Ella Langley dropped by Backstage Country to co-host with Elaina Smith for a week, where the “Choosin’ Texas” singer talked about making music she loves, and how artists should not be limited by genre.
'All I’m Doing is Writing Music That I Love'
Langley shared how Ronnie Millsap has been a big inspiration for her upcoming record, Dandelion. She also argued how Millsap was often classified as “ain’t country.”
She explains, "If you played Ronnie Millsap, for anyone who was just introduced to country yesterday, and they say, ‘What genre is this?’ They'd be like, ‘Classic country.’ And to me, artists like that have given me belief in myself to just explore and create and not put this box around everything where I'm feeling like I need to write this for this and do this and please this person and this person.”
She added, “All I'm doing is writing music that I love and being exactly who I am and letting your creativity flow and do what you love. It's the easiest my job has ever been, if that makes any sense. I'm so exhausted. We do so many things all the time, but as far as writing the songs and just creating the music, it feels like the most effortless it's ever been.”
Why She Doesn’t Like the Word ‘Crossover’
Since there are numerous artists genre-blending and crossing over, Langley admits she doesn’t like the term “crossover” since it feels limiting. “I don't like that term ‘crossover.’” She explains, “You're just reaching more people. You're not put in the box. You're able to actually explain, express yourself, and everybody can enjoy it.”
She also shared how she thinks country music is so cool in giving the artists freedom in creating music. “This is my artistry. This is where I come from. I'm as redneck as it gets, you know what I mean?” she chuckled.
