Ella Langley brought a unique country rock style to the CMA Fest stage this year with her ultimate fan favorite song, “Weren’t For The Wind.” Langley might’ve been singing about drifting with the wind, but there was no doubt she was firmly grounded in the spotlight. The 26-year-old Alabama native lit up Nissan Stadium with a powerhouse performance of her breakout single. It became a song that has catapulted her into country superstardom in record time.
Wearing a black leopard print dress and boots that could stomp through any country ground, Langley brought a magnetic presence to the festival’s biggest stage. The crowd roared as she delivered her windblown anthem with the same bold grit that’s fueled her meteoric rise. She was also backed up by her energetic band, which she made sure to shout out.
“Maybe I’d settle down, dig in some roots / Find me a farmhouse, find me a you / Maybe I wouldn’t be already gone again / If it weren’t for the wind,” she belted. Her voice cut through the Tennessee air like a freight train of feeling.
Langley, whose “Still Hungover (Deluxe)” album dropped earlier this year, says the moment felt surreal. “This being my first song to go number one, it’s crazy,” she said in a backstage interview before her performance. “You move to Nashville and everyone talks about getting a number one. You don’t really get how hard it is — until you live it.”
From Bars to Country Music’s Biggest Stage
Langley’s CMA Fest moment is just the latest milestone in a year full of them. Earlier this year, “Weren’t For The Wind” soared to the top of the country radio charts. It marked her first No. 1 single and officially stamped her as one of country’s rising queens of the outlaw-pop blend.
But her climb wasn’t exactly smooth. Langley has been open about her beginning, playing at dive bars across Alabama, often being the only woman on the bill and fighting to be heard. “I was living with two other artists who were getting gigs over me,” she told Billboard. “I was like, ‘My band’s just as good. Give me a chance.’” That work ethic definitely paid off, if you ask us.
Since then, she’s dropped hit after hit, toured with Riley Green, is joining Morgan Wallen, and landed five wins at the 2025 ACM Awards. This includes Music Event of the Year for her steamy duet “you look like you love me.”
Her voice, part stormy blues, part Southern rebellion, as well as fearless lyrics, have drawn comparisons to icons like Linda Ronstadt and Jessi Colter. And Langley’s style? Equal parts country and rock star. “Jessi Colter didn’t put up with s–t, and I don’t either,” she said.
CMA Fest Magic & What’s Next for Ella Langley
The Nissan Stadium performance wasn’t just a win for Langley. It was a moment of reflection and appreciation. “This is my fourth year doing CMA Fest, but my first time on the stadium stage,” she said. “It’s hot out here, the fans are sweating, standing in line — and to be the one closing out the night for some of them? That’s just so cool. So special.”
Langley shared the festival lineup with country staples like Lainey Wilson, Luke Bryan, Jelly Roll, Kelsea Ballerini, and Blake Shelton. Safe to say she proved that she belongs in the same breath as the genre’s heaviest hitters.
With her “Still Hungover Tour” extended through the fall and a new album already in the works, Langley’s not slowing down. She’s set to release her newest single, “Never Met Anyone Like You,” on Friday, June 27th. The long-awaited single was written with HARDY and Jordan Schmidt.
She went on to tease the upcoming collaborations and a record that’s “the most me I’ve ever felt on a record.”
“There’s no rulebook,” she added. “I’m just out here making music that means something.”
In a genre still finding its balance between tradition and rebellion, Langley is the gust of wind shaking everything up, and she’s not about to settle down. We’re all here for it!
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Ella Langley Shakes Up CMA Fest with No. 1 Hit ‘Weren’t For The Wind’