Some surprising names here.
It’s hard to argue that there’s a bigger artist, not just in the genre but music as a whole, than Ella Langley in 2026. Simply put, the Alabama native has become nothing short of a phenomenon thanks to the megahit that is “Choosin’ Texas” and her sophomore album, Dandelion. And, in turn, she has captured the hearts of nearly everyone in the country and the world over the past year.
Since its release on October 17th, 2025, “Choosin’ Texas” is now the longest-running #1 hit in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 with 26 weeks and counting, 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 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.
Though some haters and pop stans will argue that Langley is a one-hit wonder with “Choosin’ Texas,” the simple fact of the matter is that Dandelion has been nothing short of a smash hit. Beyond the fact that it has already sold well over two million units in the U.S — getting a 2x Platinum certification from the RIAA just six months after its release — as well as setting multiple records on country radio due to it spawning four #1 hits, the record is simply a great record from top to bottom.
Even if you ignore all the smash hits like “Choosin’ Texas,” “Be Her” and “I Can’t Love You Anymore” with Morgan Wallen, there’s a plethora of rock-solid deep cuts such as “Butterfly Season” with Miranda Lambert, “Broken,” “Somethin’ Simple” and “Low Lights.”
With that being said, however, one of the standouts and subsequent fan-favorites has been none other than “Speaking Terms,” a song penned by Joybeth Taylor and Helene Cronin that connected to Langley due to her journey back to God and how much her faith has grown:
“He never did. But it took me to my knees, and I’m so grateful for the journey that He’s led me on because it genuinely has grown me into the human being that is made to do this, and He let me venture out far enough, but He was like, ‘You ain’t that far. I got you right here.’
So last year, I pulled my Bible out. I had dust all over it. I had to look for it for two days. But every day, I was in the Word, I’m still doing that and I’m still growing and that’s the thing, with all of these questions, ‘How are you getting through this?’ It’s that. It is truly that. That is the thing that saved my life last year.”
As we all know by now, Langley has put her faith at the center of her live show over the past year or so, frequently delivering powerful speeches about how her life has been transformed before performing both “Speaking Terms” and her newest #1 hit, “Loving Life Again.”
With that being said, however, she recently revealed that “Speaking Terms” almost never found its way to her, being offered to some major artists beforehand.
During the final show of the Dandelion Tour in St. Paul, Minnesota, at the Grand Casino Arena, Langley would reveal that the song was offered to none other than Beyoncé (presumably during the recording of her explicitly non-country COWBOY CARTER album) as well as reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year winner, Cody Johnson.
Additionally, the 27-year-old singer/songwriter would also admit that she didn’t feel worthy of recording the song at first, alluding to her recent reconnection to her faith.
“Multiple artists had this one on hold. Beyoncé had this song on hold for a second, believe it or not. Cody Johnson — and there’s a lot of people that this song didn’t land on.”
I just wanted the song to win, and I didn’t feel like at the time I was worth enough for it until I had that moment. And it was like, ‘Speaking Terms!’ And I called her right then, and I said, ‘Hey, can I put that song on hold?’ She said, ‘Absolutely, yes.’
Finally, Langley would encourage fans in the crowd to be patient in their spiritual journey like she was, promising them that if they put their mind on God, they’ll hear Him in a way they’ve never heard before.
“Tonight, I just want you to focus on that… Maybe you ain’t in the place of the Lord you want to be at, and it comes in ebbs and flows. But I promise you, you put your mind on the Bible, you put your mind on the Lord that you’re gonna be hearing him in a different way that you’ve heard him before.”
Amen.
“Speaking Terms”
