Do not sleep on these talented women.
It’s no stretch to say that Ella Langley is not only the hottest country artist on the planet right now but also one of the hottest artists in all of music. Riding the momentum gained throughout 2024 and 2025, due to her smash hit with Riley Green, “you look like you love me,” Langley shattered any previously set career expectations upon the release of her all-genre #1 hit, “Choosin’ Texas.”
Thanks to the success of “Choosin’ Texas,” the buzz surrounding her sophomore album, Dandelion, which received a lot of critical and commercial love upon its release last Friday, and continued popularity nationwide highlighted by her American Eagle partnership, Langley is not only becoming a torchbearer for women in country music but also a force to be reckoned with in the music industry as a whole.
Though the likes of Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Lainey Wilson and more have experienced success in the genre in the past two decades, it should go without saying that women in country music have received the short end of the stick. Thanks to the unprecedented success of Langley and “Choosin’ Texas,” (along with other major stars like Wilson and Megan Moroney), it looks like the public has finally gotten exposed to just how talented all the bada** women in the genre truly are.
Of course, only time will tell how Langley’s success will affect her fellow female stars. With that being said, however, I thought there was no better time to highlight some of the best in the business right now. Without further ado, here are 10 of the most talented women in country music to listen to if you’re a fan of the “you look like you love me” singer.
1. Kaitlin Butts
Starting off the list strong is none other than one of Langley’s Dandelion Tour openers, Kaitlin Butts. Simply put, Butts is one of those artists who don’t really care about the conventions of the genre while still making undoubtedly country-sounding music.
This is best highlighted on her most recent album, 2024’s Roadrunner! Here, she’s playing with an almost musical-esque style highlighted by the use of the overture to kick off the record, the interlude, “Soliloquy: Out Of My Dreams,” that transitions beautifully from the bouncy “Wild Juanita’s Cactus Juice” to the melancholy “Come Rest Your Head (On My Pillow).” Additionally, with the inclusion of “People Will Say We’re In Love” from Oklahoma!, it’s clear that Butts wanted to craft a theatrical album experience on the record.
Outside of Roadrunner!, she has delivered some killer (no pun intended) tracks such as “White River,” a timeless murder ballad, as well as “Blood” and the ode to Johnny and June Carter, “Jackson.”
Key Tracks: “You Ain’t Gotta Die (To Be Dead To Me),” “White River,” “Elsa”
2. Sierra Ferrell
Despite sweeping all her categories at the 2025 Grammy Awards, taking home four trophies for the likes of Trail of Flowers, “American Dreaming” and “Lighthouse,” it still feels like Ferrell flies under the radar of many these days despite being one of the most talented women in the genre.
Thanks to her success at both the Grammys and the Americana Awards, the West Virginia native has become a torchbearer for Americana over the past few years. Beyond her incredible music output that flawlessly blends elements of country, folk, bluegrass, Americana and even jazz, her crossover into the mainstream has pushed both her and the genre into the public eye. Notably, she’s appeared on a plethora of different mainstream artists’ albums, including Zach Bryan’s 2023 self-titled album on “Holy Roller,” Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion on “Never Love You Again” and even on Shaboozey’s Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going on “Hail Mary.”
If you’re a fan of the more traditional tracks from Langley on Dandelion, check out Ferrell and expose yourself to the weird, wonderful world of her Americana stylings throughout her discography.
Key Tracks: “Lighthouse,” “In Dreams,” “Fox Hunt”
3. Mae Estes
Since her debut in 2019, Mae Estes has been consistently flying under the radar. With stellar tracks like “Thinkin Bout Cheatin,” “What I Shoulda Done” and “Gettin’ Back Up To Heaven,” it’s baffling to me that she hasn’t gotten more love in a time where women in the alt. country scene are finally getting the recognition they’ve deserved for so long.
Having songs that feel reminiscent of everyone from The Dixie Chicks to early Miranda Lambert, Estes isn’t a staunch traditionalist in the way leaders in the subgenre Zach Top and Jake Worthington are. With that being said, when she turns up the ’90s dial on tracks like “Mountain Of A Man,” she delivers every time. Like Ferrell, if you like Langley’s traditional tracks, listen to Estes.
Standout Tracks: “Mountain Of A Man,” “Thinkin Bout Cheatin,” “What I Shoulda Done”
4. Hailey Whitters
If you haven’t listened to Hailey Whitters yet, quite frankly, you’re doing something wrong. After breaking out in 2022 with her certified platinum earworm, “Everything She Ain’t,” the Iowa native has been on an absolute tear the past three years. Collecting features with everyone from Charles Wesley Godwin, Flatland Cavalry, Brett Cobb and Stephen Wilson Jr. to Trisha Yearwood, Little Big Town, Max McNown and Jordan Davis, Whitters has been one of the busiest women in music lately. And quite frankly, one of the most talented.
Her traditional stylings and killer songwriting have been showcased time and time again. With that being said, her recent release, Corn Queen, arguably displays this the best. If you’re looking to add more women and modern traditionalists to your playlist, I’d start there.
Standout Tracks: “Everything She Ain’t,” “Casseroles,” “Ten Year Town”
5. Willow Avalon
In case you’re somehow not familiar with Avalon, she has firmly placed herself atop the ranks of today’s new generation of female country acts. Sounding somewhere between Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn with a modern edge, the “Homewrecker” singer released her debut album, Southern Belle Raisin’ Hell, last January to incredibly high praise, recently being named as one of our top country albums of 2025 here at Whiskey Riff, coming in at #31.
Couple that with a live TV debut on The Late Show with Steven Colbert back in January, a surprise appearance with Zach Bryan on “I Remember Everything” at Stagecoach and the success of tracks such as “Tequila or Whiskey” and the Waylon Wyatt collaboration, “Smoke & Embers,” and you have an artist who’s primed for a breakout in 2026 with her sophomore album, Pink Pocket Pistol on the way June 26th.
Standout Tracks: “Tequila or Whiskey,” “The Actor,” “Baby Blue”
6. Kat Hasty
With so many female country singers finally getting the love they deserve after years of being all but forgotten by the industry, it still baffles me that Kat Hasty has flown under the radar of so many for so long. Simply put, there’s so much to love with her as an artist. Beyond her unique vocals, which truly don’t have a one-to-one comparison, her biting wit and ability to pen a wide variety of different tracks make her a wholly complete artist despite having a limited discography as of 2026.
Though her debut, 2021 EP, Drowning In Dreams, adheres closer to an acoustic, early Zach Bryan-esque style, Hasty turned heads last year with her debut album, The Time of Your Life. Similar to Langley, she has proven that she can deliver just about any song you can think of. From heartbreakers like “Where the Wildflowers Lay” and “The West Ain’t Wild Anymore” to fun, tongue-in-cheek tracks like “You Get Half” and “The Best We Can,” Hasty delivers each and every time.
Key Tracks: “Pretty Things,” “The West Ain’t Wild Anymore,” “Where the Wildflowers Lay”
7. Ashley McBryde
Despite being the most mainstream artist on this list, scoring a Grammy win for Best Country Duo/Group Performance (“Never Wanted to Be That Girl”) along with multiple ACM and CMA Award wins, McBryde has continually flown under the radar, broadly speaking, since her debut in 2016.
Like Langley, McBryde has consistently stayed true to her roots and style. Though the “One Night Standards” singer often leans more into a rock-inspired sound like her mentor Eric Church, there’s a lot to love throughout her discography. If you’re looking for another artist who’s stayed authentic throughout their career, look no further than McBryde.
Standout Tracks: “Bible and a .44,” “Martha Divine,” “Voodoo Doll”
8. Maggie Antone
In case you’re unfamiliar with the Virginian, she made waves in the independent scene in 2024 with her delightful debut album, Rhinestoned. Though she had already let her presence be known by dropping a stellar collection of covers, featuring the likes of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” Tyler Childers’ “Lady May” and John Prine’s “Spanish Pipe Dream” back in 2022, Rhinestoned was many listeners’ first impression of the Antone. And it’s safe to say she didn’t disappoint.
Ultimately, Rhinestoned showcased why so many independent fans (myself included) have simply fallen in love with the Richmond native. Beyond her incredibly unique vocals, which ultimately sound like a blend between someone like Miranda Lambert and Dolly Parton with a bit more of an edge to it, her songwriting prowess was put on full display.
If you like the wit that Langley has displayed throughout her music and interviews, Antone will undoubtedly be right up your alley.
Key Tracks: “Suburban Outlaw,” “Johnny Moonshine,” “I Don’t Wanna Hear About It”
9. Emily Ann Roberts
Fresh off her first-ever ACM nomination for New Female Artist of the Year, Emily Ann Roberts is aiming to join Langley as back-to-back winners of the award next month. Despite there being some questionable nominees, there’s no denying that Roberts’ nod was well-deserved.
If you’re not familiar with Emily Ann, she’s been one the most slept-on female artists in the genre since going viral with her bluegrass-inspired “Whole Lotta Little” in 2022, and she’s also showed off not only her songwriting prowess but her vocal talent with both her 2023 album Can’t Hide Country and her most recent project, Memory Lane.
If you’re looking for an artist who’s not afraid to highlight her faith in her music like Langley did on Dandelion’s standout, “Speaking Terms,” while still delivering stone-cold country tracks like “Whole Lotta Little” and “Jack & Jill Daniel’s,” look no further than Roberts.
Standout Tracks: “Easy Does It,” “Jack & Jill Daniel’s,” “Whole Lotta Little”
10. Noeline Hofmann
If you’re a fan of Zach Bryan, Noeline Hofmann is sure to ring a bell. In addition to appearing on 2024’s The Great American Bar Scene and teaming up with Bryan on “Purple Gas” (which Hofmann wrote independently), she also joined him for a plethora of high-profile shows in 2025, including his Golden Gate Park concert in San Francisco and his sold-out show in Dublin.
Though the Canadian singer/songwriter has a limited discography, with only an EP and covers of Guy Clark’s “Dublin Blues” and Luke Bell’s “The Bullfighter” as singles, the sky is truly the limit for Hofmann. In an era where songwriting is all the rage, she has already proven she has the ability to be one of the premier pens in the genre.
If you’re a fan of the duality of Langley’s songwriting — being equally vulnerable as she is strong — look no further than Hofmann and her masterfully written songs.
Standout Tracks: “The Way You Bring Me To Tears,” “Rodeo Junkies,” “One Hell of a Woman”
