Alabama Native Ella Langley Is Some ‘Country Boy’s Dream Girl’ — but Not Quite Yet

“I have felt every one of these emotions — the good, the bad, the rowdy, the drinking — everything,” Langley says of her music

Ella Langley, country music’s newest truther, can’t seem to go on a date without asking a few questions first.

“Am I too much of a tomboy?” Langley asked aloud in an interview with PEOPLE. “Am I too independent? Should I let him carry my guitar? But then I realized the answer to all of those questions is ‘No.’ If he doesn’t want me for who I am, then he can go and kick the bucket.”

In fact, Langley has told a lot of guys to go and kick the bucket.

“My perfect date is to go to a dive bar, have a few beers, play pool and throw darts,” says the country/rock singer/songwriter whose music is gaining a lot of attention in the music industry. “For some reason, going on a super fancy first date makes me feel a lot less comfortable than just chilling out at a bar. And I think some guys don’t know how to approach someone like that.”

She laughs and adds, “I only learned that recently.”

“All my songs are written from a true place,” says Langley, who looks up to artists such as Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson and Chris Stapleton. “I have felt every one of these emotions — the good, the bad, the rowdy, the drinking — everything. Those are all real things and real stories in my life. And the coolest part about this past year with touring so much is people can relate to my honesty.”

It’s that honesty that Langley initially heard in the songs of artists such as Stevie Nicks in the mornings while getting ready for school back in her home of Hope Hull, Alabama. “My mom bought me every vinyl record of Stevie Nicks that you could possibly imagine,” Langley remembers.

Ella Langley. Caylee Robillard

 

remembers Langley, who was majoring in Forestry at Auburn University before deciding to drop out in favor of learning how to write songs in Music City. ‘I luckily got in with a great group of people during that time that I’m still writing with to this day. All they do is write and they love it, and they appreciate it, and it’s part of their life. Being surrounded by that made me grow so much as a writer and an artist.”

Adding to that growth is the plethora of opportunities to play amongst Nashville’s most talented at venues such as The Bluebird Café.

“There’s so much history in that building,” explains Langley, who initially cut her teeth in the country music industry by playing “four-hour cover gigs four days a week.: “There are so many people that I’ve grown up listening to that played their first writer’s rounds at that bar, and it was a similar feeling when we played the Ryman this past year. It was just one of those, ‘Is this really happening?’ moments.'”

Ella Langley. Caylee Robillard

And in case anyone is wondering, it’s also a time of life that Langley says she’d rather experience “single.”
“I’m taking a step back from [relationships] and I’m focusing on myself,” she says. “There’s a lot going on in my career right now, and I’m excited. I’m just taking some time to focus on that. I mean, if something happens, that’s great. But I’m definitely just minding my own business and playing with my dog, you know?”

And she has a lot of work to do in 2025.