She’s come a long way from eating gas station taquitos at 2 AM, that’s for sure.
It’s hard to argue that there’s a bigger artist, not just in the genre but music as a whole, than Ella Langley in 2026. In case you haven’t been keeping up with her and “Choosin’ Texas’” success, it just spent its 21st week at #1 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. As it stands today, “Choosin’ Texas” is the longest-running #1 hit by a female artist this century, the only country song by a woman to triple up and go #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, Hot Country and Country Airplay charts simultaneously and has now tied Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” for the longest-running #1 EVER on the Hot 100.
In case that wasn’t enough, thanks to the success of her sophomore album, Dandelion, which debuted at #1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 and sold 169,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week, Langley became just the second woman in history to hold the #1 album and song in the U.S. simultaneously with a country song/album.
This past weekend, she headlined Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, in addition to playing shows in Oxford and Athens:
During her show in Jacksonville, Ella introduced her song “Butterfly Season,” which features her mentor, friend and producer Miranda Lambert on the studio cut, by talking about how far she’s come since her days riding around the country in a van, admitting she was drinking a lot of tequila and eating gas station taquitos every day:
“You know, I don’t drink as much tequila and I’m not eating gas station taquitos every day, you know, I feel like it’s a good change in my life.”
While it’s obviously been a good change and her career has been on an insane track, Ella acknowledged that it was that girl who sacrificed so much back then who made all of this possible now. She encouraged the crowd to be proud of old versions of themselves, because that’s who got them where they are today:
“But then I started to see that girl as, if it was not for her eating gas station taquito in a van at 2AM and busting her a** to get to where she is today, I wouldn’t be in front of a sold-out crowd tonight.
And so, I don’t want you to ever let anyone make you feel guilty for who you were, because that person took you to where you are right now. And you get to thank that person, thank you so much for getting me here. Thank you so much for being tough for me, thank you so much for being strong.”
Ella has been doing speeches like this throughout her tour, and beyond her music, I think it’s a big part of why so many people are connecting with her. She’s honest, she’s authentic, and she doesn’t hide the parts of herself that aren’t perfect or polished:
@savannah.northup “I don’t want you to ever let somebody make you feel guilty for who you were because that person took you to where you are right now.” 🦋 @Ella Langley #butterflyseason #ellalangley #dandeliontour #dandelion #inspirational ♬ original sound – Sav
“Butterfly Season”
Dandelion Tour Dates:
9/24/26 Knoxville, TN Food City Center (@, %)
9/25/26 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center (@, %)
9/26/26 Moline, IL Vibrant Arena (@, %)
10/7/26 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre (@, &)
10/9/26 Tulsa, OK BOK Center (@, %)
10/10/26 Lubbock, TX United Supermarkets Arena (@, %)
10/13/26 Los Angeles, CA The Greek Theatre (@, %)
10/14/26 Los Angeles, CA The Greek Theatre (@, %)
10/29/26 Des Moines, IA Casey’s Center (@, &)
10/30/26 Lincoln, NE Pinnacle Bank Arena (@, &)
10/31/26 Saint Paul, MN Grand Casino Arena (@, &)
Support Acts
# ERNEST
@ Kameron Marlowe
& Gabriella Rose
% Laci Kaye Booth
