Ella Langley's 25 weeks atop the Hot 100 anchor her CMA Single of the Year case

"Choosin' Texas" topped the Billboard Hot 100 for a record-setting 25 weeks in 2026, according to Parade, which said it toppled a record previously held by Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas." That chart dominance is the clearest reason the forecast leans toward the song taking Single of the Year at the 60th Annual CMA Awards on Wednesday, Nov. 18. The CMA describes the award as recognizing the single with the greatest commercial and cultural impact. A song that has led the all-genre chart for that long fits the stated criteria well. There is a complication. Langley is up against herself, since "Be Her" is also nominated, with the same producers, Miranda Lambert, Langley and Ben West. Splitting attention between her two songs is a real risk for Langley, though "Choosin' Texas" has the stronger chart record in the material I reviewed. Langley leads all artists with nine nominations and is among the announced performers. A crowd-pleasing run through the night would do her no harm. The thing to watch is how the night treats her other categories, such as Song of the Year, because an early sweep or an early miss would show where voters' loyalties sit.