Alabama-born country star Ella Langley is using her record-setting 2026 breakout to open doors for other women in the genre, stacking her Dandelion Tour with female opening acts while crediting Miranda Lambert's mentorship for her own rise.
Langley swept all seven of her nominations at the 2026 ACM Awards, a new record for the most wins by an artist in a single year at the ceremony, and picked up two American Music Awards for best female country artist and best country song. Her single "Choosin' Texas" sat atop the Billboard Hot 100 for 15 weeks, a record for a non-holiday song by a woman. She released her sophomore album, "Dandelion," in April and extended her headlining Dandelion Tour through October, with stops at Red Rocks and two nights at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles still ahead.
In a Q&A interview with Variety published August 17, Langley laid out her approach to building a tour card, and the answer starts with picking artists she personally believes in, many of them women still building their own audiences.
Langley told Variety that choosing opening acts is a joint decision with her management team, driven by what makes sense for the fans and by her own taste. She named Kaitlin Butts, Gabriella Rose, and Laci Kaye Booth, all female artists, as performers she was already a fan of before booking them.
"My management team and I talk about the show and what makes sense for the fans and also artists I believe in and am a fan of in general. I am such a big fan of Kaitlin Butts, Gabriella Rose and Laci Kaye Booth, so it was a YES when we found out they were available and wanted to."
She also added Avery Anna and Madeline Edwards for a Hamilton tour date this month. The lineup is not exclusively female, Ernest, Kameron Marlowe, and Dylan Marlowe are also on the bill for select dates, but Langley made clear that the women on her card are not token bookings. She has written songs with several of her openers and called them friends.
In a genre where female artists have long fought for radio spins and festival slots, a headliner deliberately filling her undercard with women sends a practical message. Langley did not frame it as activism. She framed it as fandom and friendship, which, for conservative listeners who value merit over identity politics, may be the more persuasive case.
Langley said her relationship with Lambert started the old-fashioned way, she walked up to Lambert on a red carpet as a fan. That introduction grew into a mentorship Langley described in grateful terms.
"Miranda has given me more advice than I can possibly ask for. She's always reminded me to stay true to myself, keep the music at the center of everything, and trust that the rest will take care of itself."
That counsel, stay true, put the craft first, let the noise sort itself out, reads like common sense. But in an industry that pressures young artists to chase trends, take political stances, or reinvent themselves for social media, it amounts to countercultural advice. Lambert's own career stands as proof the formula works.
Asked who she would most like to work with, Langley gave three names: Stevie Nicks, Chris Stapleton, and Harry Styles. The first two fit neatly inside country and roots-rock tradition. Styles, a British pop star with no obvious Nashville connection, raised the more interesting question about where Langley sees her music heading.
She kept her cards close on that front. Asked whether she plans to push into other genres on her third album, Langley offered only a tease.
"You'll just have to see as we start writing for album 3."
Country fans who watched the genre's mainstream drift toward pop over the past decade may read that answer with some wariness. But Langley's track record so far, a 15-week number-one country single, an ACM sweep, a tour built around Nashville songwriters and up-and-coming country acts, suggests she is not abandoning the genre that made her.
Langley has also partnered with American Eagle on a denim capsule collection, a deal that grew out of a shoot she did with the brand in December. She spoke about the collaboration with the kind of unforced enthusiasm brands pay for but rarely get, singling out the company's Super Low-Rise Kick Bootcut Jeans as a favorite she wears on and off stage.
"I've been obsessed with American Eagle's Super Low-Rise Kick Bootcut Jeans ever since I wore them on set from our first shoot back in December. They're the kind of jeans I want to wear whether I'm headed to a show, grabbing dinner with friends or headed to an interview with Miranda and Reba!"
On tour essentials, Langley kept it simple: jean shorts, a linen dress, and accessories that let her dress pieces up or down. She described her off-stage look as "pretty laid back" but said she likes to play with details, a vintage belt, a statement necklace, a neck scarf. For her nighttime routine on the road, she relies on HiFinch skincare products. Her go-to lip combination is a Makeup For Ever Artist Color Pencil paired with a Juvia's Place lipstick.
And for keeping her bangs in place under stage lights? Eyelash glue. "One trick is eyelash glue to keep 'em in place!" she told Variety.
"Choosin' Texas" also earned a nomination for best country at the 2026 MTV VMAs, adding yet another line to a year that has already made Langley one of the most decorated artists in country music. The Dandelion Tour runs through October, with dates still being added.
In an era when the music industry rewards manufactured controversy and ideological posturing, Langley is building her career the way Lambert told her to, by putting the music first and trusting the rest to follow. So far, the rest has followed just fine.
