A sad country song about Texas could become the biggest hit ever

Ella Langley performs at a country music festival in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 4, 2026. | Jason Kempin/Getty Images If you haven’t yet heard about how a certain fella is choosin’ a woman from Texas over Ella Langley, it’s only a matter of time.

Langley’s massive hit, “ Choosin’ Texas ,” began dominating the Billboard Hot 100 charts a few months ago — and never looked back.

It’s still sitting at No.

1 after 19 weeks, tied for the longest time spent atop the charts among non-holiday songs.

In a few more weeks, Langley could shatter the all-time record and dethrone Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” It’s a runaway success for Langley, who is relatively new to country music but has quickly vaulted to a new tier of stardom.

To break down how it happened, Today, Explained turned to Marissa Moss , a senior writer at Rolling Stone and the author of Her Country: How the Women of Country Music Became the Success They Were Never Supposed to Be .

Moss talked with Today, Explained co-host Noel King about where Langley’s success came from, what it means for women in country music, and why many fans don’t know what to make of Langley, who has maintained a low profile for a star artist.

Below is an excerpt of the conversation, edited for length and clarity.

There’s much more in the full podcast, so listen to Today, Explained wherever you get podcasts, including Apple Podcasts , Pandora , and Spotify .

Tell me about “Choosin’ Texas.” “Choosin’ Texas” is a song about a woman who is essentially losing her man in real time.

She goes to a bar or a honky-tonk in Texas.

She’s from Tennessee.

She suddenly realizes that he sees his ex who’s from Texas and drifts away from her to this woman.

It’s that feeling of knowing when you see it in someone’s face that they’re going to be leaving you and figuring out whether it’s worth it to hold on or to let go.