"I See A Lot of Myself in Ella": Lainey Wilson Gushes on Ella Langley's Eight ACM Award Nominations

It wasn't too long ago that a little rising artist named Lainey Wilson nabbed an astounding nine nominations at the 2023 CMA Awards.

Eventually winning out for Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year (Bell Bottom Country), Musical Event of the Year ('wait in the truck' with HARDY) and Video of the Year (wait in the truck' with HARDY), it was the cherry on top to a true banner year for the then burgeoning country star.

At the time, this feat of being the most-nominated artist so early on in her career felt like a major milestone, and now two years later, the next leading lady of country music seems to be following in Wilson's footsteps.

feature OPINION • Inside the Whirlwind: A Look at Lainey Wilson's Meteoric Rise (So Far)

The Louisiana hitmaker has taken the country world by storm the last few years, but there's much more to her story than you might think.

The nominees for the 2025 ACM Awards were revealed yesterday morning (March 27) and, among the usual cast of characters like Old Dominion, Morgan Wallen, Chris Stapleton and the like, one Miss Ella Langley found herself atop the nominations leaderboard.

Notching a jaw-dropping eight nominations across all categories, the 'you look like you love me' hitmaker will be vying it out for Single of the Year, Song of the Year, Music Event of the Year and Visual Media of the Year, all for her breakout, Riley Green-graced duet. She's also in the running for Female Artist of the Year and New Female Artist of the Year.

... And did we mention this is her first ever ACM Awards?

In ways feeling very reminiscent of Wilson's rapid ascension just a couple years ago, the '4X4XU' singer offered up her thoughts on Langley's journey to country stardom as Nashville music industry members gathered Thursday afternoon to celebrate her recent pair of No. 1 hits at country radio.

"I see a lot of myself in Ella," Wilson shared with a smile. "We really are great friends and I'm so, so proud for her. I could not be more thrilled.

"I could not be more excited to see it happening to a girl that just knows who she is. She shows up and she rolls her sleeves up and she is ready to kick down barn doors," the Louisiana native continued. "You gotta have that spirit in this business, because if you don't have that spirit, there's somebody behind you that's gonna and they're gonna knock down the barn door for ya. She's one of those."

Referring to the upcoming ACM Award ceremony in Frisco, Texas, it seems that Wilson is already placing her bets on the Alabama entertainer, sharing, "I wouldn't be surprised if she don't come in there with her broom and start sweeping it up and I'll be behind her with the little dustpan... I'm glad to see the community really taking notice in somebody who's just got it. That's a good feeling, especially as a female in the business. It's good to see."

Wilson has plenty to celebrate herself going into the May award show as she collected six nominations for Female Artist of the Year, Album of the Year (Whirlwind), Song of the Year ('4X4XU'), Visual Media of the Year ('4X4XU'), Artist-Songwriter of the Year and Entertainer of the Year.

As the reigning Entertainer of the Year, she'll be hoping to keep the title as she fends off fellow nominees Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Jelly Roll, Chris Stapleton and Morgan Wallen.

For all the details on the forthcoming 2025 ACM Awards, head here.

For more on Lainey Wilson, see below:

Lainey Wilson

Artist