Introduction
Get ready for a week of unfiltered stories as Ella Langley joins Elaina Smith on Backstage Country from July 7th to 11th! If you’ve ever wondered about the real-life inspirations behind Langley’s incredibly relatable country anthems, this is your chance to hear it straight from the source.
Known for crafting songs that mirror the ups and downs of real relationships, Langley is one of country music’s most compelling new voices. This week, she’s spilling the beans on everything, including the unexpected journey of her recent single, “Weren’t for the Wind.”
Langley revealed that the song came to life in late 2023 (or maybe early 2024—”the last four years of my life, I’ve been [in] one long consecutive year,” she chuckled). The inspiration struck during a tour with Jon Pardi. She flew out acclaimed writers Joybeth Taylor and Johnny Clawson for a songwriting retreat, only for Pardi’s shows to be canceled due to illness. “Oh my god, we’re all the way out in Utah. What are we gonna do?” she recalled thinking. The solution? A spontaneous songwriting session on her first-ever tour bus, somewhere in Wyoming. “This was maybe the last song we wrote on the retreat,” she shared.
“Weren’t for the Wind” quickly became a fan favorite, often opening her shows. “It’s such a sick open show, the way that we do it, the way my band and I choreographed the song,” Langley exclaimed, describing the electrifying crowd reaction. “Fans were literally like, ‘Aaah!’”
Langley also dished on the viral success of her collaboration with Riley Green, “You Look Like You Love Me.” The initial spark came from a simple TikTok. “That was the first tease of the song,” she said, noting it quickly racked up millions of views. Despite initial nerves about releasing a song so distinct from anything else on country radio, Langley felt it was a risk worth taking, especially with Riley Green on board. Another solo TikTok teaser garnered an astounding 12 million views, and content from their performance at Red Rocks sealed the deal. “It just was like game over at that point,” she declared.
Don’t miss out on these exclusive behind-the-song stories! Tune into Backstage Country July 7th–11th. After all, every great song has an even better story, and Ella Langley is ready to share hers.