Ella Langley Embraces Growth And Confidence On New Album ‘Dandelion’
“It’s my favorite project I’ve ever done…”
Ella Langley; Photo by Caylee Robillard
After months of anticipation, Ella Langley has unveiled Dandelion, her highly anticipated sophomore album. The Alabama native executive produced the project alongside Miranda Lambert and Ben West, introducing a new side of her artistry through the 18-track release.
This new chapter showcases a lighter, freer, more mature and confident version of Langley, and is without a doubt poised to take her already skyrocketing career to the next level.
During a recent Dandelion pop-up in Nashville celebrating the album, Langley opened up about the project and what inspired it, telling fans, “This record is flirty. It’s fun. I knew it was going to be coming out spring, early summer. So I really wanted something like you’re on a boat, you’re in a car, driving somewhere beautiful, you’re on a beach.”
She went on to compare it to her debut album, hungover, explaining how the songs represent where she is in her life.
“I think the big difference between hungover and Dandelion, and if you haven’t heard what the connection on this record is, hungover, obviously we know what that’s about, right? We understand at this point. And that really was, I feel like my life from 18 to 25, really the whole thing, the whole dang thing,” she laughed. “And I had written the song ‘Dandelion’ and I kind of knew where I wanted it to go conceptually for the next record. And my makeup artist, Chris Bear, we were shooting the music video for ‘You Look Like You Love Me’ and I told him, I said, ‘This is the song that I think I want to be the title track the next record.’ And he said, ‘Well, did you know that Dandelion tea can be a natural detox for your liver?’ And I was like, ‘What?’”
In that moment, everything made sense, therefore, Dandelion became the follow-up to hungover.
Dandelion is a natural next phase after ‘hungover’,” Langley later shared in a statement. “hungover is what brought people to the table, and Dandelion is what makes them sit down and eat. This album explains who I am as an artist and as a person. It reflects on what made me this way while giving a glimpse of what’s next. It’s my favorite project I’ve ever done, it’s the most ‘me’ I’ve ever put out.”
Now 26 years old and with more experience and life under her belt, Ella Langley is leaning into a new chapter that reflects exactly where she is in life.
“I’m in the back half of my 20s. I’m still figuring it out, but I feel like I do it with a little more confidence. Now I’m kind of falling into my womanhood in a way. I feel like an adult more than I did in my early 20s, definitely. And so that’s why a lot of these songs represent that,” she explained. “They represent that feeling of you’re still figuring it out, but you’re trying to do it a little bit better each time.”
One song that especially captures that journey, where she’s been and where she’s going, is the tender and nostalgic “Loving Life Again,” which was born out of a season that forced her to step back and reset.
“We put out the last single for this record a couple of weeks ago, and the love for this song has blown me away. I love this song so much. It’s one of my favorites … I took a break last year from this whole journey. I kind of explained it like a nonstop hamster wheel. You know what I mean? If you want to be on this thing, you got to be going at whatever speed it’s on. And I had to take a step off of it for a second,” she shared. “And when I came back from that break, I just kind of remembered what the point of everything was. I think that’s why it got so tough. I’m like, “Why? Why am I doing it? Why am I working so hard?” And then I took that time and I felt that again. I felt the love and I felt the feeling that I felt when I was a little kid and I just wanted to do this because it’s something I wanted to do because I love it.”
After that period of her life, she was in a writing session with ERNEST when the song just naturally came together.
“This song kind of made sense of my life for me. I don’t know how to explain that…And so this one is so important because it brings up my past. It brings up where I’m coming from, but it also is so excited for the future and that’s how I genuinely feel about this record and this career.”
Dandelion arrives just one day after Ella Langley was named among the most-nominated artists for the upcoming Academy of Country Music Awards, where she earned seven nominations.
Langley is heading into her busiest season yet, with support dates on Morgan Wallen’s Still the Problem Tour, multiple festival appearances, and her biggest tour to date: her first headlining arena run on the Dandelion Tour.With Dandelion, Ella Langley makes it clear she’s not going anywhere. She’s building a career with real staying power, and this record is just further proof she’s in it for the long haul.
Lauren Jo Black is a longtime country music journalist, editor, host, and media personality whose work has helped shape the conversation around country music for nearly two decades. As the current Editor-in-Chief of Country Now, she has become one of the genre’s most respected voices, interviewing hundreds of country music’s biggest stars, including Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, and countless others. Over the course of her career, Black’s written work and interviews have reached billions of country music fans worldwide. A 2009 graduate of the University of Central Florida, Black began her career by founding Country Music Is Love, one of country music’s earliest independent digital publications, which she later sold to a major record label in 2015 before it was rebranded as Sounds Like Nashville. She then served as the publication’s Editor-in-Chief for more than two years. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, and she previously served as the Country Music Expert for Answers.com. Widely recognized for her expertise, Black has appeared as a featured guest on The Bobby Bones Show, BobbyCast, and Scripps News Morning Rush, providing insight on country music’s biggest moments. She has also hosted Country Now Live, a concert series featuring performances from artists including Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Riley Green, Jordan Davis, Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett, Brett Young, Jon Pardi, Kip Moore, Chris Young, and more. The series has welcomed thousands of fans in person while reaching millions more online. In addition, she hosted Connect With Country Now, a weekly interview series featuring conversations with rising country stars. Throughout her career, Black has earned a reputation for discovering and championing artists long before they become household names. She has covered Luke Bryan since the early days of his career, beginning when he was writing songs for other artists, including Billy Currington’s No. 1 hit “Good Directions,” before stepping into the spotlight with his debut single, “All My Friends Say” and eventually becoming one of biggest names in music. She also gave Megan Moroney her first opportunity to walk a major red carpet as Country Now’s official guest correspondent at the 2022 CMA Awards. An interview she conducted in 2018 for Forbes.com with Luke Combs that inspired his multi-week No. 1 hit, “Doin’ This.” She has also hosted stages at CMA Fest, moderated an industry panel at Country Radio Seminar, and helped lead important conversations about the evolving landscape of country music media. Beyond journalism, Black has also used her platform to support charitable causes and highlight organizations making an impact. Through Country Now Live, she has helped raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, while also advocating for animal rescue through Country Now’s Pupdate series, spotlighting organizations including MuttNation Foundation, Wags & Walks, and Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue. Black has been recognized as one of Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. She is a longtime member of both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). After nearly 20 years covering country music, Lauren Jo Black has spent her career telling the stories behind the artists, songs, and moments that have shaped the genre. Her first-ever book, Country Music Forever: An A-to-Z Celebration of Icons, Songs and Stories, brings that same passion and firsthand knowledge to the page, celebrating not only the legendary artists and timeless songs that have become the soundtrack to generations of fans, but also the places, traditions, and cultural moments that have made country music one of the most beloved genres around the world.
You may also like
Country Next
Playlist
On Repeat
Get the latest country music news delivered straight to your inbox.
