Though the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s of 2026 so far have consisted of some extremely familiar names — Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Harry Styles — this week we see a new name atop the chart: Ella Langley, whose “Choosin’ Texas” climbs 2-1 on the Hot 100 dated Feb. 14. The No. 1 is not just Langley’s first, it’s the first song by a woman ever to top Country Airplay, Country Songs and the Hot 100 at the same time, and one of just a relative handful of songs by a female country artist — particularly one without a duet partner, and one not tied to a movie or other major cultural property — to top the latter chart in its history.
This week on the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, we dig into this historic Hot 100 No. 1, and what it means for both country music and for the Billboard charts in general. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by country journalist Marissa Moss of the Don’t Rock the Inbox newsletter to discuss how we got here with Ella Langley and “Choosin’ Texas,” what it means that this song broke through to a level that so many of Langley’s female predecessors couldn’t quite get to, and what kind of impact it could have (or could not have) on Nashville moving forward.
Along the way, we address all the many burning questions about this historic moment: Did we see this incredible level of success coming for “Texas”? What about Langley has allowed her to blow up so quickly? How do we feel about the “Ella Fellas” becoming a major part of her fanbase? Do we care about any rumored real-life love triangle behind “Texas”? How should the song’s co-writer/producer (and longtime country legend) Miranda Lambert feel about it topping the Hot 100 when she never even hit the top 10 on her own? And perhaps most importantly: Is Ella Langley ready for true pop stardom, especially if that means having to face more direct questioning about who she is and what she stands for?
Check it out above, and subscribe to the Greatest Pop Stars podcast on Apple Music or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts) for weekly discussions every Thursday about all things related to pop stardom! Also subscribe to Don’t Rock the Inbox here, and find Marissa’s excellent book Her Country here.
And as we say in every one of these GPS podcast posts — if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights:
Transgender Law Center
Trans Lifeline
Destination Tomorrow
Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe
Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org.
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