Her second solo #1 on the country charts. Today, Ella Langley’s hit “Choosin’ Texas” is officially the #1 song on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, which is one of two charts labels use to officially track their songs performance, also including the Mediabase chart.
Ella previously scored a solo #1 on country radio with her single “Weren’t For The Wind” in July of 2025 (Mediabse), and she has two chart-topping duets with Riley Green in “You Look Like You Love Me” and “Don’t Mind If I Do.”
According to Billboard, “Choosin’ Texas” got to the top at a rapid pace, as the average trip to the top of Country Airplay in the last decade has taken 30 weeks, while Choosin’ Texas” reached the top in just 16, completing the quickest journey for a song by a woman and no co-billed acts since two Carrie Underwood did it in 2016 with “Church Bells” and “Heartbeat.”
The song was co-written by Ella along with Miranda as well as Luke Dick and Joybeth Taylor, and Miranda is also featured on background vocals, and her touch and style is apparent throughout the entire song, which is probably why it’s one of my favorites Ella has ever released. Soaked in steel and full of heartbreak, it finds Ella reminiscing on a lost love who fell in love with a Texas girl, leaving her heartbroken in Tennessee.
And of course, Ella is in a very tight race for the top spot on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart this week, as she’s neck and neck with the 2026 Grammy-winning Best New artist Olivia Dean with her song “Man I Need” for the top spot.
Yesterday, Ella shared some stories on Instagram asking fans for help in getting to the top, as she shared several stories on Instagram explaining the historical significance of it. If she can reach the top spot, she will join a very short, and legendary, list of women in country music who have had a solo #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Jeannie C. Riley did it with Harper Valley PTA” in 1968, Dolly Parton did it with “9 to 5” in 1981, Carrie Underwood did it with “Inside Your Heaven” in 2005 (and she is the only country artist to debut at #1 on the Hot 100) Taylor Swift did it with “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” in 2012 ( she was still classified as a country artist at this time), Kacey Musgraves did it as a featured artist with Zach Bryan on “I Remember Everything” in 2023, and most recently, Beyoncé did it with “Texas Hold ‘Em” in 2024, which (I guess) was classified as a country song even though that whole Cowboy Carter album was quite controversial, and with that, she became the first Black woman to top both the Hot 100 and the Hot Country Songs chart.
That’s just six in total, and two of them aren’t even country artists… so Ella would be in rare company, indeed.
If she does pull it off, she will become just the third female artist to have a #1 on both the Hot Country songs chart and Billboard Hot 100, as the only other two who have done it are the aforementioned Taylor Swift with a 2021 re-recording of a 2012 song “All Too Well [Taylor’s Version]”, following “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” in 2012. Beyoncé also did it with “Texas Hold ‘Em” in 2024.
Of course, “Choosin’ Texas” is the lead single from her highly-anticipated sophomore studio album Dandelion, which is set for release in April. Clearly, it’s off to a red hot start, and I imagine that success will only continue as she continues to roll out more music from this next era.
A huge congratulations to Ella for this massive accomplishment, and here’s to many more for her in the future.
“Choosin’ Texas”
Dandelion Tour Dates:
5/7/2026 Toledo, OH Huntington Center (+,&)
5/8/2026 St. Louis, MO Chaifetz Arena (+,&)
5/14/2026 Estero, FL Hertz Arena (@, &)
5/15/2026 Savannah, GA Enmarket Arena (@, &)
6/18/2026 Oklahoma City, OK Zoo Amphitheatre (+,&)
6/19/2026 Independence, MO Cable Dahmer Arena (+,&)
6/25/2026 Salem, VA Salem Civic Center (+,&)
6/26/2026 Wilmington, NC Live Oak Bank Pavilion at Riverfront Park (+,&)
7/23/2026 Pikeville, KY Appalachian Wireless Arena (#, %)
7/24/2026 Cary, NC Koka Booth Amphitheatre (#, %)
7/25/2026 North Charleston, SC North Charleston Coliseum (#, %)
7/30/2026 Gilford, NH BankNH Pavilion (@, %)
7/31/2026 Canandaigua, NY CMAC (@, %)
8/13/2026 Austin, TX Moody Center (#, &)
8/14/2026 Corpus Christi, TX Hilliard Center (#, &)
8/15/2026 Fort Worth, TX Dickies Arena (#, &)
@ Kameron Marlowe
+ Dylan Marlowe
# Kaitlin Butts
& Gabriella Rose
% Laci Kaye Booth
