Country music has spent the last few years taking over parts of the pop charts that once seemed almost impossible to reach.
Now Ella Langley has pushed that run into truly historic territory.
Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” has spent 22 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, tying the all-time record for the longest reign in the chart’s history.
That puts the country hit alongside Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which has also collected 22 weeks at the top. Billboard has tracked the Hot 100 since 1958.
For Nashville, the milestone is bigger than one artist having a huge song.
“Choosin’ Texas” was built by a group of songwriters with deep ties to the country music business, and its success is another sign of just how far Nashville-made country music is traveling right now.
“Choosin’ Texas” Is Now in Rare Company
The numbers are hard to ignore.
Billboard reported that “Choosin’ Texas” remained No. 1 on the Hot 100 for a 22nd week on the chart dated Sept. 19, 2026. That matches the record held by Carey’s Christmas hit.
And Langley had already broken another major record before reaching 22 weeks.
At 20 weeks, “Choosin’ Texas” passed Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Old Town Road” for the longest No. 1 run by a non-holiday song in Hot 100 history.
That means a country song released in 2025 has now lasted longer at No. 1 than some of the biggest pop and crossover hits of the past several decades.
As of this week, the song has also spent 40 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, making it only the third song to reach that mark.
That is not a quick viral moment.
It is staying power.
Nashville Songwriting Is All Over This Record
Langley did not write the song alone.
“Choosin’ Texas” was written by Ella Langley, Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick and Joybeth Taylor. MusicRow has repeatedly highlighted the song’s writers during its long run.
That songwriting credit is part of why this matters in Music City.
Nashville’s music business has always been built around songs as much as singers. Writers move between publishing houses, writing rooms, studios and labels, often creating the material that later becomes a national hit.
“Choosin’ Texas” is a very modern example of that system working on an enormous scale.
It is a country record, but its reach now goes well beyond country radio.
Billboard reported that the song is also charting in the top 10 on Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay and Adult Contemporary.
That crossover is a big reason Nashville is having such an unusual moment.
Country songs are no longer simply dominating country charts. They are increasingly competing at the very top of the all-genre charts too.
The Song Is Still Pulling Huge Numbers
A 22-week run at No. 1 sounds even more impressive when you look at how much activity the song is still generating.
For the Sept. 4-10 tracking week, Billboard reported that “Choosin’ Texas” had:
- 24 million official U.S. streams
- 56.9 million radio audience impressions
- 6,000 copies sold
It also remained No. 1 on Streaming Songs for a 22nd week and returned to the top of Digital Song Sales for a 17th week.
Those figures show why the song has been so hard to knock out of the top spot.
It is not surviving because of only one part of the music business.
People are streaming it.
Radio stations are playing it.
And listeners are still buying it.
That combination is exactly what the Hot 100 is designed to measure.
Country Music Is Having a Bigger Moment Than One Song
Langley’s record comes during a remarkable period for country music on the Hot 100.
According to Billboard, country songs have filled the chart’s top three, top four or top five on 15 occasions in Hot 100 history — and 11 of those occasions have happened since the beginning of July 2026.
That is a striking shift.
Country artists have crossed into pop before, of course. Nashville has spent decades producing songs that reached listeners far beyond traditional country audiences.
But the current volume is different.
Langley, Morgan Wallen and other country-associated artists have been appearing together near the top of the same all-genre chart.
MusicRow also reported that “Choosin’ Texas” was named Billboard’s No. 1 Song of the Summer for 2026. Country songs took all three of the top positions on that seasonal chart for the first time.
For a city whose economy and identity are deeply tied to music, that matters.
Nashville is not simply watching country have a good year.
The genre is currently occupying a much larger piece of mainstream American music than it did even a few years ago.
Langley Is Having a Big Year Beyond This One Song
“Choosin’ Texas” is the obvious headline, but it is not Langley’s only success.
Her song “Be Her” has also climbed as high as No. 2 on the Hot 100 and sits in the top 10 again this week.
She has also been having an unusually strong run as a songwriter.
MusicRow reported in late August that Langley had spent 19 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on its Top Songwriter Chart, breaking the previous 18-week record held by Zach Bryan.
Earlier this year, the Nashville country industry gathered to celebrate No. 1 achievements for both “Weren’t for the Wind” and “Choosin’ Texas.” At that event, MusicRow reported that Langley and her co-writers were recognized for the song’s rapidly growing chart run.
That context matters because it shows the 22-week Hot 100 record is not happening in isolation.
Langley is having a broader career breakout at the same time.
There Is Still One More Record Sitting Right in Front of Her
The most interesting part of the story now is simple.
Langley has tied the record.
She has not passed it yet.
If “Choosin’ Texas” remains No. 1 for another week, it would move to 23 weeks and stand alone with the longest No. 1 run in Hot 100 history.
There is one wrinkle.
Mariah Carey’s total is not necessarily finished either.
“All I Want for Christmas Is You” has returned to No. 1 during every holiday season since it first reached the top in 2019, so Carey could add more weeks to her own total later this year.
In other words, this record may keep moving.
But whatever happens next, Langley has already reached a level that very few artists ever touch.
A song created by four country writers has gone from the Nashville songwriting world to the very top of one of the most important music charts in America — and stayed there for nearly half a year.
That is a pretty remarkable place for country music to be.
Sources
- Billboard report on “Choosin’ Texas” reaching its 22nd week at No. 1 on the Hot 100, including chart statistics and historical comparisons.
- Billboard current Hot 100 chart data confirming “Choosin’ Texas” at No. 1.
- MusicRow coverage of the song’s writers and Nashville No. 1 celebration.
- MusicRow report naming “Choosin’ Texas” Billboard’s 2026 Song of the Summer.
- MusicRow report on Langley breaking the outlet’s consecutive-week record atop its Top Songwriter Chart.
