Ella Langley Recalls the 'Insane' Moment That 'Took Me to My Knees': 'I Just Cried' Melinda LorgeMon, March 23, 2026 at 5:41 AM UTC 0 (Getty Images) Ella Langley and Jo Dee Messina shared the stage at Country Radio Seminar (CRS) 2026 on Thursday, March 19, delivering a special keynote session called "The Conversation." In the candid exchange — one of many highlights over the threeday event — the female country powerhouses reflected on their respective journeys both personally and professionally, while also asking each other questions.
Ella Langley Recalls the 'Insane' Moment That 'Took Me to My Knees': 'I Just Cried'
Melinda LorgeMon, March 23, 2026 at 5:41 AM UTC
0
(Getty Images)
Ella Langley and Jo Dee Messina shared the stage at Country Radio Seminar (CRS) 2026 on Thursday, March 19, delivering a special keynote session called "The Conversation." In the candid exchange — one of many highlights over the three-day event — the female country powerhouses reflected on their respective journeys both personally and professionally, while also asking each other questions.
At one point, Langley addressed her struggles with mental health and imposter syndrome. She also recounted a story about a pivotal faith-driven moment she experienced during an encounter with an Uber driver that has stayed with her ever since.
Fans will recall Langley stepped away in the fall of 2025, canceling a string of shows to focus on her mental health and reconnect with her roots. During the brief hiatus, she devoted time to reading her bible and rediscovering her faith. It appears doing just that has brought her to where she is today, as she prepares to release her sophomore album, Dandelion, due out April 10.
In the months leading up to her break, Langley found herself in a whirlwind. As the most-nominated artist going into the 2025 ACM Awards, she was grappling with intense feelings of self-doubt.
She Felt Unworthy
Looking back, she said, "I remember waking up. I got the news in Canada, and it just rocked my world. I wasn't even invited to the ACMs the year before. In my head, everybody's watching me come in like, 'Why is she here? She's only been here for four seconds."
"That was just attacking me," she added. "I felt unworthy, even though I had worked so hard every single day."
She Hoped a Trip to the Beach Would Put Her Mind at Ease
Just days before the awards and her 26th birthday, Langley's team suggested a beach trip. While she hoped the getaway would take away her flood of self-doubt and reset her mind, it didn't go as planned. Regardless, she and her crew made the most of bad weather with movies, naps, and a swim. But Langley still couldn't shake the lingering sadness.
"I just couldn't get out of that feeling," she admitted. "It sucked because I was supposed to be so happy....I felt like I wasn't giving them the version of the artist they deserved."
She Experienced a Sudden Panic Attack
The morning they were set to leave, Langley experienced what she described as her most intense panic attack yet.
"I could not catch my breath," she said. "I had to call my mom and sit on the floor…it took about 30 minutes."
In the midst of it, her drummer offered to pray for her, but she declined.
"I've always had a relationship with my faith and the Lord, but it's been kind of a rocky road," Langley acknowledged. "....I told him no for two reasons. One, I thought if I heard him pray for me for the first time, I would lose it all over again, and two, it made me feel uncomfortable. It scared me."
The Turning Point
Langley says what happened next is an experience she will never forget. It shifted everything. She says she ended up in an Uber that had unusually patiently waited 45 minutes for her. While on the ride, she ended up overwhelmed with haunting thoughts, but something outside caught her attention.
A Powerful Moment
"'I'm like, 'Wow. Way to go, winner. Here you are, the most nominated, and you're having a terrible time. Of course, you're trying to ruin this for you and everyone else.' Those were all the thoughts going through my head," she shared, adding that in that moment, she saw a white car surrounded by black vehicles, which sparked a thought. "I thought, 'You know, that's kinda like what the devil is trying to do to me right now.' I hadn't really thought this way before. All these thoughts come to my mind, and it feels like I'm getting attacked from all different angles. And there's this one amazing thing happening, but for some reason, my brain is not letting it happen."
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"I said, 'It would be kinda crazy if another white car came," she added.
Then, more white cars began appearing, one after another.
"Here comes another white car. I said, 'It would be crazy if another white car came,' here comes another one. No way, and another one, and this flood of the same white car. I was like, 'What? That's a coincidence," she said of the surprising moment, which she later took as a sign from above.
"Then I heard on the radio, 'religious radio.' I look out the window, and there's a white car with a 'He's greater' sign. So I'm standing there having the most insane God moment in my entire life...."
Langley described the moment as the most profound spiritual experience of her life, one she believes was God reaching out to her.
"I felt him talking to me. I heard him talking to me, but I was just like 'this is what they talk about,'" she said. "I look back over, and my manager is like, 'Well, I don't think the bags are gonna make it.' I think we'll have to fly everything.' I immediately snapped out of that. I don't hear anything else. And, I'm just beating myself up again…"
An Exchange With the Uber Driver
Then, unexpectedly, the Uber driver spoke.
"She looks at me in the rear view mirror, has no idea the moment I'm having, in the back seat. Looks at me in the eyes and says, 'God's got you.' What?"
Sharing a personal story of loss and faith, the Uber driver told Langley she felt called to deliver that message to her. The driver also reached her hand out to comfort Langley, and began singing a hymn to her — something the "Be Her" singer said her grandmother used to do.
"I just cried like a little kid. For the first time in my life, I accepted that presence that has been there the whole time," Langley emotionally said.
"He never leaves you," Messina said.
"He never did," Langley said, adding that the song has inspired her upcoming unreleased track, "Speaking Terms." "But it took me to my knees, and I'm so grateful for the journey that He's led me on because it genuinely has grown me into the human being that is made to do this, and He let me venture out far enough, but He was like, 'You ain't that far. I got you right here.' [Since last year], every day, I pull my Bible out. I had dust all over it. I had to look for it for two days. That's the thing, with all of these questions, 'How are you getting through this?' It's that. It is truly that."
Related: 1975 Hit Ranked Among 'Greatest Songs of All Time' Was Just Reimagined by Ella Langley
This story was originally published by Parade on Mar 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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Source: Entertainment
Published: March 23, 2026 at 11:09AM on Source: RON MAG
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