From Sweatsuit Demo to Standing Ovation: How Ella Langley Became the Voice Riley Green Couldn’t Replace

Riley Green & Ella Langley Shine With “Don’t Mind If I Do” On The Voice Finale

Riley Green and Ella Langley brought their new duet, “Don’t Mind If I Do,” to the national stage during the season finale of The Voice on NBC, delivering a heartfelt performance that captivated both the live audience and viewers at home.

An Intimate Stage Setting

Green opened the performance alone, seated on a stool in the middle of a stage designed to resemble a giant whiskey barrel. Surrounded by flickering candles and illuminated by a single spotlight, the Alabama native strummed his guitar while singing the reflective opening verse of the breakup ballad. His warm vocals set the tone for the tender, whiskey-soaked confession.

Ella Langley Joins In

As the chorus rang out, Langley made her entrance, slipping onto the stool beside Green and layering her voice with his. She delivered the song’s final chorus from the female perspective, offering an emotional response to Green’s narrative. Her lines — “Well, I don’t mind if you do / Drink a little too much and show up at my house / Be nice to hear the truth…” — brought the duet’s story full circle, drawing cheers from the in-studio crowd.

The Story Behind The Song

Green later revealed that Langley’s involvement almost happened by chance. While in the studio recording “Don’t Mind If I Do,” he initially called her just to help test the key and lay down a scratch vocal. What happened next left him stunned.

“She came by from the house in a sweatsuit and sang it,” Green recalled. “She just crushed it. I couldn’t imagine anybody doing it better than she did.” Realizing the chemistry, Green knew the track had to feature her vocals.

A Winning Partnership

The duet is the title track of Green’s recently released third studio album, adding to a growing list of collaborations between the two Alabama natives. Just days before their Voice performance, their other duet, “You Look Like You Love Me,” climbed to No. 1 at U.S. country radio. The platinum-selling single has also topped charts in Canada, the UK, and Australia.

Their success together was further cemented at the CMA Awards last month, where the pair took home Musical Event of the Year — the first CMA win for both artists.

What’s Next

Green and Langley will continue building on their momentum as they hit the road together next year for Green’s headlining Damn Country Music Tour. With their undeniable chemistry and recent string of successes, the duo has quickly become one of country music’s most talked-about pairings.

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