Introduction
The undeniable chemistry between Riley Green and Ella Langley on their chart-topping hit, “You Look Like You Love Me,” has fueled plenty of speculation among country music fans. The song, which recently soared to #1 on country radio – a significant milestone as Ella’s first chart-topper – has not only racked up impressive streaming numbers but also earned them a CMA for Musical Event of the Year. Their captivating live performances of the flirty track have only intensified the “are they or aren’t they?” whispers.
However, Riley Green is setting the record straight. In a recent appearance on Nick Viall’s “The Viall Files: Going Deeper” podcast, Green addressed the romantic rumors head-on and shed light on the unexpected origins of their smash duet.
Green revealed that “You Look Like You Love Me” wasn’t initially conceived as a duet. He first encountered the song through a promoter who also works with Langley. “I was touring in Alabama, and he would put her on some shows of mine. I liked her voice, she’s obviously from Alabama, very country which I liked,” Green explained.
The song was simply presented to him for his opinion. “He played the song for me, and it wasn’t really pitched to me like it needed to be a duet, he was just like, ‘What do you think about this?’ And I was like, ‘It’s cool, like there’s something cool about the girl picking up the guy or whatever.’”
The turning point came when Green realized the potential for a live collaboration. “The second verse was like more of the first verse, and I thought, well, Ella’s going on tour with me next year, maybe if the second verse was the guy’s perspective or something, we might have a song to play on tour. I had no idea it would be a hit at all. One day, I opened my phone and you couldn’t not hear it.”
Regarding the persistent romance rumors, Green emphasized that he and Langley are simply good friends. He understands why fans might hope for a country power couple, drawing parallels to legendary duos like Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, or even George Jones and Tammy Wynette.
With a chuckle, Green quipped that Ella is “probably too smart to date me anyway.” He shared his early conversation with Langley about the inevitable speculation: “When we first started having the success we did with that song, I kinda told Ella, I was like, ‘There’s gonna be a lot of things said, but I mean, you don’t really have to play into it or not play into it, its gonna be something people enjoy the same way we do when we go listen to those songs.’”
He concluded by expressing his enjoyment of their onstage dynamic: “It’s cool to have that one and have that moment onstage with her every night. The title track to my album is called ‘Don’t Mind If I Do,’ and that’s a really big song, so it’s cool to have that one with her and that’s a completely different type of song.”
So there you have it: while the stage chemistry is undeniable, Riley and Ella are keeping it professional. Fans will have plenty more opportunities to witness their acclaimed collaboration, as Ella Langley is set to join Riley Green on his extensive 2025 “Damn Country Music” tour, kicking off in March.
You can listen to the full podcast episode with Nick Viall below for all the details.
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