Alabama Native Ella Langley Is Some 'Country Boy's Dream Girl' — but Not Quite Yet

Country music's newest truthteller Ella Langley can't seem to go on a date without asking some questions first.

"Am I too much of a tomboy?" Langley, 23, asks aloud during an interview with PEOPLE. "Am I too independent? Should I let him carry my guitar? But then, I realize that the answers to all those questions are 'No.' If he doesn't want me for who I am, then he can just go and kick rocks."

In fact, Langley has told many a guy to go kick rocks.

"My perfect date is to go to a dive bar, drink some beer, shoot some pool, and throw some darts," says the singer/songwriter whose brand of country/rock is grabbing the attention of many in the music industry. "For some reason, going on a super fancy first date feels so much less comfortable than if I'm just relaxing at the bar. And I think some guys don't know how to approach someone like that."

She lets out a laugh, adding, "I have learned that recently."

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But it's exactly somebody like that serves as the subject of Langley's current single "Country Boy's Dream Girl," an honest-to-goodness song that serves as her first since signing with Columbia Records and a song that she wrote this past spring alongside fellow songwriters Will Bundy, Aaron Raitiere and Smith Ahnquist.

"All my songs are written from a true place," says Langley, who looks up to artists such as Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson and Chris Stapleton. "I have felt every one of these emotions — the good, the bad, the rowdy, the drinking — everything. Those are all real things and real stories in my life. And the coolest part about this past year with touring so much is people can relate to my honesty."

It's that honesty that Langley initially heard in the songs of artists such as Stevie Nicks in the mornings while getting ready for school back in her home of Hope Hull, Alabama. "My mom bought me every vinyl record of Stevie Nicks that you could possibly imagine," Langley remembers.

And it's this sort of honesty that became even more transparent to others when Langley found herself treading water in Nashville back in 2020.

"COVID happened six months after I moved here," remembers Langley, who was majoring in Forestry at Auburn University before deciding to drop out in favor of learning how to write songs in Music City. 'I luckily got in with a great group of people during that time that I'm still writing with to this day. All they do is write and they love it, and they appreciate it, and it's part of their life. Being surrounded by that made me grow so much as a writer and an artist."

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Adding to that growth is the plethora of opportunities to play amongst Nashville's most talented at venues such as The Bluebird Café.

"There's so much history in that building," explains Langley, who initially cut her teeth in the country music industry by playing "four-hour cover gigs four days a week.: "There are so many people that I've grown up listening to that played their first writer's rounds at that bar, and it was a similar feeling when we played the Ryman this past year. It was just one of those, 'Is this really happening?' moments.'"

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And in case anyone is wondering, it's also a time of life that Langley says she'd rather experience "single."

"I'm taking a step back from [relationships] and I'm focusing on me," laughs Langley, who recently snagged co-writing credits on Elle King's latest single, "Out Yonder" alongside fellow songwriters Matt McKinney and Bobby Hamrick. "There's a lot of things happening in my career right now, and I'm excited. I'm just taking time to focus on that. I mean, if something comes along the way, that's awesome. But I'm definitely just minding my own business and hanging out with my dog, you know?"

And she's got a lot to do in 2023.

"I would love to put out a couple bodies of work next year," Langley concludes. "I've only thus far put out singles, so that's a big one for me. I also just want to keep playing as many shows as I can play. We went to 36 states this past year, so for a small-town Alabama girl, that was really insane."