SAWGOD/Col./Triple Tigers’ Ella Langley is taking Country music and radio by storm. Her current single, “Weren’t For The Wind,” is currently number five on the Mediabase Country chart.
I caught up with Langley to talk about her music and her relationship with Country radio.
“My first song ever on the radio was ‘you look like you love me’. I mean, that song just took everything by storm. It’s kind of a crazy, crazy radio story for my first single.”
“And now, with ‘Weren’t For The Wind,’ I feel the same way. It hasn’t been that long. To see what it’s done in such a short period of time really shows that the music is connecting. It’s just really awesome to see.”
“I think radio is a little bit of a daunting and a scary thing to new artists. There’s a lot to learn, and a lot to figure out about how it works. To see the love that I’ve been shown from Country radio is just really, awesome.”
Artists in the Country format are known for being accessible to radio. Langley thinks that allows her fans to see her in a more human way.
“I just look at this career as this big ladder. With every step, there is a new thing you have to learn. This is just something that takes practice. But what’s cool is I get the opportunity, like today, for fans to hear me talk. Not on TikTok or on stage. In a normal way, and this more nonchalant way. They get to learn about me as a human being a little bit more, which is awesome.”
What was it like the first time Langley heard one of her songs on the radio?
“I was at rehearsal with my band. We all got in the truck, and we all got to hear it together. It was just an incredible experience. Those guys and I had played so many shows together, and we’ve worked so hard for this. We’d played so many shows where nobody knew who I was. Traveling in bands is crazy, so to get to experience that with them for the first time was really awesome.”
I asked Langley to go back to a very specific date, February 17, 2023, which was her first time stepping into the circle at the Grand Ole Opry.
“I’m very bad with dates and remembering certain things like that. But when you said February 17th. I knew exactly what you were talking about.”
“If I quit right now, I’d feel like I’ve done something with my career. Getting to play that and getting to be in an Opry Next Stage class. The love that the Opry has shown me is just crazy.”
“It’s such a special thing, and it’s hard to explain. If you’ve never been to the Grand Ole Opry, it’s hard to explain the history that you feel when you walk in there. We played the Ryman on my first tour with Randy Houser in 2022, and that was so special. But to get to the Grand Ole Opry, the circle, I don’t know how many people have placed their feet on that piece of wood. It’s incredible.”
“I don’t really get nervous at shows anymore. It’s not really a nerve thing. It’s more like jitters. Like you’re just kind of excited to get out there. In the past few years, I feel like I’ve only gotten that kind of nerves before walking out there and playing at the Grand Ole Opry. It’s just almost overwhelming. I had so many people from my hometown there.”
Was radio a part of Langley’s life growing up?
“When I was younger, I just listened to the radio. I could tell you the stations in Alabama. 98.9 is Country, 97.9 is the Jamz, 101.9 is Pop. I was sitting at my counter, and I was listening constantly. Then in the back of my dad’s car and the back of my mom’s car. They were playing completely opposite things. We were always singing something. We’re just a big musical family. Not everyone can play everything, but we all love it.
And as far as the breakout, “You look like you love me.”
“I wrote that originally with Aaron Raitiere here. Riley (Green) came in, and we asked him to do a second verse, and he wrote his. It’s a silly song, and we wrote it as a joke, and didn’t know what it was gonna do.”
“The fans, man, they fell in love with the song. They changed my life. And the people listening to it, just everywhere. Everybody’s been singing the song. It’s just wild to see. It feels bigger than me. I see so many videos of groups together singing it. Husbands and wives, or boyfriends and girlfriends, and it’s just really crazy.”
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Jeff Lynn serves as Editor of Barrett Media’s Music Radio coverage. Prior to joining Barrett Media, Jeff spent time programming in Milwaukee, Omaha, Cleveland, Des Moines, and Madison for multiple radio groups, including iHeartMedia, Townsquare Media, NRG Media, and Entercom (now Audacy). He also worked as a Country Format Editor for All Access until the outlet shut down in August 2023.
To get in touch with Jeff by email, reach him at Jeff@BarrettMedia.com.
