A Traditional Country Song is Now The First 4-Week #1 All-Genre By A Country Woman
The records just keep on coming for Ella Langley and her mega hit “Choosin’ Texas.” But this one might be the biggest of them all, taking Ella somewhere that no woman in country music has ever gone before.
This week, Ella Langley marks four weeks total for “Choosin’ Texas” being the most popular song in all of music, topping Billboard’s all-genre Hot Country Songs chart at #1. This is something that’s never happened before for a country woman in history. Not even Taylor Swift accomplished this when she was still considered “country” with her massive crossover hits. The closest Swift ever got was three weeks at #1 for “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” in 2012.
Only three other songs from country women made it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. This includes Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” from 1981, and the crossover hit “Islands in the Stream” with Kenny Rogers in 1983. Of course, Kenny shares in the accolades for the second one. Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” was also classified as country, but only spent two weeks at #1 as well.
What all of these other songs have in common is they were distinctly pop crossover tracks. “Choosin’ Texas” has officially crossed over in to pop and in a big way, but it’s ultimately still a traditional-leaning country song about two-step dancing with prominent steel guitar. That’s what makes this feat so phenomenal, especially since Ella didn’t need a male duet partner or hip-hop remix to accomplish it.
Along with the record-setting week atop the Billboard Hot 100, “Choosin’ Texas” also spends its 17th week at #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It’s also enjoying its fourth week at #1 on the Streaming Songs chart, while it also sits at #2 on the Digital Songs Sales chart, and #9 on the all-genre Radio Songs chart.
Simply put, “Choosin’ Texas” remains a monster, and is now one of the most popular and accomplished songs in country music history. Named Saving Country Music’s 2025 Single of the Year, the song was co-written and co-produced by Miranda Lambert with Ella Langley. Luke Dick and Joybeth Taylor also share songwriting credits.
“Choosin’ Texas” is showing a teeny tiny indication of slowing down. It’s streams this week of 21.8 million is officially down 4%, and its radio audience is down an estimated 3%. But the song released in October of 2025 still might be on track to be one of the biggest singles in all of music all year.
Ella Langley’s new album Dandelion is set for release April 10th, and is also likely to soar on the charts upon release. It’s not that country music has a new superstar. It’s that America music has a new superstar. And this one is country.
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March 24, 2026 @ 7:55 am
And Johnny Blue Sky’s Mutiny After Midnight debuts at #3 on the Billboard 200 list. Achieved selling old school physical copies only. Just as predicted here —- not. Put that in yer pipe and smoke it.
March 24, 2026 @ 8:07 am
Come on dude lol
March 24, 2026 @ 8:25 am
I’m happy for Sturgill Simpson. “Mutiny After Midnight” is a fun album that I enjoyed listening to.
For the record, I didn’t predict failure or a mediocre performance for “Mutiny After Midnight.” On the contrary, I predicted it would do very well since physical copies are weighted so heavily in the charts. I also didn’t write a negative review for the album like I’ve also been strangely accused of. I think it’s a good album and I’m glad for its success. Strangely, people accused me of the same exact things for the last Tyler Childers record when the opposite was the case.
There is now officially an aggressive, and frankly, irresponsible Stan culture that has been created around Sturgill Simpson, illustrated by the irrational exuberance you only see around Beyonce and K-pop bands. Everything has to be subservient to Sturgill, which creates inequities in the attention economy, while also undermining community by demanding fans and outlets express Sturgill’s unmitigated “10/10” brilliance or be subject to ad hominem attacks.
Ella Langley is a country artist doing incredible things with a country song. That’s what our focus should be here. I might address the Sturgill release at some point, but it’s not a country album, and didn’t chart on the country charts. I think it will be interesting to see where it is next week, or weeks from now like this Ella Langley track.
March 24, 2026 @ 9:52 am
Sturgill Simpsons not a Country artist. Hasn’t been in years.
Any amount of physical sales even 15-20k units is a big deal in the charts. But overall in the general population of the US its not even slightly significant. He’s a very niche artist with a small but loud fan-base.
As for Ella Langley (an actual country artist who apparently actually appreciates a loyal fan-base as far as I can tell) she’s struck paydirt. May it continue for her!
March 24, 2026 @ 8:06 am
I got a pretty noticeable soft spot for Ella, since “Like my daddy done” but damn, “Be Her” is bad and I hope they shove that in the kitchen junk drawer when the album comes out.
Still love the kid tho and super happy to hear this.
March 24, 2026 @ 8:08 am
This is super cool! I will be checking out her album when it drops. Hope it’s more like this.
March 24, 2026 @ 8:36 am
Ella Langley is kinda like the Country music version of Sade. Vocally she is doing things that are technically “wrong” by ending certain phrases with a talking sorta whisper, but emotion stands out. The shy girl demeanor thing along with being objectively attractive also helps. This is more of a hot take but I think the reason beyond her looks that are drawing guys to her as an artist is because she doesn’t lean into the girl power bullshit like some other female artists – and big surprise….she has more male listeners.
March 24, 2026 @ 9:13 am
Ummm…huh?
March 24, 2026 @ 9:30 am
What exactly are you confused about?
March 24, 2026 @ 9:45 am
Unironically lives life as a caricature, and has found a medium more suitable and rewarding than any major social media to give him prompts that allow him to show how by-the-books stereotypical he can be.
Funny how firmly and far a stick of stupid can be lodged up someone’s ass, parading him around like a puppet, making a show of himself without being aware of it, thinking that all his “natural” positions on things have him heads and shoulders above everyone else – based on notions of “it’s right because it came from my brain,” and “it came from my brain, so it must be right,” when it comes to loving the scent of his own farts.
March 24, 2026 @ 9:29 am
I’m not necessarily surprised that this song is a country hit. We all mostly agreed when Trig added it to the playlist long before it took off that it was a decent to good song. What does shock me is the crossover success. Beyond the pedal steel (which most non-country listeners probably don’t even know what instrument makes that sound) is her undeniable Alabama twang. Around here we’re all so used to twangy vocals it sounds perfectly normal to us. But for folks listening to Olivia Dean and Harry Styles all day it does surprise me their ears like it. And Straight is right, she does end certain phrases in a very unique way but I hear it more as a higher condensed note (like a vocal flip maybe) than a whisper. It is distinctly Ella that’s for sure. Good for her and good for real country music. Ella is easy to root for as she comes across as likable and humble from the little social media I’ve taken the time to check out on her.
March 24, 2026 @ 9:56 am
It’s a good song. She is country and it is a country song. It has to be good the genre. Well done to her.
March 24, 2026 @ 10:10 am
Unfortunately the follow up single she just released is right back to pop country, erasing all the traditional country gaines she may have made.