NASHVILLE — Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" has tied the all-time record for the longest run atop the Billboard Hot 100, matching the 22 weeks Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" has accumulated at No. 1 over multiple holiday seasons — a mark previously considered untouchable by a song released outside the Christmas catalog.
The single reached its 22nd week at No. 1 on the chart dated September 19, according to Billboard chart data compiled on Wikipedia, extending a run that began when the song first hit No. 1 on February 9. Along the way it passed "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X and Shaboozey's "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" — both previously tied at 19 weeks — as the longest-running non-holiday No. 1 in the chart's history.
A slow-burn hit built on a kangaroo story
"Choosin' Texas" was released October 17, 2025, as the lead single from Langley's second studio album, "Dandelion," and debuted modestly at No. 39. Langley co-wrote the song with Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert and Joybeth Taylor at an October 2024 writing retreat; the song's central hook grew out of a story Lambert told about being pulled over while traveling with a pet kangaroo, which Langley reworked into lyrics about recognizing "the way he's two-steppin' around the room." Lambert also contributes background vocals and guitar on the track, alongside session players Tom Bukovac and Ben Flanders.
Beyond its U.S. chart run, the song has topped charts in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, according to Fox News's OutKick coverage of the song's earlier milestones, which tracked the record as it progressed from 18 weeks toward the current mark.
What the record means for country radio
The achievement lands "Choosin' Texas" among a short list of country crossover records set this year and marks the longest-running Hot 100 No. 1 ever by a country artist, male or female. Because the Hot 100 blends streaming, radio airplay and sales, a run this long typically requires a song to keep gaining new listeners well after its initial release — a pattern more common for slow-building viral hits than for major-label singles with big opening pushes.
Country music has had an outsized run atop the all-genre Hot 100 in recent years, and Langley's streak arrives as the format continues pushing further into mainstream pop and streaming playlists rather than staying confined to country radio and its own charts.
With the song now tied for the record rather than sitting alone atop it, the next chart update will determine whether "Choosin' Texas" breaks Carey's mark outright or cedes the top spot after an eight-month run, detailed in Billboard's own chart report on the 22nd week. Either outcome cements the single as one of the defining chart stories of 2026.
