Sounds like the folks at CNN need to get out of their bubble. It’s not an overstatement to say that Ella Langley might be one of the biggest names in music right now – and not just country music. After riding the highs of 2024’s Riley Green collaboration, “you look like you love me” all the way into the end of 2025, the Alabama native dropped what can only be described as a cultural phenomenon at this point with “Choosin’ Texas.” As it stands today, “Choosin’ Texas” is the longest-running #1 hit by a female country artist on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, the only country song by a woman to triple up and go #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, Hot Country and Country Airplay chart simultaneously and just one of 25 songs in history to stay at #1 for 12+ weeks on the Hot 100. In case that wasn’t enough, thanks to the success of her sophomore album, Dandelion, which debuted at #1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 and sold 169,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week, Langley became just the second woman in history to hold the #1 album and song in the U.S. simultaneously with a country song/album. (Of course, Taylor Swift was the first, going #1 with Red (Taylor’s Version) and “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” back in 2021). This week, Choosin’ Texas” remained at #1 for its 15th frame, garnering 25.2 million official streams, 51.9 million airplays on radio and 7,000 units sold. In turn, Langley officially owns the longest-running #1 hit by a female artist this CENTURY, passing Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston’s 14-week record with “We Belong Together” and “I Will Always Love You,” respectively. While Ella has spent time the past couple of years on tour opening for Morgan Wallen, she has also been headlining her own Dandelion Tour. And when she recently announced 21 new dates, the demand for the tour overwhelmed Ticketmaster and briefly caused the site to go down during the presale, with all of the shows selling out pretty much immediately. Ella even recently made major headlines during the World Cup when viral German soccer fan Freddy discovered her music on his US road trip. She eventually invited him to a concert and even met the viral sensation backstage, drawing press from around the world. Oh, and she also recently launched a partnership with American Eagle, alongside names like Sydney Sweeney and Travis Kelce. So yeah, Ella’s a certified phenomenon right now. Yet according to CNN, she’s “everywhere and nowhere at the same time.” A recent article from “The Most Trusted Name In News” dives into Ella’s success, while also asking the ridiculous question: “So, why does it feel like people don’t know her face or name?” "Choosin' Texas," Ella Langley's languid heartbreak anthem, which Rolling Stone has declared the song of the summer, is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. The song is an undisputed hit, if charts are how you define such things. It's spent 15 weeks at Billboard's No. 1,… pic.twitter.com/SsYc3386Sy — CNN (@CNN) July 30, 2026 The author of the piece is a woman named Zoe Sottile who lives in New York City, so maybe that explains why it feels to her that people don’t know Ella Langley. (Although the country superstar will be playing a sold-out show in nearby Newark, New Jersey at the Prudential Center next month, so obviously a few people in the area know her). But between the two coasts, Ella Langley is a certified phenomenon: I spoke to somebody in country radio (in a northern state) recently who said he has to play her every hour, and sometimes twice an hour, or the station starts getting calls demanding her music. And just try walking in a mall or grocery store without hearing “Choosin’ Texas.” Aside from her impact on music, Ella’s impact on culture can’t be understated: Her style, her signature bangs, and her unfiltered and unabashed personality are all serving as inspiration for young girls everywhere, something you can easily see if you scroll TikTok for even a few minutes. But she’s also managed to do something that female artists often struggle with, and that’s build a loyal fanbase among men. Her male fans have even been dubbed “Ella Fellas,” which is a name they wear as a badge of honor, and sports teams like the Atlanta Braves, the Dallas Stars and the US Men’s National Soccer Team have had “Choosin’ Texas” playing in their locker rooms while declaring themselves “Ella Fellas.” Most recently, former NFL head coach Rex Ryan even proudly declared himself an “Ella Fella” while praising a recent show in Baltimore: “Look, I’ve been around football my whole life. I’ve coached in Baltimore, won a lot of games, and seen some incredible performances But let me tell you something…Ella Langley had Baltimore in the palm of her hand tonight. As the kids say, I’m officially an Ella Fella. I don’t make the rules.” To say that “it feels like people don’t know” Ella Langley is a short-sighted dismissal of one of the most successful women in the country right now, especially as she’s headlining massive festivals, selling out arenas all over the country, and smashing records on the charts. Now, maybe the author of the CNN piece is simply pointing out that Ella Langley is breaking records while not being as big as Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey. And of course she’s not. She only signed her record deal two years ago, and nobody’s arguing that she’s at that level yet. But I WOULD argue that aside from Taylor Swift, she’s the biggest female artist in the country right now, no matter what metric you choose to use. And I would also invite the author to leave New York City and come to Tennessee, or Alabama, or Texas, or anywhere outside of her coastal bubble to find out the real impact that Ella Langley is having not only on music, but on culture. I can guarantee you, there are plenty of people who know exactly who she is.The post CNN Shows Just How Out Of Touch They Are By Claiming That “People Don’t Know” Ella Langley first appeared on Whiskey Riff.