Shania Twain Shares Why She's Looking Forward To Meeting Ella Langley

Shania Twain hopes to meet Ella Langley at the 61st ACM Awards later this month.

Twain caught up with TODAY’s Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones on Friday morning (May 1), and spoke about her upcoming ACM hosting debut. The global country-pop icon hailed herself “a big supporter” and “a really big fan” of other artists, and she looked forward to cheering for new artists and nominees. When asked whether there are any artists she’s most excited about, Twain thought for a moment and shared that she hopes to talk with Langley. The Come On Over artist applauded Langley’s authenticity in her music, and expressed an interest in the Alabama-born country star’s musical influences throughout her life.

“When I first heard her song come out, I thought, ‘wow, this is the real thing.’ And I’ve realized how much I’ve been missing hearing that authenticity, musically, the production-wise, her voice, her lyrics,” Twain said on TODAY with Jenna & Sheinelle. “So, I’m very excited to meet her. I want to know more about where this style came from. Obviously, it must’ve been rooted in something from her childhood, which is really, really great. So I’m excited to meet her and to cheer all of these wonderful artists on.”

Twain said in a statement when the Academy of Country Music announced she’d host the show, “I’m thrilled to be hosting the 61st ACM Awards in Las Vegas, a place that feels like home. It’s such an honor to be part of this incredible night celebrating Country Music’s biggest stars, especially with so many talented women leading nominations this year. I can’t wait to welcome all of the fans and artists out for this unforgettable night.”

Langley is one of the most-nominated artists with seven nods at this year’s show. Other leading nominees include Megan Moroney, Miranda Lambert, and Lainey Wilson (who received nine, eight and seven nominations, respectively), plus Chris Stapleton, Zach Top and Cody Johnson (with six, five and four nominations, respectively). Langley will also take the stage as a performer at the ACM Awards, along with Blake Shelton, Carter Faith, Dan + Shay, Jordan Davis, Kane Brown, The Red Clay Strays, Thomas Rhett and Zach Top, plus Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson, Riley Green, Kacey Musgraves, Little Big Town and Miranda Lambert. The Academy of Country Music will announce additional performers and presenters in the coming weeks.

The 61st ACM Awards will kick off at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. PT on Sunday, May 17. See the full list of nominations here.

Throughout her appearance on TODAY with Jenna & Sheinelle, Twain also spoke about the 30th anniversary of Come On Over, new music, performing with Harry Styles and more. Watch it here: