Who Is Ella Langley? Meet the Rising Country Star Making Billboard Hot 100 History

Ella Langley arrived in Nashville with a dream.

Born in Hope Hull, Ala., on May 3, 1999, the 27-year-old country singer-songwriter grew up in a family deeply rooted in music, later helping her cement her place in the industry.

During an appearance on The Bobby Bones Show, Langley shared her grandma enrolled her in piano lessons. She was eventually pulled out because the teacher said she was "too young" to learn — something she later described as one of her biggest regrets.

"My mom tells a story where my grandpa sits down at the piano and we're going to do 'Amazing Grace,' and my mom's trying to help me with the microphone and I'm 3 years old, and I'm like, 'I got it. I know how to do it,' and everyone in church is laughing," she told Billboard in 2024. "So this is what I've always wanted to do."

After her grandfather passed away when she was 13, she began playing guitar and realized she wanted to pursue a career in music.

Before she was a singer, Langley was a two-time state champion dancer.

"Spins. Been doing a lot of spinning around. I danced actually my whole life, all throughout high school," she told Taste of Country Nights. "Won two state championships doing that, so I'm always trying new stuff."

After finishing high school at Hooper Academy in Hope Hull, Ala., she pursued a degree in forestry at Auburn University while singing in bars.

However, she decided to drop out to move to Nashville and pursue music.

"I called mom and dad and I said, 'Hey, I think I want to drop out of school and move to Nashville,'" she said in a December 2024 interview with Country Now. "I mean, I'm going to go do this anyways. I would rather start it now.'"

The "Choosin' Texas" hitmaker moved to Nashville in 2019 — six months before COVID-19 hit.

"That was a blessing in disguise for me," she told GRAMMY.com of the pandemic. "I was playing shows still back in Alabama and all over the Southeast. That's how I was paying my bills. I was playing cover gigs — this only job I've ever had, minus a stint in high school with a trampoline park. But that didn't last too long."

Langley continued, "When I [first] moved, I was struggling figuring out how to write. But then COVID hit, and I couldn't do anything but write songs. I found some incredible people in that six months I had before [the pandemic], and that's all I did was write, write, write."

In an interview with Audacy, Langley confirmed she has struggled with depression and imposter syndrome.

"I think it's important to talk about it and to share that just because I might seem like on the top of the mountain right now, it doesn't look like that all the time," she continued. "Also, it's okay to be two things."

In a separate interview, she referred to her battle with mental health as the "disease" of her family, adding, "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."

Amid her mental health challenges, Miranda Lambert reportedly made her feel like she was okay.

"'You are more important than this job.' She made me care for myself," she shared on Country Countdown USA.

In addition to her mental health struggles, Langley underwent a series of surgeries as a kid.

"I had a bunch of eye surgeries when I was young, for the muscles in my eyes. Sometimes I'd be a little cross-eyed," she revealed. "They've gotta learn to work together and mine just never did… It's kind of brutal honestly. They had to take your eyeballs out."

She also had a tonsillectomy in 2019.

In 2022, the "you look like you love me" songstress landed her first major country tour when she joined Randy Houser as a guest artist.

When asked what was her favorite thing to do on tour was aside from performing, she told Hult Center, "Exploring the different cities that I have never been to and meeting all of the fans from all walks of life."

Langley also opened up about being on the road again after the pandemic, sharing, "It's great to be playing live shows and meeting all of the fans all over. I couldn't have asked for a better first tour. This is definitely one that I will reflect on and be thankful for through my entire artist career. Randy and his crew are top notch and incredibly talented. My band and I have had a lot of fun out on the road with him and building that relationship."

Years after her debut, Langley is reaching historic new heights on the charts.

On May 11, she became the first female country artist to secure the two top spots on Billboard Hot 100 with "Choosin' Texas" and "Be Her." Morgan Wallen previously achieved the feat with three top spots.