Ella Langley Talks Sand in My Boots and Miranda Lambert (Exclusive)

Ella Langley is a country fan’s dream girl!

On Saturday, May 17, the “Weren’t for the Wind” singer caught up with PEOPLE at the Scent x Sound Lab by Bath & Body Works after her rocking performance at Morgan Wallen‘s inaugural Sand in My Boots Festival. For Langley, who’s an Alabama native, this was a full-circle moment.

“I used to go to Hangout [Music Festival]. That was the thing I did for my senior graduation,” Langley, 26, tells PEOPLE of the music festival, held at Alabama’s Gulf Shores. “We didn’t go on a senior trip. I went to Hangout, and every year I go on vacation down here.”

The “Hell of a Man” singer continues, “It’s just cool to be included on this first year of Sand in My Boots. It’s definitely going down in history what this festival’s going to do.”

During her set, Langley performed a series of her songs including “Weren’t for the Wind,” “Country Boy’s Dream Girl,” “Nicotine” and “Hungover.”

Later that afternoon, she came out during Riley Green‘s set for a performance of their award-winning collaboration “You Look Like You Love Me” and “Don’t Mind If I Do.”

Last week, Langley was the most-nominated artist at the ACM Awards. She took home five trophies for New Female Artist of the Year, Single of the Year, Music Event of the Year and Visual Media of the Year.

She also took the stage with Miranda Lambert to perform her 2005 hit “Kerosene.” Reflecting on that moment, Langley says Lambert has always served as an inspiration.

“There’s a ridiculous amount of highlights of that whole entire week,” she says of the ACM Awards.

She continues, “But performing ‘Kerosene,’ I already knew that I was going to do ‘Weren’t for the Wind’ but when we got asked to do ‘Kerosene,’ God, I was just like, ‘It just made the night so much better for me because I got that initial fear out and that was our first time performing together. It felt like a 12-year-old kid living her biggest dream ever on stage.”

Growing up, Langley admired the “Bluebird” singer for her strength and independence.

“She is who she is and she doesn’t apologize for that,” Langley explains of Lambert. “She stands up for herself, but she also stands up for others she believes in. And that’s just always been apparent by watching her as a young artist. So I’m really grateful to get to work alongside her.”

On her collaboration with Bath & Body Works, Langley says the company’s scents have always brought a feeling of memory and nostalgia. When asked what love smells like, Langley says “it depends on the day.”

“Sometimes it smells like mahogany tea, wood, kind of sexy. And then some days it smells like strawberry shortcake,” she says.

She concludes, “And let me tell you, some days it smells like rain. And that’s just the truth.”