Low-key, Ella Langley is the biggest breakout/crossover country music star of the year. I tend to judge country stars’ crossover appeal on whether my local pop-music radio station plays their music, and that station has been playing Ella’s music constantly in recent months. That’s true across the US – Langley is all over the radio, not just country stations. Ella’s two big hits are “Be Her” and “Choosin’ Texas,” both from her album Dandelion, which came out in April. Both songs are crazy earworms. I’ve wondered if the Ella Langley phenomenon was overblown, but it turns out that “Choosin’ Texas” has now achieved the same kind of elite status as Whitney Houston’s cover of “I Will Always Love You.”

Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” has now joined Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” and Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together” as a bona fide American classic. According to data released on Monday, it now ties those powerhouse songs as the only singles from solo women to spend 14 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. The only song to reign longer is Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” with 22 weeks — a run that is pretty impossible to beat, being how Christmas (and an associated chart bump) comes around every year. Right now, however, ‘Choosin’ Texas” isn’t showing any signs of slowing its momentum.

Neither is Langley. On July 16th, she played the biggest show of her Dandelion Tour yet: a sold-out date in Hamilton, Ontario, where she was joined by Madeline Edwards and Avery Anna as opening acts. She also donned a Ravens jersey two nights later after a wardrobe malfunction while opening for Morgan Wallen in Baltimore (surely endearing her to the Flock for life). The Alabama-born singer also holds three of the Top 10 spots on the Hot 100 currently, with “Be Her” at Number Three and her Wallen duet, “I Can’t Love You Anymore,” at Number Seven.

[From Rolling Stone]

Yeah, so people are mad about this! That a country lady is up there with Whitney and Mariah. But I think multiple things are happening here – one, they keep changing the charting criteria to reflect streaming, and I’ve always been suspicious of the ever-changing chart methodology. It’s really difficult to compare the success of a 1992 song versus a 2026 song. But I also think that Ella really hit that sweet spot and people noticed – an authentic country sensibility with a mainstream appeal. I’m saying that because I can’t get these songs out of my head.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.