Ella Langley's country ballad "Choosin' Texas" held the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 chart for a 23rd nonconsecutive week, surpassing the record set by Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You." The achievement crowns Langley, 27, as the new record-holder on Billboard's flagship singles chart. Released last October, the song first reached No. 1 in February and has held the top spot steadily since July. Written with Miranda Lambert and two others, the track is a classic Nashville-style ballad with nostalgic allusions to George Strait and Ronnie Milsap.

Last week, "Choosin' Texas" tallied 21.8 million U.S. streams, 6,000 sales, and about 58 million airplay audience impressions. Long runs at No. 1 were once rare; the 16-week mark set by Carey and Boyz II Men's "One Sweet Day" stood for 21 years before being matched by "Despacito" and Morgan Wallen's "Last Night." Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" and Shaboozey's "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" each ruled for 19 weeks. Carey's holiday hit took 25 years to reach No. 1, finally topping the chart in 2019.

With no strong contenders emerging, Langley's reign could continue, though the approaching Christmas season may bring renewed competition from seasonal standards. Ben Sisario, a reporter covering music and the music industry for The Times for over 20 years, reported the story.