Ella Langley couldn’t hold back tears when accepting a major award at the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards.
After being named the Female Artist of the Year on Sunday, May 17, Langley, 27, became visibly emotional when thanking her fellow nominees.
“I’m trying to say something, but I can’t,” she said. “Thank you. To the women in this category, to the women in this life, this is a weird thing to do. Today I was having a strange day. I don’t know what it is about awards, but I have strange days in the mornings here.”
Fortunately, it was her fellow nominees who lifted her up and reminded her she is more than enough.
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“I walked right into Lainey [Wilson’s] room, and I just got emotional, and she hugged me, wrapped me up and started praying for me, and then all of a sudden, here comes Miranda Lambert in her little pink hat,” Langley shared. “And I would not be standing up here without just the encouragement of so many women. Kelsea [Ballerini], thank you so much for loving me.”
Megan Moroney was also nominated in the category but was not in attendance, as she served as her best friend’s maid of honor.
During her emotional speech, Langley also made it a priority to thank her family for their support throughout her music career.
“Thank you to my parents for believing in me and my family for showing up and being weird as always, so it keeps me humble,” she said. “Thank you, Jesus, for letting me do this for a whip. Thank you to the ACMs.”
During the star-studded awards show, which was hosted by Shania Twain and held inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Langley also picked up awards for Song of the Year, Artist-Songwriter of the Year, Single of the Year and Music Event of the Year, making her the winningest artist of the night.
“Thank you to the women,” she proclaimed on Sunday night. “I would not be standing up here without that. So, thank you.”
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Langley is hard at work traveling the country as part of The Dandelion Tour. From now until August 15, the “You Look Like You Love Me” singer will perform her biggest hits for fans, including her award-winning single “Choosin’ Texas.”
“You know we had to take this record on the road… So excited to announce The Dandelion Tour!” she wrote via Instagram on February 2 when first announcing the tour. “Also, bringing some of my favorite people along, you won’t wanna miss this 🌼.”
The 2026 ACM Awards are streaming Prime Video.
