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Ella Langley opened up about her road to “Loving Life Again” after taking a break to focus on her health last year.
The award-winning country star, 26, wrote “Loving Life Again” with ERNEST and Devin Dawson. The intimate, reflective ballad is the latest track to release from Langley’s upcoming studio album, Dandelion. Langley shared the story behind the song in a clip on Instagram earlier this week, when she announced the release date:
“‘Loving Life Again’ was one of those songs that I wrote almost because I needed to. Obviously, last year just kind of lost my mind a little bit. it was just, imposter syndrome kicked in. It was, my life was moving faster than ever. All my dreams were coming true, but I felt sad, for some reason. And just that in itself was frustrating. So, I kind of lost myself a little bit last year. and that was tough because all of the amazing things are happening in my life. And you’d think you’d be the happiest person in the world. (I) never canceled anything. maybe one or two shows the whole time. And ended up canceling two weeks' worth. So, I did that, came back here, I closed on my first house in Alabama, coincidentally, right around the same time. and I really just got to be back home with my family. I got to grow my relationship with my faith. When I looked in the mirror, I looked like myself again by the end of those two weeks. And I was hanging out with ERNEST. He asked, ‘well, how are you doing?’ And I kind of just looked at him and I said, ‘looks like I’m back to loving life again.’”
Last year, Langley opened up about “fighting sickness and feeling more run down than ever,” prompting her to make “the hard decision” to drop out of shows.
“I’m so sad to be posting this. The past several weeks have been tough,” Langley wrote in the statement on Instagram at the time. “I’ve been fighting sickness and feeling more run down than ever. After a lot of thought, I’ve made the hard decision to take a couple of weeks to rest and focus on my health — mind, body, and heart. I want to be fully present for all the moments ahead, and I know I can’t do that without first taking care of myself.
“Sometimes we have to listen when our bodies and hearts are telling us to slow down. I’m so grateful for your understanding and your love — it truly means the world to me,” she continued in the statement. Langley added the Bible verse Matthew 11:28, which reads, “come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Langley assured fans she’d “be back on the road,” and “ready to give you my all.”
Shortly after sharing that statement, Langley said she “couldn’t be any more grateful to have had some time to slow down and see all of the amazing things happening in my life. Also, I have the best family and friends a girl could ask for. Truly. Thank y’all for allowing me this time too and all of the messages that were sent in love and support. Time to get back to it 🤍”
“Loving Life Again” follows the title track, “Be Her,” and Langley’s history-making single, “Choosin’ Texas.” The 18-track record is due to release on April 10. Later this spring, Langley will kick off her headlining “Dandelion Tour” with special guests Kameron Marlowe, Dylan Marlowe, Kaitlin Butts, Gabriella Rose and Laci Kaye Booth on select dates. See the dates here.
Langley is among the country artists nominated at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards, returning this spring to Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California. See the list of country artists nominated here.
Like in years past, iHeartRadio is letting the fans choose the winners in several new and established categories. Fan voting will determine this year’s Favorite Broadway Debut, Favorite TikTok Dance, Favorite Debut Album, Best Lyrics, Best Music Video, Favorite On Screen, Favorite Tour Photographer, Favorite Soundtrack, Favorite Tour Style, Favorite Tour Tradition and Favorite K-pop Collab. Social voting begins on January 8th, and will close on March 19th at 11:59pm PT for all categories. Fans can vote by visiting iHeartRadio.com/awards.
Tune in to see which artists will take home an iHeartRadio Music Award on Thursday, March 26th at 8pm ET live (PT tape-delayed) on FOX. The show will also be broadcast on iHeartRadio stations across the country and on the iHeartRadio app.