Ella Langley ties the Hot 100 record held by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey

Ella Langley just made country music history. Her hit “Choosin’ Texas” has now spent 15 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, surpassing Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” and Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together” for the longest reign among non-holiday songs by women with no male-billed acts.

Carey’s holiday hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You” still holds the overall Hot 100 record with 22 cumulative weeks at No. 1, meaning Langley’s song now trails only that Christmas classic. The achievement marks a major career milestone for Langley and a rare crossover success for a female country artist.

Choosing Texas ties an all-time record

“Choosin’ Texas” first reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated Feb. 14, 2026.

The achievement gives Langley the longest Hot 100 No. 1 run ever for a nonholiday song by a woman with no male-billed act. Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” led the Hot 100 for 19 and 16 weeks, respectively, but both featured billed collaborators, placing them in a different chart category.

The record category excludes holiday songs and tracks featuring separately billed male acts. Within that category, Langley now stands alone atop Houston and Carey, cementing an already remarkable run for a fast-rising star.

How the Hot 100 record works

The Billboard Hot 100 ranks songs using a combination of official U.S. streaming activity, radio airplay audience impressions, and sales data. A song does not have to lead every individual metric to rank at No. 1; its overall weighted performance determines its position.

During the July 10–16 tracking week, “Choosin’ Texas” recorded 24 million official U.S. streams, 51 million radio audience impressions, and 7,000 sales. Streaming fell 4% from the previous week, the radio audience increased 1%, and sales remained essentially unchanged.

Those combined results helped the song secure its 14th nonconsecutive week at No. 1 on the Hot 100. That consistency is exactly what built this historic streak.

Ella Langley rose to country stardom

Ella Langley is a country singer-songwriter from Hope Hull, Alabama. She has built her reputation through candid songwriting and a sound that draws from traditional country, Southern rock, and modern influences. Her sound blends classic country twang with modern pop touches.

In May 2026, Langley won Female Artist of the Year at the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards. She earned 7 awards overall, the most wins by a single artist in one year in ACM Awards history. It confirmed her place among the genre’s top talents.

Her album “Dandelion” also ranked No. 2 in the U.S. during the first half of 2026, with 1.638 million equivalent album units. Morgan Wallen’s “I’m the Problem” ranked No. 1 with 2.035 million units. The only artist ahead of her is fellow star, Morgan Wallen.

Fun facts: Elizabeth Camille Langley was born on May 3, 1999, in Hope Hull, Alabama. On her website, Langley is described as “a straight-shootin’ songwriter.

Comparing Langley with Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey

Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” spent 14 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1992 and 1993, and remains one of the most beloved ballads in music history. Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together” later matched that total with 14 weeks at No. 1 in 2005.

“Choosin’ Texas” has now surpassed both songs with 15 weeks at No. 1 in the category of non-holiday Hot 100 hits by women with no male-billed acts.

Streaming, radio, and sales numbers behind the hit

“Choosin’ Texas” continued to perform strongly through its recent tracking weeks, consistently generating in the range of 24 to 25 million official U.S. streams, more than 50 million radio audience impressions, and about 7,000 sales per week.

That combined streaming, radio, and sales performance has kept the song locked at the top of the Hot 100 well past the point where it once tied Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. Fans continue to purchase the song even after months at No. 1, and that loyalty has helped push the song’s total to 15 weeks at No. 1.

Life on the road during the Dandelion tour

Langley is currently touring in support of “Dandelion.” On July 16, she performed at TD Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario, with special guests Avery Anna and Madeline Edwards.

She then opened for Morgan Wallen at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on July 18. During her set, Langley’s dress came unzipped in the pouring rain, and she put on an oversized Baltimore Ravens jersey to finish the show. The moment quickly won over local football fans and went viral online.

The Dandelion Tour continued at Appalachian Wireless Arena in Pikeville, Kentucky, on July 23, with special guests Kaitlin Butts and Laci Kaye Booth. The tour shows no signs of slowing down, with dates now scheduled into the fall.

What comes next for Choosin Texas

Langley’s “Loving Life Again” is picking up strong momentum at country radio as the fourth single from “Dandelion,” gaining plays quickly in its opening weeks on the chart.

The song would need 7 more weeks at No. 1 to tie the 22-week overall record held by Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” and 8 more weeks to break it. A new nonholiday record is already in hand; the question now is how much further “Choosin’ Texas” can climb toward Carey’s Christmas classic.

Little-known fact: Ella Langley received her first Academy of Country Music Award, for new female artist of the year, on Friday afternoon (April 25). 

TL;DR

• “Choosin’ Texas” tied a 14-week record at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
• The song now matches Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” and Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together.”
• Only Carey’s holiday hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You” has spent more weeks at number one.
• Langley is touring in support of her hit album “Dandelion” and continues to top charts worldwide.
• Her new single “Loving Life Again” is already gaining strong traction on country radio.

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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.

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