Country Music Now Reigns at #1 in All of Music

It really is hard to put into words the kind of moment country music is having, and more specifically, the moment country women are having. It’s worth regarding it as unprecedented, because it’s truly never happened before. And it comes during an era when conventionally, women, traditional country songs, and earnest songwriters have struggled. But we very well might be witnessing the end of that era.

This week, Ella Langley’s traditional country song “Choosin’ Texas” is once again the #1 song in all of music at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, regaining the spot it first achieved three weeks ago. That means “Choosin’ Texas” isn’t just a mega hit, it’s one of those songs that’s here to stay. Who knows at this point, it might end up being the 2026 Song of the Summer if this continues.

But that’s not all. Just as remarkable and unprecedented, simultaneous to Ella Langley’s continued dominance, Megan Moroney’s new album Cloud 9 crests the Billboard 200 all-genre albums chart upon its debut. Though the album is fair to label as country pop, it’s much more country than you would expect from a big mainstream album, including multiple straight traditional country songs. It also includes a lot of first-person songwriting, which is the reason Moroney is resonating so significantly.

In the nearly 70-year history of Billboard’s two biggest charts, there has never been a moment when two country women have landed #1 simultaneously on the Hot 100 and Billboard 200. There are only four other instances when it’s happened for a combination of any two country artists.

But it’s not just what Ella Langley and Megan Moroney have done collectively. It’s also what they’ve accomplished individually that’s unprecedented.

Megan Moroney’s Cloud 9 sold 147,000 albums in physical copies and streaming equivalents on its debut week. For comparison, Zach Bryan’s With Heaven On Top released earlier this year went #1, but with only 134,000 albums. That means Megan Moroney is all of a sudden in the elite class of performers.

Interestingly, 78,000 of those albums were physical sales, bolstered by multiple vinyl color variants. This also puts Moroney at #1 on the Top Albums Sales chart, and beats out her streaming equivalents of 69,000 (71.54 million total streams) according to Billboard. What this means is that Moroney’s fans are dedicated, and many are of the grassroots kind who are willing to purchase actual albums.

Moroney’s Cloud 9 reaching #1 all-genre also puts her in very elite company with country women. Only four other women have done so in the last ten years: Taylor Swift with her “Taylor’s Version” re-releases, Carrie Underwood, Shania Twain, and (cough) Beyoncé. This is very elite company.

Meanwhile, Ella Langley’s song “Choosin’ Texas” continues to dominate in country, spending its 14th week at #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart to go along with her #1 in all of music. It’s also the #1 streaming song, the #1 digital song (downloads), and is at #9 in all of music on the radio.

Does this mean that all the problems are solved for the women of country music trying to get their fair share of attention in the marketplace? Of course not. But it also is a very promising sign. Glass ceilings are shattering left and right in 2026, with Ella Langley readying a new album in April, Kaitlin Butts now signed to a major label, Lainey Wilson as the CMA Entertainer of the Year, Carter Faith continuing to create buzz, Sierra Ferrell just appearing on SNL, among other promising artists and opportunities.

And most importantly, Megan Moroney and Ella Langley aren’t just finding success in country as women. Their finding success with music that is more country than what dominated previous eras.

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