Thanks to Ella Langley, Women Are Atop the Country Charts After 51-Week Drought

Back in December 2023, the Billboard Country Airplay chart revealed Lainey Wilson landed the No. 1 spot thanks to her collaboration with Jelly Roll on the hit song “Save Me.” Just a few months prior, Wilson also took over the charts with her song “Watermelon Moonshine.” Although seeming to take control of country music, it marked the last time a female sat on top of the Billboard Country Airplay chart. With no woman topping the chart throughout 2024, Ella Langley decided to take matters into her own hands with the duet “You Look Like You Love Me.” 

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For the past 51 weeks, the Billboard Country Airplay chart featured a male vocalist at the top. Even with more than a few female artists releasing music, none could snag the No. 1 spot. But with Langley collaborating with Riley Green on “You Look Like You Love Me”, the singer not only took No. 1 but it marked her first time at the top of the chart. As for Green, it marked his second time.

Although country music holds several top female singers like Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, Faith Hill, and Shania Twain, the charts have featured mostly males. Back in 2015, radio executive Keith Hill gained a great deal of backlash for sharing his thoughts on women in music. He noted, “If you want to make ratings in country radio, take females out. I play great female records … they’re just not the lettuce in our salad. The lettuce is Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton, Keith Urban and artists like that. The tomatoes of our salad are the females.”

[RELATED: Riley Green Set to Perform With Ella Langley on ‘The Voice’ Finale]

Riley Green Loved Working With Ella Langley

While females continue to leave their mark on country music, Green loved working with Langley. Recalling how they met, he said, “Me and Ella have a mutual friend that was a promoter that introduced us years ago. She probably opened for me in Alabama, her being from Alabama as well… when I was playing clubs and bar scenes and just always loved her voice.”

Having a great deal of respect for Langley, Green eased into working with the singer on “You Look Like You Love Me” due to how good the song was. “I can remember when I went to write the verse, I really didn’t want to step on her toes in the song, because it was such a cool moment for her, for the girl to be kind of coming onto the guy in the bar. I thought that’s what made the song so cool. Immediately when it came out, everybody knew what we had, but it was a surprise to me for sure.”

With Langley No. 1 on the charts, the country singer proved Hill to be wrong when it came to women in music.

(Photo by Jason Kempin/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

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