A softer, more introspective side of Ella Langley. This week, she announced her highly anticipated sophomore album Dandelion, consisting of 18 songs, will be out on April 10th. Produced alongside Miranda and Ben West, and of course, the album already has a hit in the lead single, “Choosin’ Texas.”
Ella says she wanted it to feel like “the best kind of Sunday afternoon,” and the record really serves as a love letter to her childhood memories and that feeling of nostalgia and freedom:
“This record has so much growth in it. I’ve never poured more of myself into a project, into a song, into an idea, and it’s fallen out so beautifully. It’s about learning yourself, making mistakes, and realizing that it’s all just part of life.
I want this record to be something that fans can relate to, but also something they want to get up and dance to at the same time. To me, this record feels like fireflies in the summertime. It feels like windows down on a red dirt road. It feels like the best kind of Sunday afternoon.
It feels like those days I remember as a kid where it felt like there weren’t enough hours in the day. This record is really a love letter to that.”
Ella of course put out her debut album Hungover in the summer of 2024, which featured her smash hit, award-winning song with Riley Green “You Look Like You Love Me.”
And today, she title track is officially out everywhere, which Ella wrote with Joybeth Taylor, Austin Goodloe and Brett Tyler. It feels very breezy and calm, like a dandelion swaying in the wind on a slow, sunny summer afternoon. She embraces the fact that she might not be flashiest, most perfect flower in the field, but rather is “born to live free, riding on a breeze” like a real wildflower:
“Tried leavin’ where I come from, but I’m always gonna go back,
I tried sipping on the champagne, but it’s always gonna be Jack,
There’s things I can’t change, like how I was raised,
The Bible in my blood, and the ‘Bama in my veins,
Ain’t a pink bouquet in the flower store,
I’m okay if I’m a little more dandelion,
Born to live free, riding on a breeze,
On a summer night,
Tucked back in the weeds, guess that’s just me,
In a bed of red roses, I’m the one growing up on the wilder side,
So if you’re tired of thorns, I’m a little more, dandelion”
I imagine the lyrics come from a very personal place in terms of Ella embracing her individuality and unique style as an artist and person, and while some of her other music tends to have a much harsher edge and even rock feel, this feels much warmer and is a nice change of pace. In many ways, from the concept to the production, it reminded me of two Kacey Musgraves albums in Same Trailer, Different Park, which actually has a song called “Dandelion” too, as well as Golden Hour in terms of the mellow and vibey sound on this song.
I think this whole album sounds like we’re going to get to hear and learn about a different side of Ella, which is very much expected on a sophomore album like this now that she finds herself in a different stratosphere of star power in country music, and I’m really looking forward to hearing she’s been working on, especially considering how much I love the lead single “Choosin’ Texas “and how much Miranda Lambert is involved.
It remains to be seen if there are any features on this song, and the tracklist is yet-to-be-revealed, but she simply doesn’t miss. In fact, I think she’s poised to become the next superstar of country music much like Lainey Wilson is right now.
“Dandelion”
“Choosin’ Texas”
