Watch: Ella Langley 'Lost For Words' As She Reacts To Her Latest Victory

Ella Langley admitted she was “a little lost for words,” as she delivered a heartfelt acceptance speech at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards on Thursday evening (March 26).

Langley, 26, won the Best New Country Artist award at the 13th annual genre-spanning show, which returned to Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The evening marked Langley’s first-ever iHeartRadio Music Awards, and her first trip to L.A. Country Song of the Year winner Shaboozey (“Good News”) congratulated Langley on her victory as she took the stage to accept the award.

“I was sitting in between Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus for a lot of that tonight. So, I’m a little lost for words,” Langley said. “You know, the thing we’re always trying to do is just get in there and write a good song. So, to see what that can do is just wild. Thank you, Jesus, for putting this passion on my heart. Thank you to my team. I would not be the artist I am up here today if it weren’t for them. They help me make these crazy dreams come true. Thank you to my family for not yelling at me too loud when I practice everything in my room for too long. This is just a dream come true. Thank you, iHeart. Thank you.”

The Alabama-born singer-songwriter caught up with iHeartRadio on the red carpet, and spoke about her history-making single, “Choosin’ Texas.” Langley teamed up with Miranda Lambert, Joybeth Taylor and Luke Dick to write the song. It’s one of 18 tracks that will appear on her highly-anticipated sophomore studio album next month. So far, Langley has also released the title track (“Dandelion”), along with “Be Her” and “Loving Life Again.” Dandelion will release on April 10.

“We were just having a writer’s retreat, and she [Lambert] was telling me this story about how she had a kangaroo in her passenger seat, and she got pulled over, and the cop was like, ‘oh, you have Texas plates.’ And I went, ‘well, she’s from Texas, I can tell,’ Langley said of the day she and her fellow songwriters penned “Choosin’ Texas.” “And literally just from that phrase, the ‘she’s from Texas, I can tell by the way,’ kind of just fell out, and I think we all latched onto that story of, ‘oh, he picked the other girl.’ You know? He picked someone else. I think everyone’s had a crush, and at some point that crush was more into somebody else at one point. If not, then lucky you or you’re lying.”

Langley went on to share that her “favorite thing,” is performing live. Langley’s headlining “Dandelion Tour” will include special guests Kameron Marlowe, Dylan Marlowe, Kaitlin Butts, Gabriella Rose and Laci Kaye Booth on select dates. See the dates here. Langley shared on the iHeartRadio Music Awards red carpet, “I want it to feel like music for everyone, you know, and so, when it comes to my music, I think it’s just that. It’s a little bit of something for everybody.”

The “weren’t for the wind” superstar looked ahead to the iHeartRadio Music Awards with excitement for herself and her fellow artists. She beamed while looking ahead to reigning Coutnry Music Association Entertainer of the Year Lainey Wilson’s performance. Wilson took the stage with a medley of three of her hit singles — “Wildflowers and Wild Horses,” “Hang Tight Honey” and “Heart Like a Truck” — and presented Cyrus with the Innovator Award, days after attending the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special premiere. Langley marveled, “everything she [Wilson] does is just, how do you breathe like that and sing at the same time? I don’t know.

“I am (a Taylor Swift fan),” Langley went on to share in her red carpet interview. “I mean, starting out in country music, she just did something so cool at such a young age, and I’ve been a fan of her for so long. And I am such a fan of how she takes hold of her artistry and whatever is in her brain, she’s not afraid to put it out there.”

See the complete list of 2026 iHeartRadio Music Award winners here, plus a photo gallery of red carpet fashion, and check back with iHeartRadio for performance recaps and other unforgettable moments from this year’s show.