SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Fair is excited to announce that country music sensation Ella Langley will take the Grandstand Stage as part of the 2026 Illinois State Fair lineup on Friday, August 21, 2026.
Langley, one of country music’s most dynamic and fastest-rising new voices, has rapidly become a force in the genre. Her debut album, hungover, earned widespread critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Billboard and more, while her 3x Platinum-certified breakout single “you look like you love me” featuring Riley Green topped Country radio, hit the Billboard Hot 100 (Top 30), and also made CMA history—sweeping every category it has ever been nominated for and becoming the first song in CMA history to win all four honors: Single of the Year (2025), Song of the Year (2025), Music Video of the Year (2025), and Musical Event of the Year (2024)—making it the first track in CMA history to claim all four honors. She followed that success with a second No. 1 hit, “weren’t for the wind,” making Langley one of an elite group of female artists to go back-to-back at the top of the Country Airplay Chart with their first two singles.
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“We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Ella Langley to the Illinois State Fair,” said Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II. “She’s one of the most exciting rising stars in country music, and her performance is sure to be a highlight for fairgoers this summer.”
She emerged as a breakout star at the 2025 ACM Awards, leading with eight nominations and winning five, and also earning six nominations for the 2025 CMA Awards and winning three. Her latest single “Choosin’ Texas” became her highest-charting debut, delivered her largest solo streaming debut to date, and impacted 130 first-week radio stations, marking the third-largest add week for a solo female release this decade. Earlier this month, she wrapped her completely sold-out tour with a triumphant two-night headline finale at the historic Ryman Auditorium. Ella still has plenty up her sleeve — a true country darling entering 2026 ready to unveil the next chapter of her unstoppable rise.
