Ella Langley performs Dolly Parton’s classic hit “Jolene” onstage during “CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton” at The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts in Nashville, Tennessee, on October 21, 2026. The country singer commands the microphone in an ivory draped one-shoulder gown featuring sheer mesh embellished with intricate rhinestone swirls across the neckline and long sleeves, paired with pointed-toe crystal pumps and an effortless updo. | Source: Getty Images
Her selection was “Jolene,” a song that had followed her from college bars to arena stages. Those early performances belonged to a very different chapter of her career, but Dolly’s desperate plea had remained in the set.
There was a connection to her own music, too. Ella’s “Choosin’ Texas,” associated with her record-breaking Hot 100 success, also deals with losing a man to another woman.
The choice gave her familiar emotional territory to explore. But some listeners felt her delivery missed the desperation they wanted to hear, and their responses were far less gentle than the tribute itself.
