“Excuse me, you look like you love me.” If you’ve been anywhere on the internet, you’ve certainly heard these lyrics. If you’re unfamiliar with the artist behind these, it is none other than rising country singer Ella Langley. While “you look like you love me” is Langley’s most popular song, with over 100 million streams on Spotify, Langley is certainly not new to the country music scene. She’s released music since 2021 and has had other songs reach well over a million streams.
Langley headlined two sold-out shows at Exit/In, and we were lucky enough to attend the latter. The night started with Carter Faith. Like Langley, Faith also released new music and was able to perform it during her opening set. Booked and busy — that has been Faith’s mantra for the year – as she has also opened for Willie Nelson and is currently on tour with Midland and Luke Grimes. Yet, touring with Langley was especially sweet and personal for Faith.
“I went on the road with [Langley for] a few shows and got to ride the bus with her,” Faith said. “[Langley] is one of my favorite people in Nashville… and one of my closest friends.”
Nashville can be intimidating for rising songwriters and female artists trying to break into a male-dominated industry, making Langley’s and Faith’s friendship significant and essential.
For an intimate acoustic set, Faith sang songs such as “Strong Stuff” from her newly released EP “The Aftermath” plus “Lasso,” a song earlier from her discography. While singing an unreleased song called “Sex, Drugs, and Country Music,” Faith’s soprano vocals filled the venue and instilled a sense of curiosity among new fans.
Following Faith, Meg McRee took the stage. She began with her song “Usually You,” which she described as a song about smoking too much weed. She continued with other songs from her discography, including “Red Yellow Indigo” and a cover of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Taste,” prompting many people in the crowd to sing and dance along. We hadn’t yet heard a countryfied version of the song, but McRee created a perfect version. McRee made sure to thank Langley and Faith for allowing her to play a show with them, noting that she’d played many rounds and written many songs with them.
Shortly following McRee’s set, the lights went down again, Langley’s band ran out and Langley appeared after heightened anticipation. Langley then began her first song, “paint the town blue.” Immediately, we could tell that Langley was not only a singer but also a performer. She has a rockstar spunk that draws audiences in and keeps them wanting more the entire night. The show was undoubtedly a country concert, but Langley’s stage presence ensured that it would be a rock-infused show as well.
Midway through the set, Langley stopped to share her musical journey. As a small-town girl, playing in a sold-out room like the Exit/In was a dream she never thought would come true.
“I’m not usually at a loss for words. If anyone in here knows me, you know I talk too much all the time… but tonight, standing here and starting at all y’all’s faces, I’m at a little bit of a loss for words,” Langley said.
Langley shared that this was her first-ever headline tour, which meant that she not only got to play a longer set but got to do things her way and create her own traditions. She then introduced the drinking horn – an animal horn that she fills with whiskey to give shots to all her band members. She ensured that she gave each of her band members a shot before taking one herself.
With hard-hitting guitar riffs and drum fills, it was empowering to see Langley conquer the stage. Not only does her music establish her as a strong-willed artist, but also the visible support from her band demonstrated the true and dedicated person that Langley is.
Langley continued with a cover of Gretchen Wilson’s “Here for the Party” and the intro of “Hound Dog” by Big Mama Thornton. She then brought Meg McRee back out to sing “i blame the bar,” which the two wrote together.
She continued with songs including “love you tonight,” “better be tough” and “girl who drank wine.” In between songs, she continued to share sentiments of appreciation for the crowd and how she used to be amazed when 10 people showed up, so selling out two nights at a venue that significant was insane to her.
Langley continued with more songs, including “monsters” (perfect for spooky season) and an acoustic version of “cowgirl don’t cry,” which is one of our favorites by her.
Fittingly, for “cowboy friends,” Langley invited Faith, McRee and guest performer Maggie Antone. The song is a comedic take on a guy picking up a girl at the bar. Unlike many country tunes, the guy fails and the girl remains unfazed. The performers, all dressed in thrifted clothes, added an extra layer of hilarity and harmonies to the song.
“My name is Ella Langley and y’all were the s—. Thank you,” Langley said.
For a final remark, Langley reminded and encouraged the aspiring artists in the room that it’s all worth it — sleeping in vans, living off tip jars, not sleeping and writing hundreds of songs — because eventually, you can make it as she has.
Langley ended the night with her hit song, “you look like you love me” before leaving the stage. She shortly came back on for another two songs, thanking the crowd again for supporting her.
Langley is every “Country Boy’s Dream Girl” and her performance at Exit/In proved just that. Alongside Langley, all the performers embodied who and what strong women in country music are. Through their music and humor, the three provided a reassuring reminder that country music is in good hands.
