About

Ella Langley

“This is who I am as an artist,” she exclaims. “I’m infatuated with words and storytelling. I love country, because it’s the genre to tell a story. I also love rock. Some of the songs are gut-wrenching, and others are fun. It’s just my life.”

Her story began in a small town called Hope Hull, Alabama. Music has surrounded Ella since birth. “At every reunion, somebody was on the guitar, piano, or harmonica,” she recalls.

A true family tradition, dad introduced her to classics by 38 Special, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Def Leppard, and Boston, while mom played Peter, Paul and Mary, The Grateful Dead, and Pearl Jam. Ella’s big brother passed along his iPod, which housed Nickelback and “all of the dirty rock.” At fourteen-years-old, she lost her grandpa, but inherited his guitar. Learning how to play, she taught herself countless covers, cutting her teeth at restaurants and weddings. During her time at Auburn University, she tirelessly gigged in bars and at local festivals before relocating to Nashville in 2019. As the Global Pandemic paused touring, the “country rock storyteller” diligently wrote at a feverish pace.

“It was a hard time, but it was special since so many songs came out of it,” she notes.

Ella built an audience on social media and shared singles online. Her 2021 song “If You Have To” has generated 19 million worldwide streams, and 2022’s “Damn You” and “Country Boy’s Dream Girl” maintained the momentum, piling up 19 million streams and 12 million streams respectively. Simultaneously, she landed high-profile cuts behind-the-scenes. She co-wrote Elle King’s 2022 single “Out Yonder” in addition to four more tracks on Come Get Your Wife. As a formidable performer, she toured with the likes of Koe Wetzel, Randy Houser, Cody Johnson, and Jamey Johnson in addition to sharing the stage with Lainey Wilson and Parker McCollum. Meanwhile, she made her debut at the Grand Ole Opry, and Spotify pegged her as a “Hot Country Artist to Watch for 2023.”

Along the way, she carefully assembled what would become Excuse The Mess, writing on all eight tracks, recording with live accompaniment, and rounding out the record with a raw spirit in the studio.

“Every aspect of me as an artist is portrayed in the EP,” she continues. “You get the storyteller side, the rock side, and the fun side. The whole experience of cutting it was incredible. It was my first time recording with a full live band on a body of work, and it definitely hints at what the show is like.”

The single “That’s Why We Fight” [feat. Koe Wetzel] opens with moody guitar as she immediately declares, “You know it pisses me off when it’s 3AM and you come home drunk from the bar.” She airs grievances until distortion uplifts the chantable chorus, “That’s why we fight, put lightning in the sky, start smashing every bottle we keep bottled up inside.” Meanwhile, Koe provides the perfect counterpoint.

“It’s about one of those relationships where fighting is the thing that keeps you together,” she observes. “Your significant other is your favorite person to fight with. It adds a little spice and keeps things interesting. I wouldn’t recommend a relationship like this, but we’ve all had one. I’ve been a fan of Koe for a long time, and it was really cool he jammed on it.”

A stomping groove underlines a bluesy riff on the opener “Make Me Wanna Smoke.” Simultaneously, her punchy delivery ignites the addictively catchy refrain.

“It’s about temptation, and I’d say it’s the second most toxic song on the EP,” she smiles. “You know it’s not the best idea to be with this person, but it’s so much fun. It’s like when you’re around the bonfire and everyone is smoking, so you go, ‘Alright, I’ll have a cigarette’.”

On the other end of the spectrum, emotional vocals ring out alongside cinematic piano during “Hell of a Man.” Her storytelling takes center stage. “It’s the end of a relationship,” she reveals. “Often, it hurts more to break up with another person, because you know you’re hurting someone you still care about.”

Then, there’s “Could’ve Been Her.” Soft acoustic guitar gives way to a provocative and empowering sentiment, “You’re thinking about the version of yourself you could’ve been if you didn’t stick up and say what you wanted to say.”

The title track “Excuse The Mess” unfurls as an introspective standout. “You’re guarded, your walls are up, and you’re hurt,” she says. “You tell somebody, ‘I’ll give this a chance, but you have to accept there’s a mess behind the walls. If you look past that, it will be awesome’.”

In the end, Ella is like nobody you’ve ever heard.

“My music has something for everybody,” she leaves off. “I hope you dance, cry, and listen to it over and over again. The only plan is to keep going. Pedal down. All gas, no brakes.”

BOILER

Ella Langley’s music kicks like a smooth Alabama whiskey. Her dyed-in-the-wool country storytelling and anthemic hooks go down easy, while moments of attitude-laden rock ‘n’ roll might just knock you on the floor. The singer and songwriter distills her honest experiences and formative inspirations into an intoxicating and inimitable brew of her own. Hailing from Hope Hull, Alabama, she tirelessly gigged in bars and at local festivals before relocating to Nashville in 2019. She quietly built an audience on social media with a series of singles. Her songs “If You Have To” (2021), “Damn You” (2022), and “Country Boy’s Dream Girl” (2022) have continuously fueled her momentum with tens of millions of streams on each track. Simultaneously, she landed high-profile cuts behind-the-scenes. She co-wrote Elle King’s 2022 single “Out Yonder” in addition to four more tracks on Come Get Your Wife. As a formidable performer, she toured with the likes of Koe Wetzel, Randy Houser, Cody Johnson, and Jamey Johnson in addition to sharing the stage with Lainey Wilson and Parker McCollum. Meanwhile, she made her debut at the Grand Ole Opry, and Spotify pegged her as a “Hot Country Artist to Watch for 2023.” Flexing showstopping vocals, a razor-sharp pen, and no filter whatsoever, she’s quietly emerged as a phenomenon with tens of millions of streams and a growing fan base. Now, she formally introduces her signature style on her 2023 debut EP, Excuse The Mess [Columbia Records/Sony Music Nashville], introduced by the single “That’s Why We Fight” [feat. Koe Wetzel].