Ella Langley credits devoted fans for rise after years chasing dream
Ella Langley speaks about her deep appreciation for supporters and how their connection transformed her path during an interview tied to the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards held March 26, 2026, in Los Angeles.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Ella Langley shared an inspiring message with her fans during her latest concert.
During one of her recent performances in Columbus, Ohio, the 27-year-old singer opened up about the amount of criticism she’s received since her breakthrough in the industry, saying, “I don’t think I’ve ever had more opinions on myself in my life than I have in this last year.”
“The way I look. The way I speak. The way I dress. The way I move. The way I sing. The way I write,” she explained per a TikTok video. “At first it bothered me. I won’t even lie. At first I was like, what am I going to do about this? I don’t know, if this is what I’m signing up to do, I don’t know about this.”
She went on to say that what she “signed up” for was to make music, but if this was going to continue for her entire career, she thought, “I don’t know if I’m strong enough for this, Lord.”
Langley shared how she is able to handle the criticism that comes with being in the public eye.(Jason Kempin/
ELLA LANGLEY TELLS FANS TO STOP MEASURING THEMSELVES AGAINST SOCIAL MEDIA IN VIRAL CONCERT VIDEO
While it bothered her at first, Langley explained she began imagining that the critiques were being aimed at her younger self who put in the hard work to get her to where she is today, which put into perspective how strong she actually has had to be.
“That’s the girl that rode in the 15-passenger van night after night after night. She rode in a Honda Accord night after night after night, chasing her dream, living on bar food, living on tip jar money. She didn’t have anything but a dream and the ability to get up and do it every single day. So I’m going to tell you right now, I am proud of that girl that everybody seems to be picking on a little bit,” she said.
The singer recently went viral when a video of her turning down a fan who asked her out on a date following her concert in Knoxville, Tennessee.
In the video, TikTok user Tiki is heard taking his chance to ask the singer out on a date, shouting through a fence in the parking lot, “Ella, how many likes to take you on a date?” She replied, “Not enough in the world,” as she frowned and looked away.
GET ENTERTAINMENT SCOOP DELIVERED RIGHT TO YOUR EMAIL BY CLICKING HERE
Langley received criticism recently for her reaction to a fan asking her on a date.(Rich Polk/Billboard
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Some fans in the comments section were not pleased with Langley’s reaction to the fan. “This rubbed me the wrong way. And I like her,” one fan wrote. Another asked, “Literally what is her problem?”
Another added, “She could have laughed and said no in a whole different way.”
Along with the online criticism comes career highs and record-breaking songs, as Langley’s hit song, “Choosin’ Texas,” has stayed at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 list for a historical 24 consecutive weeks.
The previous record was held by Mariah Carey for her hit, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which spent topped the list for 22 cumulative weeks between 2019 and 2026.
PUT YOUR ENTERTAINMENT KNOWLEDGE TO THE TEST AND SEE HOW YOU SCORE
Langley made history with her song “Choosin’ Texas.”(Ethan Miller/Reuters)
“I’m genuinely trying to find the words to help explain what’s going on in my brain today,” she said on Instagram last week. “What? I don’t know. Thank you so much. Thank you for loving this song, for listening to it. I feel like… I just don’t even know what to say at this point. I’m running out of hyperboles to describe how I feel, so I will just let my dog in the background show you his excitement,” she continued as her dog barked.
Adding: “Just thank you. Thank you so much. It’s changing my life. It’s changing the lives of the writers of this song. It’s changing the lives of my family, and it is truly growing an atmosphere for something I’m gonna be able to do the rest of my life and I just… today doesn’t feel like a real thing,” Langley said. “It feels fake and somebody’s going to come in and be like ‘haha we’re kidding the whole time just kidding.'”
“I’m really excited to just experience a moment like this in my life,” she said.
The country music star told her fans that she was going to celebrate tonight before ending with, “Choosin’ T… that’s the one huh?”
