Ella Langley Says Faith Helped Her Through Panic Attack Before ACM Awards

Ella Langley tells the story of this time of major transition and turmoil in her life when she was filled with self-doubt, experienced a panic attack, and had a life-changing experience with God. It all unfolded just before she walked away from the 2025 Academy of Country Music Awards with five trophies.

Speaking at Country Radio Seminar 2026 during a keynote session titled "The Conversation" alongside '90s country icon Jo Dee Messina, Langley opened up about the anxiety and imposter syndrome that shadowed her rise to fame.

"I was overwhelmed," Langley shared, reflecting on the emotional weight leading up to her big night. "I didn't feel like I belonged in those rooms."

Days before the 60th ACM Awards, where she entered as the most-nominated artist with eight nods, Langley's team took her to a Florida beach to celebrate. The trip took a sharp turn. On the morning of departure, she suffered what she described as the worst panic attack of her life, unable to catch her breath and forced to call her mother and sit on the floor for nearly 30 minutes.

Shortly after, en route to the ceremony, an Uber driver glanced at Langley in the rearview mirror and delivered a message she wasn't expecting.

"He said, 'God's got you. I lost my baby son, and I thought that was gonna kill me, but God had me the whole entire time — and I just felt called to tell you that right now,'" she recalled.

The driver then reached back, held Langley's hand, and began singing a hymn; the same gesture, Langley said, that her own grandmother used to make. She broke down crying.

That moment, which Langley has called the most profound of her life, marked a turning point. It also inspired "Speaking Terms," a track on her sophomore album Dandelion, released April 10, 2026, about her journey back to faith.

Langley went on to win five awards that night in May 2025, including ACM New Female Artist of the Year and Single of the Year for "You Look Like You Love Me" with Riley Green. She enters the 61st ACM Awards on May 17 in Las Vegas with seven nominations.