Updated

Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 17

Drake Praises Ella Langley’s Songwriting as Her 'Choosin' Texas' Logs 18th Week at No. 1

Updated

Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 17

Drake Praises Ella Langley’s Songwriting as Her 'Choosin' Texas' Logs 18th Week at No. 1

Q: How did Ella Langley's single shatter a decades-old Billboard Hot 100 record to become a historic crossover phenomenon?

Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” became a historic crossover phenomenon by turning country dominance into full-spectrum pop success. The single spent 17 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, breaking the long-standing 16-week mark set by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day” and moving into sole possession of the chart’s fourth-longest reign ever. Its record run was powered by strength across all three Hot 100 inputs: streaming, radio and sales. In the key tracking week cited by Billboard, the song drew 24.9 million U.S. streams, 54.5 million radio audience impressions and 9,000 sales. It topped Streaming Songs, Digital Song Sales and Hot Country Songs, while also climbing into the pop radio top 10, a rare feat for a traditional-leaning country release. That broad reach is what made it a crossover event rather than just a country hit. “Choosin’ Texas” debuted on Hot Country Songs in November 2025, reached No. 1 there within about a month and extended that lead to 35 weeks, one of the longest runs in that chart’s history. It also helped Langley become the first woman to simultaneously top the Hot 100, Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts. The song’s appeal was amplified by viral traction, heavy fan engagement and a simple, regionally rooted hook that traveled well beyond country radio. In chart terms, it did not just cross over; it outperformed pop’s biggest standards and rewrote Billboard history.

2 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 17

Drake jumped into Ella Langley’s Instagram comments on Aug. 16, calling her writing “Goated pen” under a recap of her Texas shows.
The praise came hours after Langley posted a TikTok lip-syncing Drake and Lil Wayne’s 2011 track “HYFR,” fueling fan calls for a country-rap collaboration.
Langley already has crossover form: her 2025 BigXthaPlug collaboration “Hell at Night” went Platinum and reached No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Her momentum is still building, with “Choosin’ Texas” holding No. 1 for an 18th week, Dandelion debuting atop the Billboard 200 with 169,000 units, and her tour’s second leg starting Aug. 20 in Green Bay.