Visiting the archives of your 2025 ACM New Female Artist of the Year.
Over the weekend, Ella Langley was surprised on stage during her Rock the Country set with a video message from Miranda Lambert, containing some very important information: she had been named the Academy of Country Music’s 2025 New Female Artist of the Year.
“But I’m also here to tell you some news. You, my friend, have won New Female Artist of the Year for the ACM Awards this year. We are going to celebrate so big in Dallas, Texas, they ain’t even ready. So Rock the Country, y’all give it up for my friend and New Female Artist of the Year, Ella Langley.”
Ella Langley was so taken aback by the news that she could only croak out a:
“God Bless America.”
Which was beyond fitting for the Rock the Country crowd.
There is no denying that Ella Langley has become a powerhouse among female artists over the last year. From her breakout hit, “That’s Why We Fight,” featuring Koe Wetzel, to her CMA Award-winning single, “You Look Like You Love Me,” the Alabama native has captured fans’ hearts with her infectious twang and vulnerable lyrics.
But as we know, it’s rare for artists to come out with a hit off the bat, and it often takes years of grinding to get to that breakout point. Lainey Wilson is an excellent example of this, as she lived in a camper in her friend’s yard for years before making it in country music. Ella Langley also kept her nose to the grindstone before having her big break.
In light of her winning her first ACM Award, some of Langley’s early work is going viral on social media. In 2017, Langley released a single called “Clear the Clouds,” but she does not consider that her debut single.
The following year, in 2018, “Perfect” was released as her debut single.
A TikTok account called Countrymusic333 has been sharing clips of her early music, which are gaining popularity on social media as they showcase how much she has grown as an artist over the last eight years.
The clips not only show her musical evolution, learning how to use her vocal range to best fit her voice, but they also show her style evolution as she has really grown into her edgier side. But let’s face it… None of us knew who we were in our teenage years, so it’s not surprising that the 25-year-old went through a metamorphosis.
@countrymusic333 #ellalangley #countrymusic #acmawards #topnewfemalevocalist ♬ original sound – Country Music Entertainment
Sonically, I love how Langley has grown. The songwriting is much more profound, and the sound suits her better, allowing her to have the magnetic stage presence we see today. I can’t imagine her whipping her hair to “Clear the Clouds” or “Perfect” on stage. Fans were quick to comment on this video that the early days of her music weren’t good… but cut her a break, folks. Tiger Woods didn’t become one of the best golfers in the world overnight. For many artists, especially the good ones, it takes years of honing the craft.
Check out some of the comments left on the clips.
“Wow, I would never guess that was Ella Langley.”
“If you think this is crazy, you should see Post Malone from his starting-out days.”
“She’s mentioned taking vocal lessons to learn how to use her lower range. Take that, growing up, bringing back her natural eyebrows, and bangs, you have her now. It’s not that serious.”
“I’m glad she has had a musical evolution and found her sound.”
“God forbid a girl find herself as an artist.”
“Ella Langley and Ella Bangley are two entirely different people.”
“At least she kept grinding! This was cringe.”
“Her glow up is INSANE.”
“This is just proof that no artist starts out polished or on their A-game. It took time and effort to find her voice/sound/style, which is so normal and shows she’s award-worthy.”
“And she deserves to be awarded. She’s grown so much and is amazingly talented!”
“Ugh. We all have pasts.”
“She had the wildest glow up.”
Ella Langley is set to be a star in the country music industry for many years to come. And while she’s already secured one award already, she’s up for seven more awards at the 60th Annual ACM Awards, so I bet she will go home with a few on May 8th.
Fun fact: Whiskey Riff actually hosted Ella for a livestream way back in 2019… so not to brag or anything, but we’re OG fans.
