Country music has a new record-holder at the very top of the pop charts. Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” has now spent 23 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, more than any song in the chart’s history. The milestone, reached in September, moves the Alabama-born singer past Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which had held the record with 22 weeks at the summit accumulated over many holiday seasons.
How the record run unfolded
Released in October 2025, “Choosin’ Texas” climbed to No. 1 in February 2026 and never drifted far from the top. Along the way it set a series of landmarks:
- It became the first song by a female artist to lead the Hot 100, Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts at the same time.
- In August, country songs filled the entire Hot 100 top five for the first time, with Langley’s single leading the pack.
- Its 19th week at No. 1 tied the longest run for a non-holiday song, a mark previously shared by several modern hits.
- Its 20th week, on the chart dated September 5, made it the longest-running non-holiday No. 1 ever.
- Its 23rd week broke the all-time record outright.
According to industry data cited by the Associated Press, the song had gathered more than 911 million on-demand streams in the United States and about 1.26 billion worldwide by mid-August.
Why this song connected
Part of the answer is timing. Country has been on a long commercial upswing, powered by streaming audiences far beyond the genre’s traditional base. Langley’s mix of classic country storytelling and modern pop-ready production has made her one of the clearest beneficiaries. The record also speaks to how listening habits have changed: hits now stay in heavy rotation on playlists for months, making long chart reigns far more common than in the radio-only era.
A breakthrough year
The chart record caps an extraordinary 2026 for Langley. Her album Dandelion, released on April 10, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, her first chart-topping album. Follow-up single “Be Her” reached No. 2 on the Hot 100, kept from the top only by “Choosin’ Texas.” Her Dandelion Tour, with an all-female lineup of opening acts, ran through August.
Next up is awards season. Langley leads the field at the 2026 CMA Awards with nine nominations, including Entertainer of the Year, and the ceremony takes place in Nashville on November 18.
What comes next
The open question is how long the run lasts. Every additional week extends a record that may be difficult for anyone to challenge soon. Keep up with the charts in our Music section.