Lainey Wilson presented Ella Langley with the Powerhouse Award at Wednesday’s Billboard 2026 Women in Music event at the Hollywood Palladium.
“She comes from the kind of place where you learn early how to work hard, tell the truth, and stand 10 toes down in who you are and the stories you were born to tell. That’s what makes this Powerhouse Award feel so right,” Lainey said as she introduced Ella.
After performing her smash hit “Choosin’ Texas,” Ella accepted the accolade, admitting she was winging it since her efforts to write a speech had failed.
“To me, Powerhouse is strength, resilience,” she said. “It’s coming back when you don’t necessarily want to, but you feel like ‘I’m going to, I’m gonna fight for this, I’m gonna fight for this thing that I love to do.’ And this is something that I’ve wanted to do my whole entire life. There hasn’t been another dream for me, there wasn’t a day that I wanted to be anything else.”
“So to get this award, I think all those years of kicking down doors to me — Powerhouse — didn’t go to waste I guess,” she closed.
You can watch the entire Billboard 2026 Women in Music event on YouTube.
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