Unstoppable.
As we near the end of the year, it’s becoming increasingly clear that 2026 will go down as the year of Ella Langley. Simply put, it’s hard to argue that she’s not just the hottest star in country music, but in music as a whole.
If you’ve been paying close attention within the genre over the years, it was more than apparent that the Alabama native was bound to be a star, catching early buzz with tracks like “Country Boy’s Dream Girl,” “paint the town blue,” “That’s Why We Fight” with Koe Wetzel and “you look like you love me” with Riley Green. With that being said, however, I don’t think anyone could have predicted the world-dominating, record-smashing success she’s had recently with the mega hit that is “Choosin’ Texas.”
Since its release on October 17th, it is now the longest-running #1 hit by a female artist this century, the only country song by a woman to triple up and go #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, Hot Country and Country Airplay charts simultaneously. In case that wasn’t enough, thanks to the success of her sophomore album, Dandelion, which debuted at #1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 and sold 169,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week, Langley became just the second woman in history to hold the #1 album and song in the U.S. simultaneously with a country song/album.
In September, she made U.S. history by officially capturing the longest-running #1 hit in U.S. history with 23 weeks, passing Mariah Carey’s long-standing record of 22 atop the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.
Throughout October, however, Langley and “Choosin’ Texas” have been noticeably absent from the top of the chart. Of course, this is due to Taylor Swift doing what she does best and dropping a four-song deluxe edition to her record-breaking 2025 album, The Life of a Showgirl. In typical Swift fashion, she released a piano and acoustic version of the deluxe album’s lead single, “Patient Zero,” also selling limited edition CD versions for a 24-hour timeframe. This allowed the former country star to score a three-week #1 with the aforementioned single.
As she’s been doing seemingly all year, however, Langley would return to #1 the past two weeks, and she’s back once again today, beating out a Halloween-time push this week from Michael Jackson’s classic single, “Thriller,” which re-entered at #2.
Today, Langley and “Choosin’ Texas” remained at the top of the Hot 100 and extended its record to a 27th week at #1, garnering 18.8 million official streams, 53 million airplays on radio and 4,000 units sold.
Though it shouldn’t be surprising, given the song’s dominance throughout the year, “Choosin’ Texas'” 27th week at #1 was aided by yet another strong streaming boost recently. This morning, the smash hit was once again the #1 song on every major U.S. streaming service, topping Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes and Amazon’s all-genre charts.
Notably, “Choosin’ Texas” extends its lead for the second-longest #1 hit on Hot Country Songs (48 weeks) and hit its all-time high at #2 on the all-genre Radio Songs chart. With 48 weeks and counting on Hot Country Songs, Langley only needs to remain at #1 on the chart for three more weeks to break Florida Georgia Line and Bebe Rexha’s record of 50 with “Meant To Be.”
With momentum staying incredibly strong for Langley and “Choosin’ Texas,” coupled with the fact that the CMA Awards are coming up in just 10 days on November 19th, there’s a strong possibility the song reaches the never-before-seen 30-week mark by the end of the month. Of course, this is barring any major releases from major, chart-friendly artists such as Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Drake and more.
Longest-Running Billboard Hot 100 #1 Hits
1. “Choosin’ Texas” – Ella Langley (27 weeks)
2. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” – Mariah Carey (22 weeks)
T3. “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” – Shaboozey (19 weeks)
T3. “Old Town Road” – Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus (19 weeks)
4. “Last Night” – Morgan Wallen (16 weeks)
5. “Despacito” – Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber (16 weeks)
6. “One Sweet Day” – Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men (16 weeks)
7. “As It Was” – Harry Styles (15 weeks)
“Choosin’ Texas”
