5 moments Ella Langley lit up the ACM Awards
In a night backed with country’s great heavy hitters, Ella Langley delivered several moments that firmly planted her as a country music icon in the making.
Prior to the show’s commencement, the 26-year-old had already scored a major win when she was awarded ACM Award for Visual Media of the Year for her music video with Riley Green, “You Look Like You Love Me.”
Langley received the most nominations at the ACM Awards this year with eight nods, including New Female Artist of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, and six nominations for “You Look Like You Love Me” including Single of the Year, Song of the Year (as an artist and songwriter), Music Event of the Year, and Visual Media of the Year.
A red carpet showstopper
The singer brought a sense of gothic glam to the show’s red carpet when she appeared in a form-fitting snakeskin, black lace gown. She topped off the entire look with her hair swept back into a tousled bun.
Langley joins Miranda Lambert on stage for a blistering duet of “Kerosene”
More than a highlight, the performance served as a sort of passing of the torch. Lambert is the most decorated artist in ACM history with 37 wins. Langley led this year’s nominations with eight under her belt, including Female Artist of the Year and New Female Artist of the Year. For their performance, Langley wore denim flared jeans with red star pockets and a cropped white tank that read “Mama Tried,” a wink to Merle Haggard’s 1968 outlaw anthem.
Performance for ‘Performer of The Year’ Award
Having already accepted the award before the start of the show, Langley turned her win into a bigger moment when she appeared on stage to sing “Weren’t for the Wind.” For the live number she played a tambourine and wore a long black leather coat and leather pants adorned with fringe. Late in the performance, she tossed the jacket to show off a leather halter featuring a silver ring neckline.
Scoring ‘Single of the Year’
Just after her performance, the singer was awarded Single of the Year for her hit “You Look Like You Love Me” with Riley Green. With the award in hand, the singer noted that she was still recovering from her performance.
“Still out of breath a little, and I kind of have been since this song came out,” she explained before adding that she “grew up on classic country with a lot of talking in it. “This song taught me to not care so much and write what you love, write what feels good.”
Ella nabs ‘Music Event of the Year’
The singer held back tears as her winning streak continued when she accepted the Music Event of the Year award for “You Look Like You Love Me.”
“I was so stunned up here last time, I blacked out,” she recalled during her speech. “This time I want to start off by thanking God. This is the thing I wanted to do in my whole life.”
Having switched into yet another showstopping look, the singer wore a sheer, leg-flashing, flowing black gown with billowing sleeves.
“I’m still flabbergasted, I dont even know what that word means … I’m on cloud 9 tonight,” she continued.
“Everyone said this song was supposed to be the most underperforming song of the record,” she added, proving that she’s ready to go shoulder to shoulder with the best in country.
