Just about every week on the Billboard charts so far in 2026 has been a big week for country singer-songwriter Ella Langley. But this last one might just be her biggest yet.
On this week’s Billboard 200, dated Apr. 18, Langley debuts at No. 1 with her sophomore LP Dandelion, moving 169,000 units in the set’s first week. Meanwhile, she simultaenously tops the Billboard Hot 100 for a seventh week with her crossover smash “Choosin’ Texas,” while also hitting the top five with her follow-up hit “Be Her” (8-4 this week), and notching 15 songs total from Dandelion on the chart.
How do these returns compare to our expectations? And does this performance confirm her as a newly minted pop star? Billboard staffers answer these questions and more below.
1. Dandelion debuts atop the Billboard 200 with 169,000 first-week units. Are those numbers better, worse or about what you expected for its first-week returns?
Kyle Denis: This is right on par, if not better than what I was expecting for Dandelion’s first week. With her sophomore album debuting comfortably in the six-figure range, Ella’s has proven she can move albums as well as singles.
Lyndsey Havens: A bit better and a bit expected at the same time. Having been well aware that this album would be a huge win for Ella, given the performance of early singles and continued Hot 100 dominance of “Choosin’ Texas,” this first-week number feels right on target. Yet, I’m also still a bit surprised by it; despite Ella’s years of hard work and patience for this moment, it does feel like a bit of a whirlwind right now. And I imagine for those who haven’t been paying attention, this feels like a total shock.
Melinda Newman: They are about what I thought they would, be given her growing crossover popularity. It’s the largest opening week for a woman this year and the largest opening week for a country artist, topping first week numbers this year from Megan Moroney, Zach Bryan and Luke Combs. She is really drawing from pop fans, probably almost as much as country fans at this point.
Andrew Unterberger: Pretty much exactly what I expected — a little lower or a little higher wouldn’t have shocked me either. She’s rapidly approaching the point where it’s tough to really be that surprised by any commercial achievement of hers.
Jessica Nicholson: That is about what I expected. Those are huge numbers and recognize how her song “Choosin’ Texas” has dominated the Hot 100 for seven weeks, in addition to seeing more songs from her album Dandelion proliferate the chart.
2. “Choosin’ Texas” simultaneously enjoys its seventh week atop the Hot 100, while “Be Her” becomes her second top five hit by jumping No. 8-4. Do you think the latter will eventually follow “Texas” to the chart’s top spot?
Kyle Denis: It’s certainly possible! I wouldn’t be surprised if Ella simultaneously held the top two spots on the Hot 100 in the coming weeks. As summer draws nearer and rumored new albums from the likes of Drake and Ariana Grande potentially materialize, “Be Her” could have a difficult journey to No. 1 — but it’s not out of the question.
Lyndsey Havens: I genuinely hope so. I love “Be Her,” from its sultry start to the catchy (and yes, TikTok-primed) hand claps. And look, the concept isn’t new — there’s a whole library of songs about a woman feeling envious of another, including Kelsea Ballerini’s latest “Emerald City” But here, Ella take’s it to the point of wanting to be her. It’s a song that fits perfectly on Dandelion and suits Ella’s voice and own storyline right now, and I do think it could climb to No. 1 with the right push.
Melinda Newman: Yes. I think there’s something about Langley that is undeniable right now. People are very curious about her and she hasn’t been overexposed. This is a sweet time for her where she can do no wrong. I don’t think it will be No. 1 for as long as “Choosin’ Texas” though. It doesn’t have the same appeal — but how incredible would it be if it replaces “Choosin’ Texas” at No. 1?
Jessica Nicholson: That is a large jump, but Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need” is also holding strong and seems destined to take the pinnacle at some point, while Ella has the powerful Morgan Wallen collab coming this week.
Andrew Unterberger: I’d say probably not — but only because it’s about to get really crowded at the top of the Hot 100, including with another song of her own devising. Getting to the top five is a huge, huge win for “Be Her” and Langley in general regardless.
3. While Langley is enjoying her wins for Dandelion and its hits, she’s already moving onto a new single, with an upcoming duet with Morgan Wallen — unveiled live over the weekend — expected to be released this Friday. Does the timing of that now-much-anticipated collaboration make sense to you, or would you have waited more than two weeks after the full album to drop such a near-guaranteed smash?
Kyle Denis: Sure, she could have waited — but why not strike while the iron is hot? The country can’t get enough of Ella right now. She also has a successful history with male-female duets, and there’s no such song on Dandelion, meaning she’s offering the marketplace another style of song and not just a throwaway loosie. More importantly, this is about positioning. Wallen is undisputably the current King of Country, and him tapping Ella as his first female country duet partner — and second female collaborator overall, following Tate McRae last year — solidifies her crown as country’s current Queen.
Lyndsey Havens: Either way, it seems like a guaranteed win. Morgan and now Ella have played a huge role in rewriting country music’s chart records of late, so putting them together at any time does seem like a guaranteed smash. That said, I don’t think it would have hurt to wait a bit and give Dandelion just a bit more room to live and breath on its own.
Melinda Newman: It is rare for country to have a genuine “event record” and this is it. Given that they are on tour together, but only for a handful of dates, it makes sense to release it now and get the biggest bang for the buck they can while they can do it live. It’s also unclear whose album it will be on since it’s not on Dandelion, so it creates excitement in terms of: Will it be on a deluxe edition of Dandelion, or on Wallen’s next album — or will it be a stand-alone like the Chris Stapleton/Miranda Lambert duet?
Jessica Nicholson: Ideally, I would have waited a bit to give all the songs on the album more breathing room — but the release also closely follows Ella’s first night opening for Wallen’s current Still the Problem Tour, so the timing for that makes sense.
Andrew Unterberger: My instinct is to say she could have waited here, let Dandelion enjoy a few weeks of blockbuster success on its own merits, and then maybe a month or so down the line, hit ’em with the Wallen collab and let ’em know you’re not going anywhere anytime soon. But doing it just two weeks after the album release — and announcing it with a live duet just one week after — is such a power move I can’t really hate on it, either. This is your moment, why not do whatever you can to make it as big as possible?
4. Does the first week performance of Dandelion combined with the extended success of “Choosin’ Texas” and the album’s other singles — and now an incoming teamup with the biggest artist in country — confirm Langley as a bonafide pop star to you, or do you still need to see more from her before giving her that status?
Kyle Denis: In the sense that country is pop right now, yes. But I’d like to see her plastered across commercials, showing with high billing on all-genre festival lineups and playing gigs like SNL before I truly regard her as a “bonafide pop star.”
Lyndsey Havens: I lean on the more giving side with that title, but I do think she’s totally earned it. Let’s not forget, she’s already had her long-lasting breakout moment with Riley Green on “You Look Like You Love Me.” I think there were some who thought that would be the peak, but it was always just setting Ella up for her own time to shine — and it certainly feels like that time has come. I don’t think it will pass anytime soon.
Melinda Newman: Pop star or country star? We toss star around “star” too lightly and soon we’ll be calling her a superstar. I would still call her a rising star. She’s had three No. 1s on Country Airplay and one No. 1 on the Hot 100. It’s too soon to tell if she’s a genuine pop sensation or she’s a country singer who has one massive pop hit. I need to see more from her, but her promise is undeniable and it’s really exciting to watch her rise and how far she’s going to go.
Jessica Nicholson: She’s definitely one of the fastest-rising artists out there right now. Country music has regularly dominated the all-genre charts for a few years now, and the songs on her new album are strong, so she’s definitely cemented herself as an artist who is here to stay.
Andrew Unterberger: It’s tough to call someone a pop star when they’ve never, say, played the VMAs, or appeared at a non-genre music festival, or any number of the usual moves that signify an artist traveling the path to pop stardom. But the fervor around Ella Langley is so insane right now it might just not matter. We are very possibly headed towards a Hot 100 in a couple weeks’ time in which she has three of the top five songs — something only a handful of other artists have ever done in the chart’s history. Are we really going to say that’s not a pop star?
5. Make a prediction: How many total weeks will “Choosin’ Texas” spend atop the Hot 100?
Kyle Denis: I think 10-11 weeks, but I’d keep my eye on Olivia Dean’s “So Easy (To Fall In Love)” and my ear to the streets regarding yet-to-be-announced high-profile releases.
Lyndsey Havens: I’m rooting for 19 weeks. That will force a tie with “Old Town Road,” and fall just a few weeks behind the reigning queen, Mariah Carey, with her eternal holiday hit. Seems like a nice place to land.
Melinda Newman: I’m going for an even 10, though, as we pointed out before, “Be Her” could knock “Choosin’ Texas” out — as could her duet with Wallen — so “Choosin’ Texas” may be a victim of her own success, which would not be a bad thing at all!
Jessica Nicholson: I would guess 9-10 total.
Andrew Unterberger: I’ll say 12 total. But more would not surprise me in the slightest.
