Ella Langley confidently delivered a stripped down rendition of buzzed-about, chart-climbing anthem “Be Her” at the 2026 ACM Awards.
Taking command of the awards show stage with just her signature vocals, an acoustic guitar and two guitarists, the country superstar captivated the crowd from the very first note to the final lyric of the song in a silver and white flowy gown. Live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Langley showcased a different side of her musicianship with a laid back performance of the normally upbeat hit.
“I just wanna be her so bad, it hurts so bad, it hurts so/ I just wanna be her, I just wanna be her/ I just wanna be her so bad, it hurts so bad, it hurts so/ I just wanna be her, I just wanna be her so bad, ah, ah/ It hurts so bad,” Langley sang.
Langley, who made her ACM performance debut at the 60th ACM Awards with “Weren’t For The Wind” in 2025, returned to the ACM stage with even more confidence and momentum following a massive year in country music.
Co-written by Ella Langley alongside HARDY, Jordan Schmidt and Smith Ahnquist, “Be Her” appears on Langley’s newest album, Dandelion, which arrived on April 10 via SAWGOD Records/Columbia. Co-produced by Miranda Lambert and Ben West, Dandelion features 18 tracks, including the project’s title track, “Loving Life Again,” “Butterfly Season” and more, as well as the record-breaking, chart-topping hit “Choosin’ Texas.” Dandelion serves as the follow-up to her debut album, hungover, and marks Langley’s most personal album to date.
The 27-year-old singer/songwriter is currently embarking on her first-ever arena stint, The Dandelion Tour, which kicked off earlier this month with shows in Ohio, Missouri, Florida and Georgia. The trek features support from Kameron Marlowe, Dylan Marlowe, Kaitlin Butts, Gabriella Rose, and Laci Kaye Booth on select dates. Langley is also serving as direct support on select dates of Morgan Wallen’s Still The Problem Tour.
Langley was among the most-nominated artists at the awards show with seven nods, including Female Artist of the Year, Song of the Year (Artist and Songwriter) for “Choosin’ Texas”, Single of the Year (Artist and Producer) for “Choosin’ Texas”, Music Event of the Year for “Don’t Mind If I Do” (with Riley Green) and Artist-Songwriter of the Year. She also went 7-for-7 at the show, taking home the trophy for every category she was nominated in.
The 2026 ACM Awards also featured performances from Blake Shelton, Cody Johnson, Dan + Shay, Jordan Davis, Kacey Musgraves, Kane Brown, Lainey Wilson, Lee Ann Womack, Little Big Town, Miranda Lambert, Parker McCollum, Riley Green, The Red Clay Strays, Thomas Rhett, Zach Top and more, as well as ACM New Female Artist of the Year Avery Anna and ACM New Male Artist of the Year Tucker Wetmore.
The 61st Annual Academy of Country Music Awards also included a star-studded list of presenters, including Andrew Whitworth, Ashley McBryde, Carl Edwards, Corey LaJoie, Keith Urban, Lauren Alaina, Michael Bublé, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Shaboozey, The War And Treaty, T.J. Osborne and more.
The 2026 ACM Awards brought country music’s biggest night back to Las Vegas in a star-studded celebration hosted by legendary songwriter and best-selling female country artist Shania Twain, marking her first time leading the show. The broadcast streamed live exclusively on Prime Video across more than 240 countries and territories and aired Sunday, May 17, 2026, from the iconic MGM Grand Garden Arena. The show was also available to stream via the Amazon Music app and Amazon Music channel on Twitch. For country music fans that missed the live broadcast, the full show will also be available to stream on Prime Video the following day (May 18) at 8/7c.
From unforgettable performances to career-defining wins, the 61st ACM Awards delivered another landmark evening celebrating the best of country music on one of its biggest global stages.
