What do Ella Langley, Whitney Houston, and Mariah Carey have in common? If “Choosin’ Texas” holds its seemingly unstoppable momentum on the Billboard Hot 100, it will be the number 14: that is, the three artists will tie as the only women to have a song spend 14 weeks on top of the chart. For Carey, it was “We Belong Together”; for Houston, “I Will Always Love You.” (Only Carey’s consummate holiday classic “All I Want for Christmas Is You” has reigned longer, with 22 weeks.)
Right now, Langley shares a spot with Brandy and Monica’s “The Boy Is Mine,” which also reigned for 13 weeks back in 1998 — and which, like “Choosin’ Texas,” is also about two women battling over the same man.
Langley’s success right now isn’t only confined to “Choosin’ Texas.” The Alabama-born singer currently holds three of the Top 10 spots on the Hot 100, with “Be Her” at Number Two, and her Morgan Wallen duet “I Can’t Love You Anymore” at Number Four. Langley’s newest single from her second album, Dandelion, “Loving Life Again,” just impacted country radio with more than half of reporting stations signing on to play the tune.
Meanwhile, she has been using her extended spotlight to help turn the tables for women in country music, making sure to platform her female peers and taking primarily women — some not even signed by major labels — on the road with her this summer.
“Choosin’ Texas” has been breaking records constantly, with its biggest feat becoming the first song by a woman to top Billboard’s Hot 100, Hot Country, and Country Airplay charts all at the same time. It speaks to Langley’s star power, the song’s endless relatability, and the country’s taste for … well, country music.
“Everyone can relate to wanting something that doesn’t want you back, whether it be a relationship or a job,” Langley told Rolling Stone. “I’m giving my heart to people a lot. And that’s scary to constantly do, because no one wants their heart broken.”
