Ella Langley Has a Surprising Tie to Okemos, Michigan

You never know when Mid-Michigan is going to randomly pop up in the country music world.

Did you know about this connection? It involves one of the hottest names in country music right now: Ella Langley.

Yep — the same Ella Langley who's been blowing up with songs like "Choosin' Texas" and "you look like you love me" and suddenly seems to be everywhere. She actually has a surprising Michigan connection.

A Surprising Okemos Connection

Her mom, Heather, graduated high school in Okemos.

I was just as surprised as you.

She Even Pronounced Okemos Right

Ella shared that little nugget backstage the last time she performed in Michigan, and you know she's telling the truth because she actually pronounced Okemos right.

It's kind of wild to think somebody with family roots just outside Lansing is now out there tearing up the country (and pop) charts and playing sold-out shows all over America.

Ella Langley sold out The Intersection in Grand Rapids when she headlined there in February 2025. (Photo via JR, Townsquare Media Lansing)

If you've listened to Ella talk or sing for more than five minutes, you know she doesn't exactly give off "grew up dealing with snowbanks on I-96" energy. She's an Alabama girl through and through, to be sure, but with a little Mid-Michigan mixed in.

Michigan Fans Are Already All In

Of course you know all that officially means that when Ella Langley wins awards or headlines massive festivals, at least a few people around Okemos can probably point at the TV and say, "You know, her mom went here."

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Even if she didn't have Mid-Michigan connections, fans around here have embraced her already. This just gives us one more reason to root for her.

The 15 Best Ella Langley Songs

Ella Langley showed up in country music's mainstream as a dark horse with an unlikely hit: "You Look Like You Love Me," a Riley Green duet that was catchy as all get-out but featured some unusual (and old-school) stylistic choices like talk-singing.

But it was a smash. And that turned out to be just the beginning of what Langley had to offer. She's continued to dominate with hits like "Weren't For the Wind" and the crossover mega-hit "Choosin' Texas," becoming one of the most high profile acts in country music and a bonafide star even beyond the genre.

Keep reading for Taste of Country's countdown of 15 Ella Langley songs that put her on the map, and then rewrote the rules of what traditional country sounds like — and how successful it can be even beyond the genre.

Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak