Ella Langley has some thoughts for her online critics.
The chart-topping country star took a break between songs during a recent Columbus, Ohio, concert to address one of the dark sides of her rapid rise to fame. In a video shared on TikTok, the “Choosin’ Texas” hitmaker said that even growing up in a small town, she’s never experienced such intense commentary on every aspect of her persona.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had more opinions on myself in my life than I have in this last year,” she said. “The way I look, the way I speak, the way I dress, the way I move, the way I sing, the way I write. And at first, it bothered me. I won’t even lie.”
Langley said that initially she was wary of what exactly she’d signed up for, stepping into the public eye. She just wanted to do what she loves: make music.
“If this is what it’s going to be whole entire time, I mean … I don’t … know if I’m strong enough for this, Lord,” she told her audience.
The more Langley reflected on the scrutiny, the more she realized that “the girl that they’re kind of picking on is the girl that got me where I’m sitting today.”
“That’s the girl that rode in a 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 out and do it every single day,” she continued. “So I’m going to tell you right now, I was proud of that girl that everybody seems to be picking on all the time.”
Langley is wrapping up her 37-stop Dandelion Tour, which kicked off May 7 in Toledo, Ohio, and concludes Halloween night in St. Paul, Minn. Earlier this year, she made her Stage Coach debut, and it was announced this week that her megahit “Choosin’ Texas” has spent 24 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, surpassing Mariah Carey’s record for “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which held the top spot for 22 weeks.
The country star’s fifth Billboard Hot 100 entry first appeared on the chart in November 2025 — a few weeks after its release. The song became her first to climb the top 10 in January and hit No. 1 in February.
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