Ella Langley recognized early on that her song "Choosin' Texas" held a special quality, yet even she couldn't have foreseen the extraordinary heights it would reach.
This week, Langley marked a significant milestone, announcing on Instagram Tuesday night that "Choosin' Texas" had achieved Billboard Hot 100 history. The track secured its 23rd week at the No. 1 position, thereby surpassing Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" for the longest tenure at the top of the chart.
"I'm genuinely trying to find the words to explain what's going on in my brain today," Langley began in her video message. "What? I don't know. Thank you so much. Thank you for loving this song, for listening to it. I feel like… I just don't even know what to say at this point. I'm running out of hyperboles to describe how I feel, so I will just let my dog in the background show you his excitement," she continued, as her dog could be heard barking.
"Just thank you. Thank you so much. It's changing my life. It's changing the lives of the writers of this song. It's changing the lives of my family and it is truly growing an atmosphere for something I'm gonna be able to do the rest of my life and I just… today doesn't feel like a real thing," Langley expressed. "It feels fake and somebody's going to come in and be like 'haha we're kidding the whole time just kidding.'"
"I'm really excited to just experience a moment like this in my life," she added.
The country music sensation informed her followers that she planned to celebrate the evening, concluding her message with, "Choosin' T… that's the one huh?"
An Unforeseen Rise to Stardom
In an interview from March that has since resurfaced, conducted while the song was still ascending the charts, Langley admitted its burgeoning success had already exceeded all her initial expectations during its creation.
"When we wrote it, I knew it was going on the record. I honestly knew it was going to be the lead single," Langley had previously stated.
"And we love that song, but I don't think I could have ever imagined what's happening with it right now," she continued. "Like I said, every day I wake up and it's doing something that I didn't even know was a goal that I could have had."
"It's just nuts," Langley commented. "It's crazy to see the ownership that the fans have taken over it. And the different demographics of people listening to the song is so cool."
What seemed unimaginable to Langley just six months prior has now become a historic achievement. The track first appeared on the Hot 100, achieving a top 10 position in January and reaching the No. 1 spot for the first time in February. Furthermore, "Choosin' Texas" has dominated Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart for an impressive 41 weeks.
The Kangaroo Story: Song's Unique Origins
Long before its record-breaking status, "Choosin' Texas" had an unusual beginning, sparked by a story involving a kangaroo.
Langley recounted the songwriting process during her inaugural retreat alongside country superstar Miranda Lambert and two other co-writers.
"So, I was on a writer's retreat with Miranda," Langley explained in the previously published interview. "This is our first time that we had written together and obviously we were there with two others."
The four individuals credited as co-writers for "Choosin' Texas" are Langley, Lambert, Luke Dick, and Joybeth Taylor.
Langley shared that Lambert began recounting an anecdote about a pet kangaroo she once owned.
"I learned at a young age she had a pet kangaroo and I wanted to ask her about it," Langley remembered. "So, I was like, 'Tell me about this kangaroo that you had. I need to know.'"
Lambert then told the group about a time she was pulled over by law enforcement, with the kangaroo riding in the passenger seat and a dog in the back of her vehicle.
"She said she got pulled over and the kangaroo ended up getting her out of a ticket, but she's like, 'Of course, I had Texas plates on, too,'" Langley recalled.
This particular detail was all the inspiration needed to ignite the song's creation.
"And I went, 'Well, she's from Texas, I can tell,'" Langley said. "And just from that phrase, it kind of all hit us."
According to Langley, the melody emerged almost instantly, with Lambert playing a key role in developing the narrative behind the lyrics.
"And 45 minutes later, we had that song written," Langley stated. "And it was just, it was such a cool experience."
Mentorship and Continued Success
Lambert's involvement extended beyond the writing room. Langley mentioned that the country music icon is executive producing her upcoming record and has become a trusted source for guidance.
Even Lambert expressed astonishment at the unfolding success of "Choosin' Texas."
"My team's calling me every day freaking out about this song," Langley quoted Lambert as telling her.
At the time of the March interview, the song had climbed to No. 5 on the Hot 100.
"How crazy is that?" Langley exclaimed at the time. "And for me, like, what, me? You mean me?"
Now, six months later, "Choosin' Texas" stands alone as the longest-running No. 1 song in the history of the Hot 100.
Langley's record-breaking week coincides with her ongoing performances across the nation. The singer recently posted images from her tour stops in Oxford, Mississippi; Athens, Georgia; and Jacksonville, Florida.
"Oxford, Athens & Jacksonville ❤️," she captioned the Instagram update.
The shared photographs depicted Langley performing with her guitar, posing in a dress and red boots near an Ole Miss sign, holding a snake, and preparing backstage in front of a lighted mirror. Another image captured an older couple dancing joyfully during one of her concerts.
Fans flooded the comments section with congratulatory messages regarding her new chart record.