Ella Langley is 27 years old, was born in Hope Hull, Alabama, was homeschooled in Montgomery for six years because she was “a distraction,” and her song “Choosin’ Texas” has now spent its 14th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, tying the record held by Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together” and Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” for the longest runs by a woman on a non-holiday title, which is the sentence that requires a moment.
Langley called the milestone “insane” in an Instagram story, which is the word available when the comparison is Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston and the alternative options are more formal than the situation calls for. Her album “Dandelion” is No. 2 on the Billboard 200, behind only Morgan Wallen’s “I’m the Problem” at No. 1, which means two country acts are the top two albums in America by unit count in 2026, a configuration that would have been described as unlikely fifteen years ago when country music’s mainstream reach was significantly smaller.
Country music has become the dominant genre in American popular music over the past five years through a combination of streaming data, TikTok virality, and crossover artists who graduated from country radio to mainstream playlists without changing their sound. Langley is the genre’s clearest example of the trajectory: her first album “Hungover” was a country debut, her song “You Look Like You Love Me” went viral on TikTok, and “Choosin’ Texas” became the longest-running No. 1 by a female country artist in the history of the Hot 100, a record she set before the 14-week tie with Carey and Houston.
She is 27. She grew up in Hope Hull, Alabama. She was a distraction in school. The record held by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston now also belongs to her.
When a 27-year-old from Alabama ties Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston on the Billboard Hot 100 with a country song, what exactly has country music become?
Sources
Fox News OutKick: Ella Langley ties record with ‘Choosin’ Texas’ at No. 1 on Hot 100
