Professional Fangirl- Katelyn Benschoter
Summer has ended and classes are back in session, which can only mean one thing: it is time to crown the song of the summer for the year 2026. This has become a tradition for me to start off the school year with an article examining the music of the previous summer. I have found that in the past few years, it has been difficult to decide a singular song of the summer. There either are too many options or simply not enough new music to pick from. It seems the challenge is over. For the song of the summer 2026, the choice was easy, and let’s just say he’s choosing Texas I can tell.
Ella Langley released her very first song in 2018, and her career has skyrocketed with success since then. She has become known for her young voice that transports listeners back to the voices of classic country singers from the 80’s and 90’s. If you are thinking you are unfamiliar with what I mean by her classic country sound, turn on any radio station or Spotify playlist and you are bound to hear her summer hit “Choosin Texas.” Ella Langley, you have officially been crowned the holder of the title of Song of the Summer: 2026.
Now that the song of the summer has been established, it is time to find out what about this sad breakup song has led to it being the song that no one can seem to escape. I think one of the most interesting facts about this song in correlation to its success is that it is a country song. In the last ten years, it is rare that a country song becomes huge outside of exclusively country radio. The top 40 is usually filled with pop, rap, and even rock…but rarely country. And not only has “Choosin Texas” topped the charts, it has broken record after record for topping the charts week after week. It seems as though country music as a whole is filling the top 40 charts, the question is: Why now?
I can attest as someone who tends to avoid country music that I have found myself seeking out music by country staples like The Chicks and early Taylor Swift. Country music is becoming mainstream again, and Ella Langley is leading the charge on making this happen. This summer, top artists such as Ariana Grande, Harry Styles, and even Madonna have all released new music. Yet, none of their songs outweighed the success of “Choosin Texas.” When a shift in music like this occurs, it is important to ask why. Why in the summer of 2026 did we choose a heartbreak country song over the expected pop hits that have been ruling the charts the last 10 years?
The first reason this song has blown up in the way that it has, is the contents of the song. This is not a song that you have to be careful who you play it in front of. You can listen to this song with your grandma or with your five year old cousin…without having to censor anything or answer awkward questions. That can be hard to come by in other songs that tend to rule the charts. Additionally heartbreak and jealousy is something that everyone can relate to. Even if you may not connect with the song in the exact way that Langley portrays it, the song contains universal ideas. Langley cast a wide net with this song, which led this song to be such a popular song.
Taking a step back and looking at the country genre as a whole, it seems the genre has become connected to the season of summer. This has also inevitably led to the song being crowned song of the summer. In an interview with The Rolling Stone, Langley said “When I think of country music, I think of long drives, being with my friends, feet in the grass, sunny and 75, beers in the cooler.” She paints this story of a perfect summer day in her music effortlessly. Everyone’s ideal summer is all about relaxing and being outside and Langley provides a calming voice with a guitar melody making her music the perfect backdrop to a summer day. The song’s lyrics may be sad, but Langley’s effortless cool girl tone she carries in her song, makes us all feel like everything is going to be alright, eventually.
Congrats to Langley for having the best summer of her life by dominating every radio station in the country. She has cracked the code of making music that is listenable to everyone, even non traditional country listeners. I do not need a crystal ball to confidently say the future of country music just got a whole lot brighter.