Ella Langley Shows Boldness & Authenticity On Debut Album ‘Hungover’ [Interview]
Ella Langley. Photo: Caylee Robillard
Rising country star Ella Langley delivered her much-anticipated debut album on Friday (Aug. 2) via Columbia Records/SAWGOD. The 14-track effort titled Hungover proved to be a fantastic display of the young artist’s boldness and creative assuredness, featuring unique songs that show off Langley’s roots and vision.
Included on Hungover are the previously-released fan-favorites “Nicotine” and “Paint The Town Blue” as well as her and Riley Green‘s viral hit “You Look Like You Love Me.” It follows Langley’s debut EP, Excuse The Mess, which garnered the singer-songwriter early acclaim with tracks like “Country Boy’s Dream Girl,” “Could’ve Been Her” and the CMT Music Award-nominated “That’s Why We Fight” featuring Koe Wetzel.
Concurrently with her debut album, Langley is also turning heads with “Strangers,” her duet with Kameron Marlowe. The single recently earned 36 first-week adds during its impact week at country radio.
Prior to Hungover‘s release, she sat down with MusicRow to chat about the project. While she shared the backstories of some of the tunes, her skin was inked with a few more tattoos to mark the occasion.
“All my tattoos mark memories of certain things. I got a feather when my EP came out, and I got another one the first time I was published in the New York Times,” she shares as her tattoo artist begins prepping her skin for the new ink. To commemorate the release of her debut album, she’s chosen to get a small fractured heart on one arm and lyrics from “Broken In” on another.
It’s a good choice, as the tune is definitely a stand-out on the record. Written by Langley with Ian Christian and Jordan Fletcher, the song is about the value of going through trials, and is one of two acoustic tracks on the album.
“‘Broken In’ is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written,” Langley says. “I kept it acoustic because I couldn’t stop listening to the guitar/vocal from the write. I just love the acoustic tracks on the record. I’ll put acoustic tracks on every body work I ever put out.”
Langley’s assuredness has been critical to her success. After listening to the 25-year-old’s songs or hearing her talk about her vision, it’s clear that she sees boldly following her muse as the only way to be an artist, despite the risks of being too different.
On Hungover, Langley sings about love gained and love lost in a bar room, giving into the pull of an old flame, telling off a cheater, moving onto the next and more. There’s tunes about the demons we all face, the death of a loved one and even a mysterious story-song. Sonically, it’s country as cornbread. Her Alabama twang comes through strong, glittering with charm. Producer Will Bundy turns all the quintessential country knobs that complement Langley’s voice so well, but also leaves space for her to truly grab the listener with her lyrics.
“When I moved here, my goal was to write my tail off. That’s what I did,” she says. “This record was really written from ages 21 to 25. I was very precious with a lot of my songs, I wanted to make sure that I understood me as an artist before I tried to present myself to the world.
“My music is just raw and real,” she adds. “I write music that I want to listen to. I didn’t know my record was supposed to sound a certain way—it’s just real life.”
When asked how she has been able to stay true to herself in the industry, Langley recalls something she’s learned from a hero.
“Everyone’s journey is so different. There’s not a rule book, but I look up to people like Dolly Parton who has gotten every bit of what she’s ever wanted out of her career. It feels like it’s not for anyone other than herself. She obviously cares about her fans, but you can tell that she’s doing this because she’s always wanted to. Lainey Wilson is another one who has done that.”
Riley Green & Ella Langley. Photo: Caylee Robillard
Langley’s boldness has already begun to pay off. Along with Green, she is enjoying the success of “You Look Like You Love Me,” a witty song with recitation in the verses that harkens back to the good ole days in country music. The track has garnered over 80 million streams and more than a billion plays on TikTok.
“I wrote that song with Aaron Raitiere. He asked me how my love life was going and I said, ‘Aaron, I’m at the point where if they look like they love me, I get the hell out of there.’ He said, ‘That’s a great title, but what if we wrote it a nice way?’
“A year later in a different write, I was wanting to write a funny song that I could play when no one is listening at Live Oak, so we brought that song back up. It was written as a joke. We laughed the whole time we wrote it.”
After a work tape was made for “You Look Like You Love Me,” Langley’s team member Mya Hansen caught on to its charm and potential.
“Mya kept trying to get me to put it in the Dropbox link to send it to the label. I said, ‘Mya, that song is a joke. I’m drunk and I’m ready to leave?‘” Langley sings the line with a laugh. “She sent it in the Dropbox link for the album anyway and everyone freaked out. Everyone loved the shitty work tape with the giggling and ridiculousness.”
Langley asked Green to write a verse and sing on it with her when she decided to cut the song. She says the acceptance of “You Look Like You Love Me” spurred her onward towards staying true to herself. “Now more than ever I’m trying to create things that are different not just for the fans, but for me,” she says. “I’m just trying to do stuff that people haven’t heard.”
Another stand-out on Hungover is “Cowboy Friends.” Written by Langley with Joybeth Taylor, Lydia Vaughan and Austin Goodloe, the song sounds like a tear-in-your-beer farewell at the start, but it turns into a shuffling good time as Langley sings, “I wont have no trouble rounding up the next one when this ends. I’ve got me more than a few cowboy friends.”
“We were in the middle of writing another song and were screwing around and talking. I said, ‘Joybeth, you know I’ve got a few cowboy friends.’ We immediately paused and wrote the ‘Cowboy Friends’ chorus.”
On another interesting track, “Girl Who Drank Wine,” Langley tells the tale of a mysterious maiden who wanders in, steals a cowboy’s heart and disappears. She says she was inspired to write the tune while traveling through Wyoming on the Jon Pardi tour.
“I woke up one morning and opened the window of the sprinter van and a black stallion was [running alongside us]. It was the most majestic shit I’ve ever seen,” Langley quips. “I was done writing for the album but I started humming that little melody and the story just popped in my head. I have a very vivid imagination—I was homeschooled for six years.
“I love story songs,” she adds. “It’s something that country music has somewhat gotten away from, but it’s such a pinnacle in country music. I want to bring it back.”
“Better Be Tough” is another highlight on the album. Written with Bundy, Brett James and Erik Dylan, it gives the phrase, “if you’re going to be dumb, you better be tough,” another meaning.
“I’ve heard that phrase my whole life. One of the girls that works with us broke her foot and I said it to her. All of a sudden it clicked in my brain that [we could write it] about a guy cheating. If you’re going to be stupid enough to do that to me, [you better watch out],” Langley says. “Plus, I don’t have a crazy-girl song and I had to have one for the first record I’m putting out as a female country artist.”
When it comes to the title track, Langley says she thinks it embodies Hungover in full.
“It represents the songs that I have been writing for the past four or five years, this era of my life from 21 to 25. How many different ways can you be hungover?” she sums. “It shows the artist I want to be, raw and real. This is a safe place to enjoy the one ride we get in this life.”
With her album out in the world and two fresh tattoos, Langley is now bringing her new tunes on the road. She opens for Morgan Wallen this weekend at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium before hitting a few fairs and festivals to finish out the summer, and is certain to make plenty more fans in her wake.
- Music Industry Veteran Marty Gamblin Passes - October 10, 2024
- Peachtree Entertainment Expands Team - October 10, 2024
- Kane Brown Slates New Album, Tour For Early 2025 - October 10, 2024