Shania Twain Says Ella Langley ‘Didn’t Just Come Out of Nowhere’

By Joseph Hudak

Joseph Hudak

Shania Twain looks back to her formative years on her new album Little Miss Twain. Released on Friday, it focuses on the period before Twain became a country crossover superstar. In a new interview with Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now podcast, Twain acknowledges the similar crossover success of Ella Langley, whose song “Choosin’ Texas” just marked its 14th week at Number One on the Hot 100.

“I’ve never met Ella Langley, but just from what I’m observing, she seems very authentic. She doesn’t come across to me as somebody that’s trying to be somebody else or trying to write a song with an agenda,” Twain says. “The way she delivers a song, believe her. I believe what she’s saying.”

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But according to Twain, Langley’s success also underscores the gender disparity in country music. “I would imagine if the awareness and the doors were wider open a few years ago, she would have been here a few years ago,” Twain says. “She’s not just great now; she didn’t just come out of nowhere.”

Twain, 60, knows about that imbalance firsthand. It’s been 23 years since she had a Top 10 hit on country radio as a lead artist (“She’s Not Just a Pretty Face”), while some male peers around her age have had numerous Top 10 singles since 2020.

“It isn’t just me. There’s a lot of women that have been around for a while, that are only just now surfacing. They’ve been there, there just hasn’t been any room for them to be exposed,” she tells Nashville Now. “I’ve built my audience, I’ve worked hard for that audience. We love each other, but what about the new artists? What about the new women? How are they going to get to build an audience if they’re not heard?

“I’m not saying give anybody anything on a silver platter,” she continues, “but just give them some space.”

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