard, as Langley. In addition to her soaring music career, the Alabama native just became the face of American Eagle, a clothing company. But when Langley is away from the spotlight, she has found the perfect way to unwind.
“There is no better feeling than washing off my makeup,” she reveals. “Then I put on a perfect playlist and have a moment to just slow down, light a candle, take a breath, and think about the day with my dogs at my side.”
The Story Behind Ella Langley’s History-Making No.1 Single, “Choosin’ Texas”
Langley just made country music history with “Choosin’ Texas.” From Dandelion, the song marks the first time a female artist topped the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Country Songs, and Country Airplay. Langley wrote the song with Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick, and Joybeth Taylor.
“We were on one of these things called a writer’s retreat, where you take a couple of your favorite people and you just sit down for however many days and write songs,” Langley remembers (via Country Rebel). “And hopefully some of them are good.”
It was a funny story that Lambert shared, which inspired the song that became “Choosin’ Texas.”
“She told me she had a pet kangaroo, and she was doing something,” Langley recalls. “She was driving down a dirt road, and the kangaroo was in the back seat, and the dog was in the front seat. There was a lot going on. Then she got pulled over with a kangaroo in the passenger seat. And I was like, ‘This story’s as good as I thought it would be.’ She said the lady cop pulled her over, and she’s like, ‘Of course I have Texas plates on the back of my car.’”
What Ella Langley Says About Writing With Miranda Lambert
Not only did Lambert co-write “Choosin’ Texas” with Langley, but she also co-produced Dandelion as well. Langley grew up idolizing Lambert, whom she now gets to work with for her own career.
“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.”
Photo Credit: CMA