Though mainstream country and country radio as a whole have failed to give female artists the time and attention they so desperately deserve over the better part of the past two decades, it feels like we’re finally making some progress as of late.

While, of course, we have the likes of Sierra Ferrell, Willow Avalon, Kaitlin Butts, Carter Faith and more making some of the best music coming out of the uber-talented indie/alternative country scene for years at this point, it seems like the mainstream has finally caught on to the fact that some of the most compelling acts these days are, in fact, women.

This was highlighted on a larger scale this past CMA Awards back in November when Lainey Wilson, Ella Langley and Megan Moroney led the way with six nominations apiece. Though Moroney would leave the Bridgestone Arena empty-handed, Wilson and Langley had huge nights.

Wilson would become just the third woman ever to win Entertainer of the Year in back-to-back years, while also winning Female Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year (Whirlwind). Langley, on the other hand, had what can only be described as her breakout moment. Winning Single of the Year, Song of the Year, and Music Video of the Year (all for “you look like you love me”), the Alabama native also set the stage for her biggest song to date with a killer performance of “Choosin’ Texas.”

Upon the release and eventual success of “you look like you love me,” it seemed nearly impossible for Langley to top it. Of course, this isn’t a knock on the Alabama native, it simply felt like the perfect storm of quality, virality and drama following the countless rumors surrounding her and Riley Green at the time of its release.

Just when you thought that “you look like you love me” would remain as Langley’s signature hit over the next few years, “Choosin’ Texas” was released. And it’s been nothing short of a juggernaut for the Alabama native. And deservedly so. The track, which was now famously co-written with Miranda Lambert (along with Joybeth Taylor and Luke Dick), was released back on October 7th, and quickly became one of the most buzzy songs of the year for a couple of different reasons.

For starters, the “Choosin’ Texas” once again fanned the flames of the seemingly never-ending online drama surrounding Langley and Green’s relationship, with a countless number of fans online speculating whether the song was written about Green himself. This, of course, was mainly due to the single’s artwork depicting a couple, a man wearing a cowboy hat and a blonde woman, in a red convertible, which made fans once again stir up rumors surrounding the alleged “love triangle” between Langley, Green and Megan Moroney.

More importantly, however, it’s simply a great song. Drawing on some ’70s inspired sounds, in the intro particular, the track is nothing short of infectious. “Choosin’ Texas,” plainly, is a song that encapsulates everything great about the genre. From the steel-soaked production and Langley’s twangy vocals to the specificity in the writing and the general theme of heartbreak, it’s a country song that’s firing on all cylinders.

Since its release, the song has been nothing short of a smash for Langley. Debuting at #37 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, it also launched all the way to #7 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, both of which were career-highs for the “hungover” singer.

In the weeks following, it caught even more fire. On December 2nd, it became Langley’s first career #1 hit on the aforementioned Hot Country Songs chart and also became the fastest solo female song to reach the top 10 at US Country Radio this decade, taking just eight weeks to crack the Top 10.

In case that wasn’t enough, on Monday, “Choosin’ Texas” reached #5 on the all-genre Hot 100, skyrocketing all the way up from #48 last week. With this entry, “Choosin’ Texas” has become Langley’s first-career Top 5 entry on the chart as well as her first Top 10 entry.

As it stands today, “Choosin’ Texas” has now been named the #1 Country Song of 2025 by both Spotify and Billboard, secured a #1 hit on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, notched a Top 5 entry on the Hot 100 and has procured over 78 million streams on Spotify alone.

While the success of the song is nothing short of a career moment for Langley, the rarity of “Choosin’ Texas’” success highlights an incredibly sad trend that has plagued the genre since the turn of the century. As reported by Billboard today, “Choosin’ Texas” allowed Langley to become just the 12th woman THIS CENTURY to chart a country song inside the Top 10 on the Hot 100 since 2000.

Diving further into the data, only 24 country songs from women or featuring a female artist in total have reached the Top 10 the last 26 years, with the last full-fledged solo country song (excluding Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan and Beyoncé due to their pop crossover) being Gabby Barrett’s “I Hope,” which peaked at #3 on the Hot 100 in November 2020.

Adding more context to how rare Langley’s achievement is, Billboard would note that only 60 of the 1,512 total songs that have reached the Hot 100’s Top 10 were country songs (3.96%). As for songs either lead-by or featuring women artists, that dips down to the aforementioned 24, which is just 1.6%.

Unsurprisingly, Taylor Swift dominates this list overall, scoring nine of the 24 songs, thanks to early hits such as “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me.” Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill, and The Chicks also appear two times respectively, along with Kacey Musgraves who scored a #1 with Zach Bryan on 2023’s “I Remember Everything.”