Choosin’ Texas by Ella Langley

In a post-monoculture era, why has a traditional-tinged country song topped the New Zealand charts for 19 weeks?

7/10

Choosin' Texas—Ella Langley

Topped the NZ charts for 19 weeks, starting on 15 May 2026.

More about my NZ number #1 project.

Chart domination

It’s been a weird 12 months on the NZ singles charts. Between 19 September 2025 and 1 October 2026, five songs ruled the roost. Three of these reigns were brief:

• Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’, first released in December 1984, topped the charts for a week at Christmas.
• Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Stupid Song’ disappeared after a single week.
• Taylor Swift’s ‘The Fate of Ophelia’ popped in for a couple of weeks in October 2025.

Apart from those brief interruptions, two songs ruled the NZ singles charts for a combined 50 weeks. Olivia Dean’s charming ‘Man I Need’ topped the charts for 31 week, while Ella Langley’s ‘Choosin’ Texas’ reigned for 19 weeks. There’s a lot to unpack – it’s unusual for a country song to top the charts in New Zealand, while New Zealand’s charts have remained unusually stagnant.

How The End of the monoculture Means Fewer Hit Songs

In 1989, New Zealand launched its third TV channel. Since then, our culture has diversified into silos. With streaming, I can happily listen to 1970s Genesis rarities while my neighbour watches ice hockey. You’d think this diversity would increase the number of songs hitting number one, but it’s done the opposite.

Because our listening habits are so diverse, passive listening is rewarded. Songs played on hit radio and in supermarkets now dominate the charts. It’s noticeable that most recent hits are nice songs that wouldn’t offend your grandmother.

Because there are so many different sources to go to, it’s difficult for songs outside the very biggest songs to become hits. And because of that, those songs take a while to become hits, and then they stay there for the longest period of time —  longer than we’ve ever seen in the history of music.

Veteran radio programmer and consultant Guy Zapoleon, Billboard

This effect has been compounded in 2026. Major artists like Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, and The Weeknd haven’t released new music this year, which has amplified the echo chamber effect around ‘Man I Need’ and ‘Choosin’ Texas’. The chart methodology needs reworking to reward songs that listeners seek out.

‘Choosin’ Texas’ is even more successful in the US, where it’s now the longest-reigning chart topper in Billboard history.

Choosin’ Texas

Ella Langley was born in Alabama, where she sang in a church choir and sang ‘Froggy Went A Courtin” with her grandfather. After her grandfather died, she inherited his guitar. She taught herself ‘Three Little Birds’ and practised in front of her family’s cow pasture.

Ella Langley originated ‘Choosin’ Texas’ in a writing workshop with Miranda Lambert. Lambert told her stories of her Texas roots, including a story where she was pulled over by an officer with a pet kangaroo in the passenger’s seat.

‘Choosin’ Texas’ is a classic country story song. There’s a pop/rock sheen to the guitars, but it’s relatively traditional and pleasant. I can’t stomach a lot of modern country, but ‘Choosin’ Texas’ is pleasant. It’s not a song I would have picked to smash chart records, but it’s a solid piece of song craftsmanship.

The aftermath

On 2 October 2026, Taylor Swift captured the top spot with ‘Patient Zero’. I’m interested to see if Langley adds to her current run or tops the chart again.