It’s a rare enough in 2026 to get a solo unaccompanied country woman artist at No. 1 on either the Billboard Hot 100 or the Billboard 200 albums chart — but to get both, and during the same week? That’s downright unprecedented.
This week, on the Billboard charts dated Mar. 7, Megan Moroney‘s Cloud 9 debuts atop the Billboard 200 — her first time topping the listing — while Ella Langley‘s “Choosin’ Texas” returns to No. 1 for the second week, after vacating the top spot last week for a post-Super Bowl Bad Bunny’s “DtMF.” It marks the first time country women have ruled both charts simultaneously, and just the fifth time two country artists of any gender have doubled up on top.
How historic an accomplishment is this? And are there are other country women who might be following either artist to either top spot in the near future? Billboard staffers answer these questions and more below.
1. For the first time in Billboard history, country women artists top the Billboard 200 and the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously, with Megan Moroney’s Cloud 9 debuting atop the former and Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” returning to the top of the latter (for the second week total). On a scale from 1-10, how historic a chart occasion would you say this is?
Katie Atkinson: 10! First of all, this has never happened, and I’m sure we’re all thinking of some blockbuster country stars we assume might have already accomplished this (Dolly, Shania, Taylor, just to name a few). Then there are the (very recent) studies about country radio favoring male artists over women, which has set up a tough environment for new female stars to break through. So now, to have two relatively new country women artists find this kind of major success at the same time, it speaks to a changing landscape that is long overdue.
Lyndsey Havens: 10, for sure, considering that the Billboard 200 launched in 1956 and the Hot 100 in 1958. That’s a long time to wait for a moment like this.
Melinda Newman: 10, simply because it has never happened before in the decades-long history of the charts. While it’s cause for celebration, it’s also a cause for reflection and, quite frankly, dismay that it took nearly 70 years for the stars (both the human and celestial kind) to align this way for women artists. Of course, these things are are also ruled by such circumstances as release schedules and other factors that add in an element of chance (for example, if Moroney had released her album this Friday when Harry Styles will, we would likely not be heralding this moment), but, hopefully, it’s not decades before it happens again.
Jessica Nicholson: 9. For decades, women country artists have fought and struggled for more representation at radio, on tours, on festival performance slots. So, for two women to each have a solo hit (song/album) topping those respective charts at the same time is a significant, powerful statement that fans are connecting with — and want to hear more of — these artists’ music.
Andrew Unterberger: Anytime you get to say “first time” without qualifications about charts that have been around for over 60 years, it’s probably a 10. But certainly here, after a streaming breakthrough period for country where it has felt like all the biggest beneficiaries have been men, to get two women at the absolute top of the pops at the same time like this — it’s hard to overestimate how big a deal this is.
2. Megan Moroney’s previous peak on the Billboard 200 was No. 9, reached with 2024’s Am I Okay? album. What do you think is the biggest reason she was able to level all the way up to No. 1 — with a decisively chart-topping 147,000 first-week units — this time around?
Katie Atkinson: Have to give it to the album sales here, seeing as it’s her best sales week ever. Labels can make as many vinyl and CD variants available as they want, but fans have to actually buy them – and 78,000 units is a big number, meaning Moroney has built up a sizeable fanbase in the two years since Am I Okay? She also built up some major buzz coming in with four pre-release singles, all of which reached the top 40 of the Hot Country Songs chart. The one thing Moroney has yet to cross off her list (but can’t be too far away): her first No. 1 hit on either Hot Country Songs or Country Airplay, where she has three top 10 hits apiece but no chart-toppers.
Lyndsey Havens: I think two of Megan’s biggest strengths are consistency and patience. I love Am I Okay? and in my book, musically and creatively speaking, it’s just as deserving as the chart’s top spot. But I think it was an important stepping stone for Moroney to now reach the summit. Her debut album, Lucky, gave us the country smash “Tennessee Orange,” which became her first top 10 entry on Hot Country Songs. Then, Am I Okay? became her first top 10 entry on the Billboard 200. She’s always had an incredibly strong fan base, and looking back on her chart presence, it’s clear that it’s been building just as steadily. And with Cloud 9 she was able to hit that next level, which just so happens to be the highest one there is.
Melinda Newman: Her fame has risen exponentially since Am I Okay through building her awareness and brand. Country radio has embraced singles like the title track and “6 Months Later.” But most importantly, she’s worked hard. Her concerts draw an incredibly fervent mainly female fanbase that include mothers and daughters who exhibit the kind of zeal that Taylor Swift fans displayed during her early years (and, of course, still do). She has also smartly kept herself in the public eye with her “9 Cities, 9 Days” whistle-stop tour that got her in front of fans both in person and online around the week of release to spread the word, as well as indulging in some fun gossip and speculation that keeps her name in the news.
Jessica Nicholson: In every area of her career, Megan has continued to leveled up since the release of Am I Okay? She’s gone from clubs to arenas, she’s masterfully utilized social media and visuals to create a recognizable brand, and her music has continued to grow in depth and nuance. She’s created music that a generation of young fans can relate to who are also navigating love, heartbreak, life and friendship.
Andrew Unterberger: She’s really built a brand over the past few years that’s practically unrivaled in country music right now — one that really bears a lot more of the influence of pop stars like Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter than any particularly obvious country predecessors — which has helped her really build on her success from song to song, project to project.
3. Langley’s Dandelion album is due in a little over a month — do you expect it to follow Cloud 9 to No. 1 on the Billboard 200?
Katie Atkinson: As of now, Ella has the only major release on April 10, so I wouldn’t be too surprised. But, looking at March, she could face some competition from lingering earlier releases, like BTS’ comeback album Arirang on March 20 or Harry Styles’ Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally on March 6. So far, Styles has only spent two weeks atop the Billboard 200 (with Harry’s House and Fine Line), while all six of BTS’ No. 1 albums only had a single week up top – but both acts have reached new stratospheres of fame in the years since, so all bets are off. Given all that, I think I’m going to bet on Ella and say she follows in Megan’s footsteps to No. 1.
Lyndsey Havens: I genuinely think it could. Much like Moroney’s rollout and release — Cloud 9 added 10 Hot 100 entries to her total, which is now 15 — Langley is off to arguably an even stronger start, considering the sustained chart-topping power of “Choosin’ Texas.” Plus, the two other already-released Dandelion singles, “Dandelion” and “Be Her,” have charted at Nos. 46 and 16, respectively. So yes, it does seem to me like a Billboard 200 chart-topping debut is within reach for Langley.
Melinda Newman: Yes. Langley looks unstoppable at this point, though these situations are always reliant on luck as well and it depends upon who is else coming out On April 10. As of now, it doesn’t look like she has any major competitors also releasing sets that day, so it looks good for her unless Harry Styles or BTS are still claiming the top spot a few weeks after their March release dates.
Jessica Nicholson: “Choosin’ Texas” has been a massive hit for Ella, exposing more fans to her music, and she’s set to launch her first arena headlining tour in May. Albums of country music and country-influenced music from Morgan Wallen, Zach Bryan, Beyonce, Post Malone have topped the all-genre Billboard 200 chart over the past few years, and Megan Moroney is now topping that chart, so music fans seem primed to consume Ella’s album in a way that could very well see it reach No. 1.
Andrew Unterberger: Almost certainly. Maybe something we don’t know is coming yet gets in her way, but I really expect this album to be one of the year’s biggest debuts — at least among artists who haven’t already done big business on the Billboard 200 — so it’s gonna take a pretty major project to get in her way.
4. The historic double-No. 1 for country women comes during a time that has otherwise been relatively inhospitable to women artists at the top tiers of country stardom. Do you think this is a sign of legitimate change to come, or more a matter of two exceptional artists hitting new peaks at the same time?
Katie Atkinson: I think it could be a little bit of both. There’s no question that Moroney and Langley are outliers in country right now, but we can also hope Nashville takes the hint and goes hunting for the next Ella or Megan hustling on the fringes right now. I’m encouraged that someone making classic-sounding country music like Langley, not unlike Kacey Musgraves did when she first came out, could be instantly embraced by the establishment and maybe effect change from within instead of from the outside looking in.
Lyndsey Havens: I think it can be both. My favorite part of the music industry is that genuinely good music always wins out, it always finds its way — especially when the hours have been logged — and I think that’s what we’re seeing with Megan and Ella right now. These are not artists who are experiencing overnight virality and playing catch up — they’ve been ready and are now enjoying the benefits of years of hard work, so I do think the fact that they are deserving, exceptional artists is playing a large part in this historic moment.
At the same time, I think the beauty of a historic moment is that it opens the gates — it’s been done, there’s momentum and interest and attention, all of which can make it possible to sustain. There’s no shortage of incredible women artists in country — I have an eye on Carter Faith and Willow Avalon this year, in particular — and so I choose to believe this success from Ella and Megan is indeed a sign of change to come. It’s cliche, but true for many (especially women), that seeing really is believing.
Melinda Newman: More of the latter, though canny radio programmers will hopefully take notice and take some more chances. Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” is the only song by a woman in the top 15 on this week’s Country Airplay chart (Moroney is at No. 18 and Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton are at No. 20). More and more non-country stations are playing Langley each week with a song that is pretty country sounding, so that’s an encouraging sign that pop-leaning stations are willing to step out on Langley and maybe would on other country women. With streaming for country artists continuing to rise after lagging behind other genres for years, it’s an opportunity for women artists to climb up the multi-metric charts that way.
Jessica Nicholson: As momentous and well-deserved as this achievement is for both Ella and Megan, there is still a long way to go in seeing even more women artists have success in the genre.
Andrew Unterberger: To have two women impacting so massively at the same time is a big enough deal that it almost has to be meaningful about some larger trends in effect — but it’d still be foolish to assume that this is anywhere near Mission Accomplished for equity in country music. We’ll know things are really moving in the right direction when we get some more female artists in country who aren’t massive potential crossover stars, but just who have a decent level of success with every new release without having to prove themselves with every new song, like men have been able to do by the dozen at pretty much any point in recent country history.
5. Is there another woman in country who you could see potentially hitting No. 1 on the BB200 or Hot 100 for the first time in the not-too-distant future? If so, who?
Katie Atkinson: I’m really excited about Tiffany Stringer, who got signed by Atlantic Records and released her new single “Bullet” in January. The song is giving me ’90s pop-country vibes and immediately got lodged in my head. Pick this up, country radio!
Lyndsey Havens: I’m rooting for Carter Faith. She released her debut album, Cherry Valley, in October and it housed the incredible single “If I Had Never Lost My Mind…” She was just announced as part of The Grand Ole Opry’s 2026 NextStage class (along with Willow Avalon), she just made her late night TV debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (performing “If I”) and she’s heading out on tour with Post Malone and Jelly Roll this year. I can totally see “If I” gaining a second wind this year, and the gust may just be strong enough to carry it to the top of the chart.
Melinda Newman: Lainey Wilson. She broke through a few years before Moroney and Langley, but her crossover appeal is still building. She’s moving more into mainstream movie roles which should build her awareness outside of country circles. She just needs the right song— perhaps a duet with a non-country artist (Langley benefitted greatly from her collab with BigXThaPlug)— to propel her to the top of the all-genre Hot 100. Her 2022 album Bell Bottom Country peaked at No. 51 on the Top 200, but 2024’s Whirlwind climbed all the way to No. 8, so she doesn’t have that far to go with an album release as well.
Jessica Nicholson: Lainey Wilson has earned several accolades in her career, including multiple ACM and CMA entertainer of the year wins, a Grammy win for best country album (Bell Bottom Country), is headlining tours and has served as the host of the CMA Awards. As a modern-yet-traditional leaning country sound has gained ground, it seems that Lainey has immense potential to add an all-genre No. 1 to her arsenal of accolades.
Andrew Unterberger: There isn’t really one, and that’s sort of the problem: Once you get past Langley and Moroney, it’s a pretty huge drop off to the third-biggest female crossover star in country right now. Yes, Lainey Wilson is a star and a touring regular and could in theory top the Billboard 200 in the right week sometime, but her momentum seems to be taking her more to being a veteran country fixture than someone who’s readying to take the leap into pop mega-success — and beyond her, it’s tough to even say who else should definitely be in the discussion. Carter Faith seems to have a high ceiling, and I’d love to see Kassi Ashton get a big look sometime, but neither of them have yet reached either of these charts, let alone topped them. Have to hope the success of Langley and Moroney opens some more doors for these women, but they’ve got a long way to go to be on that level themselves.
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