As of this week, Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” has been atop the Billboard Hot 100 for 23 weeks, surpassing Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” and securing Langley the record for longest running No. 1 single in U.S. history. The Generation Z artist has made a rapid rise to stardom in the last several years, gaining major popularity through only two studio albums: hungover (2024) and Dandelion (2026). Langley has even amassed a significant fanbase of young men who proudly profess themselves as “Ella’s Fellas.”
“Choosin’ Texas” found significant fame through social media as content creators latched onto its lyrical and meme-able potential, it has (unsurprisingly) made its way into the line dancing scene, and it is nearly impossible to escape it on the radio, as it seems to be featured on nearly every popular station.
Though the song seems at first to be — as the kids would say — “mid,” the more you listen the more you can appreciate its narrative value. The melody is simple and repetitive, maintaining a low-key atmosphere without much variation, but it is her lyrics, co-written with Miranda Lambert, that are making the Billboard big bucks. Langley is a storyteller, laying out a scene of heartbreak as the current girlfriend competes with his first love. The song is littered with niche western references like “two step,” “old Hank tunes” and “Amarillo By Morning” that cater to classic country music listeners, while the extended metaphor comparing the two women to Tennessee and “the Lone Star State” simplifies the song for the pop crowd.
It is this dual attention (plus her signature bangs) that make Ella Langley so attractive to the general public. The aforementioned “Ella’s Fellas” make up a distinctive part of this fan support. The title arose earlier this year in self-identification from male country music fans who wanted to outwardly express their support of Langley’s music, whether sarcastically or otherwise. This title is significant, as it marks a social shift for the country crowd, particularly for men who solely support male country artists — singers who have a tendency to push societal gender norms and discourage the kind of sensitivity that Langley preaches. Now, the media is filled with straight men worshipping the music of a female country artist, and proudly so. You could even say that “Ella’s Fellas” are in essence the “Swifties” of modern country music.
Besides her obsessive fan base, Ella Langley makes her mark with a magnetic stage persona and incredibly relatable social media presence. Although she’s on the Millennial side of Gen Z, she displays her authentic, unfiltered self like a teenager on her socials, posting about her goofy pre-show warmups and off-stage shenanigans. Unlike many celebrities of her caliber, Langley doesn’t seem to cherry-pick what she shares with her fans, staying true to herself in every facet of her life.
Granted, Langley has faced some controversy during her time in the spotlight, especially in recent days as photos from 2022 of her hunting deer in Alabama have resurfaced on X, sparking discourse online despite the images coming from a post that Langley put up herself. This might be a bombshell story if we lived in a country where sport hunting was not normalized, but alas, that is not the case. She has also received backlash over her collaboration with Morgan Wallen, who has been in the hot seat over the last five years or so after a series of incidents involving alcohol and reckless behavior. Regardless, Langley stays largely detached from social and political allegations, focusing outwardly on the trajectory of her career and philanthropy work.
Needless to say, even if you aren’t an “Ella Fella” yourself, do not disregard this young artist when she takes the stage. Besides being a talented songwriter and a well-rounded human being, she is also the perfect entry point into country music for someone who is unfamiliar with the genre. If you’re tired of “Choosin’ Texas” at this point, there are plenty of other must-listen Langley tracks, including “better be tough,” named after the longer folk adage, “if you’re gonna be dumb, you’d better be tough” (a generally good proverb to live by). “Jaded,” a collaboration with rock country singer Koe Wetzel, is her latest release and leans much more into the pop-grunge genre than the vast majority of her music, and it’s impossible to pass up the titular song of her newest album, “Dandelion.”
It is likely that “Choosin’ Texas” is close to overstaying its welcome on the Billboard Hot 100, but this does not spell the end of Ella Langley’s stardom. She has tour dates scheduled through mid-2027 and has been in recent collaboration with prominent country artists such as Lainey Wilson and Riley Green, cementing her as one of the contemporary country artists who is reshaping the genre as we know it today. She is on a spectacular trajectory, so all eyes are on her now to see what the headline artist from rural Alabama does next.
Gia Lish is a member of the Class of 2029 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is a staff writer for the Arts & Culture department and can be reached at glish@cornellsun.com.
