Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" has now held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for a 13th week, extending a run that has quietly rewritten the record books for women in country music. The song is now one of just five tracks by a woman without a male-billed collaborator to dominate the chart for 13 weeks or more, and the only one primarily known for country music to do it. It's also the first non-holiday song to join that group since Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together" first did it 21 years ago.
The single, released as the lead track off Langley's sophomore album Dandelion, first entered the Hot 100 at No. 39 in November before beginning its dominant, non-consecutive run at No. 1 in February. Langley currently holds three songs in the Hot 100's top four spots, a feat matched by almost no one else this year.
But for Langley, the run has meant more than chart math. Over the past several months, the Alabama-born singer has repeatedly paused her own concerts - including a stop opening for Morgan Wallen at Chicago's Soldier Field - to tell fans that her success has been inseparable from a renewed relationship with Christ. "It feels like my relationship with Christ has changed over the last 365 days," she told the Soldier Field crowd before singing "Speaking Terms," a track about her journey back to faith. "I've done things in my life that makes me feel not worthy of this song. But I'll tell one thing, who makes me feel worthy is Him. I'm always worthy."
That message has followed her through award season, too - Langley has thanked Jesus Christ directly during acceptance speeches at both the ACM Awards and the iHeartRadio Music Awards this year. As "Choosin' Texas" keeps climbing into music history, Langley's fans say the bigger story isn't just the record - it's a chart-topping artist who keeps pointing the credit somewhere else entirely.
Related Article: Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" Ties an All-Time Record: 12 Weeks at No. 1, Behind Only Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston
