Throughout the 2020's, the burning question within the country music landscape has been who will be the successor - or, at least, challenger - to Morgan Wallen's throne.

The likes of Luke Combs, Zach Bryan and Lainey Wilson have all been touted as possible rivals to Wallen's unquestionable title as the genre's dominant artist of the decade so far. But ultimately, prior to 2026, whether you're looking at streaming figures, ticket sales, chart positions or global reach, the only artist that could feasibly be considered a genuine competitor to Wallen as the biggest artist in the genre has been Bryan - and he doesn't even consider himself a country act.

Since the start of 2026, though, an artist has emerged that has previously been overlooked when it comes to these conversations, and established themselves as one of the most impactful artists in country. For the first time in years, it feels like we not only have an artist on equal footing to Wallen, but someone who has the potential to end his reign - or, if not, establish a King and Queen of Country dynamic.

Ella Langley.

Through a dizzying plethora of accolades, awards and milestones over the past few months, Langley has surged to the top of the country echelon, cementing herself as one of the most exciting artists in the genre. Many are already hailing the Alabama native as the biggest artist in country, full-stop - and while Langley still has a way to go to outpace Wallen, particularly when it comes to touring, if she continues her current trajectory, it won't be long before she's selling out stadiums.

After a truly brilliant run, we've broken down all the key statistics and data to highlight the extent to which the ‘you look like you love me’ hitmaker is crushing it in today's scene.

‘Choosin’ Texas’ Spends 10 Weeks (and Counting) at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100

Let's start with the big one. When Wallen's ‘Last Night’ spent a staggering 16 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Shaboozey's ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’ then overtook this with a blockbuster 19-week stint atop the chart the following year, it was hard to see how any other artist could reach these heights again within the decade.

But Langley is on-track for a similar feat, with her infectious anthem, ‘Choosin’ Texas’, currently sitting at a 10 weeks at the top of the all-genre listing. This week (at the time of writing), it's almost certainly going to be temporarily dethroned by one of Drake's sea of new songs from his surprise-release of three studio albums. We could see ’Choosin’ Texas’ returning to No. 1 in the coming weeks, though, and ending up in the realm of ‘Last Night’ and ’A Bar Song (Tipsy)’.

It currently sits just shy of 400 million streams on Spotify alone, less than a year after it was released. The equally as sleek and ear-catching ‘Be Her’, which has held its own at No. 2 on the Hot 100, is on 119 million streams, three month after dropping.

It's worth keeping an eye on Spotify's month listener count, too, as an accurate metric of who's really connecting with fans right now. Langley currently boasts 29.7 million monthly listeners, ahead of other big-name country acts like Jelly Roll (20 million), Lainey Wilson (11.2 million), Kane Brown (10.6 million) and Megan Moroney (9 million). Luke Combs is hot on Langley's heels with 26.7 million, while Zach Bryan is also trailing Langley on 25.5 million. Wallen holds firm with 35.2 million.

Sets an All-Time Record for Most Wins at the 2026 ACMs with Seven Awards

Especially in recent years, awards shows have drawn criticism for failing to have their pulse one what fans are actually listening to, snubbing Wallen, Bryan, Shaboozey and more.

But at this year's ACM Awards, aside from again overlooking Wallen, they undoubtedly got one thing right - the decision to make Langley the most awarded artist of the night. In taking home seven gongs, Langley set a new record for the most accolades won by an artist in a single night at the illustrious Las Vegas ceremony.

The ‘nicotine’ crooner triumphed in the ACM Song of the Year, Single of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, Artist-Songwriter of the Year, and Music Event of the Year categories, winning two Song of the Year gongs, due to being a co-producer on ‘Choosin‘ Texas’, as well as receiving two Single of the Year awards as an artist and co-writer.

The Second Female Country Artist to Top the Hot 100 and Billboard 200 Simultaneously

In April 2026, Langley joined esteemed company by becoming the first female country artist since Taylor Swift to top the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 at the same time. Langley achieved this feat courtesy of ‘Choosin‘ Texas’ and Dandelion respectively.

This was a key moment in Langley's rise, as the success of Dandelion - and indeed ‘Be Her’ - emphasised to naysayers that this was no one-hit-wonder. Langley is here to stay.

The First Woman in History to Top the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart for Multiple Weeks

As well as having the Billboard Hot 100 in a chokehold for most of 2026, Langley's ‘Choosin‘ Texas’ has been immovable at the peak of the Billboard Hot Country Songs ranking.

At the time of writing, the Lone Star State-inspired earworm has been holding its own at No. 1 for 25 weeks and counting, tying ‘Last Night’ as the fifth longest-running No. 1 of all time. ‘Choosin‘ Texas’ is showing no signs of slowing down, and is expected to overtake ‘Last Night’ and ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)‘ by the summer. The track has a way to go to take the No. 1 spot, with Florida Georgia Line and Bebe Rexha's iconic hit, ‘Meant to Be’, tallying a whopping 50 weeks in 2017 and 2018.

For the full list of the longest-running No. 1s on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart as of May 2026, see below:

1. ‘Meant to Be’ – Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line (50 weeks, 2017–2018)

2. ‘Body Like a Back Road’ – Sam Hunt (34 weeks, 2017)

3. ‘I Hope’ - Gabby Barrett (27 weeks, 2020–2021)

4. ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’ – Shaboozey (27 weeks, 2024–2025)

5. ‘Last Night’ – Morgan Wallen (25 weeks, 2023–2024)

‘Dandelion’ Earns the Biggest Opening Week for an Album by a Female Artist in 2026

Within the country landscape, there are often accusations flying around of paid promotion and manoeuvred radio-play, which can sometimes undermine a No. 1 hit's credibility. But when a song starts accomplishing crossover success, that's when people really start to take notice. With Langley's sophomore album, Dandelion, hitting No. 1 on the Billboard 200 after ’Choosin’ Texas’ had already secured the Hot 100 top-spot for weeks on end, there was no doubting Langley was the real deal.

And Dandelion didn't just inch over the line to hit No. 1, it raced away, leaving any competitors in the dust, with the project earning the biggest opening week for an album by a female artist in 2026. Dandelion moved 169,000 equivalent units in its first week.

Second Country Artist to Ever Fill the Top Two Spots on Billboard Streaming Songs Chart

In April, Langley became the second artist in country music after Wallen to command the top two positions on the Billboard Streaming Songs chart at the same time, with ’Choosin’ Texas’ and ‘Be Her’ at No. 1 and No. 2 respectively. In reaching this milestone, Langley is the first woman primarily recording country music to score No. 1 and No. 2 on this prestigious chart, an absolutely phenomenal achievement.

One of the First Two Women in Country History to Top the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 in the Same Week

In March 2026, alongside Megan Moroney, Langley became one of the first two women in country music history to top the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 listings in the same week.

On the chart dated March 7th, 2026, Langley was No. 1 on the Hot 100 with ‘Choosin‘ Texas’, while Moroney's lauded third album, Cloud 9, reached the top of the Billboard 200.

This points to a broader trend in country music that is arguably even more exciting and refreshing that Langley's personal success-story - the emergence of women as the trailblazers of contemporary country. The genre has a disappointing track record when it comes to giving female artists the same airplay, exposure and recognition of their male counterparts, and thankfully, it seems the tide is turning.

Langley and Moroney are joined by numerous fellow women in country that are pushing the genre into new territory, such as Lainey Wilson, Kacey Musgraves, Miranda Lambert, Emily Ann Roberts, Mackenzie Carpenter, Stella Lefty and countless others.

All this is to simply say that 2026 is a fantastic year to be a fan of country music, and Langley's meteoric ascent is a sign of the times. What's particularly fascinating is that Langley's rise has not come at the expense of any other artist, rather, she is carving out a new seat at the table for herself in Nashville's upper echelon.

Country music is consolidating its status as one of the most popular genres of the 2020's, thanks to Langley, Wallen, Bryan, Wilson and so many others, and we can't wait to see how the genre continues to evolve and adapt in the latter half of the decade. It's impossible to predict who will be considered the biggest artist in the game come 2030 - but we'd be very surprised if Langley isn't in the conversation.

For more on Ella Langley, see below: