Ella Langley has added another historic achievement to her breakout year. Her smash hit “Choosin’ Texas” has now spent 18 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2026, giving her the most weeks atop the chart in a single calendar year by a female artist this century.
The milestone surpasses the previous record held by Beyoncé, whose blockbuster solo breakthrough in 2003 produced a combined 17 weeks at No. 1. That total came from “Crazy in Love” featuring Jay-Z, which ruled for eight consecutive weeks, and “Baby Boy” featuring Sean Paul, which followed with nine weeks at the summit. Together, those songs established Beyoncé as the dominant female chart force of 2003 and launched one of pop music’s most celebrated solo careers.
Now, Ella Langley has eclipsed that mark with a single song. Released in October 2025 as the lead single from her sophomore album Dandelion, “Choosin’ Texas” first reached No. 1 in February 2026 before returning to the top multiple times throughout the year.
The song was co-written by Langley alongside Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick, and Joybeth Taylor during a songwriting retreat. According to Lambert, the idea stemmed from a real-life encounter in which she was pulled over while driving with a pet kangaroo. Langley jokingly imagined the police officer recognizing the Texas license plates, inspiring a story about realizing a former lover’s heart still belongs to Texas—and to the woman waiting there.
Its chart run has already rewritten several records. Earlier this year, “Choosin’ Texas” became the longest-running No. 1 by a female country artist on the Billboard Hot 100 and the longest non-holiday Hot 100 leader by a woman billed solo. By extending its reign to 18 weeks in 2026 alone, the single has now secured another place in Billboard history.
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