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Ella Langley’s record-breaking year in 2026 has reached a new milestone with her hit “Choosin’ Texas” securing the top spot on Billboard’s final Songs of the Summer chart.
In a historic first for country music, the genre claims all three of the season’s top positions on Billboard’s Songs of the Summer ranking. Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” leads at No. 1, followed by Taylor Swift’s “I Knew It, I Knew You” at No. 2, and Langley’s “Be Her” at No.
- This marks a remarkable achievement for Langley, who holds two of the three biggest summer songs of 2026, while propelling country music to an unprecedented Billboard milestone.
Billboard’s Songs of the Summer chart tracks song performance on the Hot 100 from Memorial Day through Labor Day, covering chart dates from June 6 to September 12 this year. “Choosin’ Texas” dominated the season, spending 21 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, including an 11-week streak since July 4. It also led all songs during the summer with 407 million official U.S. streams and 124,000 downloads sold.
Langley’s “Be Her” also enjoyed significant success, peaking at No. 2 on the Hot 100 and maintaining a presence in the Top 10 throughout the summer.
This historic summer success follows Langley’s role in another Billboard first just weeks earlier, when country songs swept the entire Hot 100 Top 5 for the first time. Additionally, Langley received three major MusicRow Awards nominations, including Female Artist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year.
Adding to the uniqueness of this achievement, “Choosin’ Texas” was released in October 2025, making it the first Billboard Songs of the Summer No. 1 in 30 years to have debuted on the Hot 100 the previous year. The last to do so was Los Del Rio’s “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix),” which debuted in September 1995 and became the top summer song in 1996.
Langley’s success reflects a broader trend of country music’s rising prominence on the Hot 100. Country tracks held the top two spots on the Songs of the Summer chart in 2023 and 2024, while Morgan Wallen secured Nos. 2, 3, and 4 in 2025. The 2026 sweep completes a notable progression for the genre.
With “Choosin’ Texas” and “Be Her” bookending two of the summer’s biggest hits, Ella Langley’s 2026 season stands as a testament to both her individual talent and country music’s expanding influence on the mainstream charts.