Ella Langley has set a new record on the Billboard Hot 100, with “Choosin’ Texas” spending 15 weeks at number one to make her the solo female artist with the longest-running non-Christmas song at the top of the US chart.
The milestone places the 26-year-old Alabama singer ahead of Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together” and Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” which each spent 14 weeks at number one. The all-time record for any song still belongs to Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which has reached 22 weeks at the top through repeated holiday returns.
Langley is from Hope Hull, Alabama. She began building her following by sharing music on social media and performing at small venues before signing with a record label in 2023. She first gained broader recognition with “You Look Like You Love Me,” recorded alongside fellow country singer Riley Green.
“Choosin’ Texas” has proven the bigger breakthrough. Langley co-wrote and co-produced the song with Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert, Joybeth Taylor and Ben West. The track has also led the Hot Country Songs chart for 33 weeks and topped the US summer songs chart for eight weeks.
The song had already broken another record earlier in its run, surpassing Debby Boone’s “You Light Up My Life,” which held the Hot 100 number one position for 10 weeks in 1977, the previous high-water mark for a country song by a woman on that chart.
Country music is currently holding all four of the top positions on the Billboard Hot 100. Behind “Choosin’ Texas” sit Taylor Swift’s “I Knew It, I Knew You” at number two, Stella Lefty’s “Boston” at number three, and Langley alongside Morgan Wallen on “I Can’t Love You Anymore” at number four. Having four country songs occupy the top four positions has happened only twice in the chart’s history.
At CMA Fest in Nashville, Langley opened the festival by riding onto the Nissan Stadium stage on a quad alongside Gretchen Wilson. The two performed “Here for the Party” together in one of the event’s most widely shared moments.
