Ella Langley Addresses Critics After Record-Breaking Success

Country music singer Ella Langley recently addressed critics, referring to them as people who were "picking on" her, in the wake of her song "Choosin' Texas" achieving a record-breaking run at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The success of "Choosin' Texas" allowed it to surpass Mariah Carey's iconic hit "All I Want for Christmas Is You," which had previously held the record for the most weeks at the top spot.

During a concert in Columbus, Ohio, on September 25, Langley shared her feelings with the audience. "I don't think I've ever had more opinions on myself in my life than I have in this last year," she said, according to a video shared on TikTok. She elaborated on the nature of these opinions, mentioning comments about "the way I look, the way I speak, the way I dress, the way I sing, the way I write."

The 27-year-old artist admitted that the constant criticism initially affected her. "It bothered me at first," she recalled onstage. "I was like, ‘What am I going to do about this? If this is what I’m signing up to do, I don’t know about this. I signed up to sing music and I love to do what I do, but if this is what it’s going to be the whole entire time, I mean s–t, I don’t know if I’m strong enough for this.'"

However, Langley stated that she began to reflect on the individual who had driven her to this point. "I started to think about the girl that they’re kind of picking on is the girl that got me where I’m sitting here today," she continued. She described this past self as someone who endured extensive travel in a 15-passenger van and an Accord, living on "bar food" and "tip jar money," driven by little more than "a dream and the ability to get up and do it every single day."

"So I’m going to tell you right now. I am proud of that girl that everybody seems to be picking on all the time," Langley concluded.

Prior to this public address, Langley had expressed her astonishment at the record-breaking achievement. In a September 22 Instagram video, she stated she was speechless and "couldn’t find the words to help explain what’s going on in my brain today." She added, "Thank you so much. Thank you for loving this song. For listening to it. I don’t even know what to say at this point."

Mariah Carey, 57, has not publicly commented on Langley surpassing her chart record.