Ella Langley and Bailey Zimmerman are two artists who left their mark on country music practically overnight. After going viral with the saucy Riley Green collab "You Look Like You Love Me," Langley, 26, took home a record five trophies at this year's ACM Awards. Meanwhile, Zimmerman, 25, just released the follow-up to last year's debut Religiously, which yielded a trio of chart-topping hits. While seeming to fare just fine on their own, the two up-and-comers likely appreciated this advice from seasoned pro Luke Bryan.
Arriving to Nashville in the early aughts, Luke Bryan penned a number of hits for artists like Travis Tritt and Billy Currington before releasing his 2007 debut, I'll Stay Me. Two decades later, he hasn't taken home five Entertainment of the Year trophies for nothing. The "Mind of a Country Boy" crooner's live shows are famously high-energy and entertaning.
Earlier this year, Bryan hosted his 10th annual Crash My Playa festival in Cancun, Mexico. Among this year's performers was upstart country star Bailey Zimmerman. Unfortunately, the "Rock and a Hard Place" singer's set was a disaster from more or less the moment he arrived onstage shirtless and highly intoxicated.
Amid all the online mockery, however, Bryan was there to lend the younger artist a supportive ear. The American Idol judge reflected on that discussion during a recent co-hosting gig on Country Countdown USA.
"When I was his age, people didn't shoot video of everything," Bryan said. "I told him, 'Learn, be better, and you're human.' Then we did a song together. He said, 'Yeah, let's do it!' He's being Bailey. When he walked out, the fans lost it. We got him in, and we got him outta there."
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The "Country Song Came On" singer has also had the opportunity to get to know Ella Langley, whom he introduced to the music of '80s country legend K.T. Oslin. Inking a record deal at age 45, Oslin enjoyed four No. 1 hits in the late '80s, including "Do Ya" and "I'll Always Come Back."
"It's so exciting to be on the cusp of your dreams coming true," Luke Bryan gushed of Langley. "She's becoming a celebrity. It's really fun. She has the right tools... It's so great, with her & Lainey, we've got girls now with country accents."