Ella Langley takes country music to an all-time high

Country music saw an increase in popularity over the 2020s, mainly thanks to male artists such as Lil Nas X or Morgan Wallen. Some big hits include “Dial Drunk” by Noah Kahan, the “Fast Car”-cover by Luke Combs or Dasha’s “Austin”. Despite those breakout songs, the country genre has never ever spawned a Number 1-hit on my chart. Mainly due to the fact charting began after 1995, long after the European heyday of the genre. This week, Ella Langley proves it only took one woman to change that; soaring to Number 1 with the heartfelt “Choosing Texas”. The ballad explores a woman’s dilemma as she watches her man fall in love with a Texas-born girl. Ella Langley previously enjoyed success with “You Look Like You Love Me” on the Billboard Hot 100, but with its heart-tucking strings “Choosing Texas” is shaping up to become her big international breakthrough. Generally speaking, country music is dominated by white men, so it’s refreshing to see Ella Langley take charge. In the past years, other big female country hits include There You’ll Be” by Faith Hill, Taylor Swift’s early work, and that one country album by Kylie Mingoue. With “Choosing Texas” at Number 1, Ella Langley earns her first chart-topping single.

Dutch newcomer Zoë Livay moves into the Top 10 for the first time with her heartfelt “Sluit Me In Je Armen”. On the guitar-driven song, Zoë asks to her lover to hold her closely when she’s feeling down or stressed. Zoë Livay first appeared when she auditioned for the Voice of Holland in 2019. She then released two minorly successful EPs and was also featured in a commercial for the Dutch railroads. In 2025, Zöe Livay teamed up with rapper-turned-singer Snelle on the successful “Ik Zing”. It peaked at #12 on my personal chart, but reached the Top 5 on the official national charts and launched Zoë into the mainstream. “Sluit Me In Je Armen” bests Zoë’s previous hit by a mile, peaking at #9 this week. It marks her first Top 10-hit.

Jennie, Rosé, Lisa and Jisoo are back as Blackpink on the bombastic “Go”. The South-Korean K-pop group have been a genre-defining global sensation with massive hits for a few years now, but on here, 2025 became Blackpink’s most successful year on the charts yet. “Jump” peaked at Number 1 over the summer and made Blackpink the first girl group to top the charts since Little Mix in 2019. “Jump” was also a major successful in Europe, becoming their longest-charting song to date. Solo, the girls also hit the charts big time. Jisoo and Rosé collaborated with Zayn and Bruno Mars, respectively, while Lisa’s “Born Again” reached my Top 40 and Jennie scored two #11-hits with “Mantra” and “Like JENNIE”. The new “Go” was written/produced by Coldplay’s Chris Martin. Sonically, it is very reminiscent of Dua Lipa’s underrated “Fight Song”. Blackpink’s “Go” starts off at #18 – the highest new entry of this week.

RAYE is back with the jazz-infused “Nightingale Lane.” a few places down at #20. It’s the second hit off her upcoming album, which already spawned the Number 1-hit “Where Is My Husband”. A story-teller at heart, RAYE is at her strongest on this fresh now song. Further down, Bruno Mars impacts the list with “Risk It All” at #26. It is the second release of his new album The Romantic. It was preceded by “I Just Might”, which was another easy international hit for Bruno Mars and peaked at #2 on here. Indie pop-singer Bella Kay channels her best Olivia Rodrigo on the new “Iloveitiloveitiloveit” at #29. The song has gone viral on TikTok and become Bella Kay her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Charts. With that kind of momentum, it is set to launch Bella Kay’s career. Rounding out the new entries for the week, Mall Grab and Milky tease us the summer on “Just The Way You Are” at #39. Only one place lower, Tame Impala re-enters at #40 with his Top 10-hit “Dracula” thanks to a remix with Blackpink’s Jennie. With “Go” its success, the remixed version is boosted up. Jennie retroactively earns her first Top 10-hit as a solo artist, surpassing “Like JENNIE” and “Mantra” their peak at #11.

Newly certified

“Stateside” – PinkPantheress & Zara Larsson GOLD

“Die On This Hill” – Sienna Spiro PLATINUM

“Midnight Sun” – Zara Larsson 2 X PLATINUM

“The Fate of Ophelia” – Taylor Swift 2 X PLATINUM