Shania Twain may have been hosting. And Cody Johnson may have won Entertainer of the Year. But the night of the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards belonged to Ella Langley.
Anybody paying attention to popular music over the last three months could have seen that coming.
That’s because the story of Ella Langley, in particular her blockbuster single “Choosin’ Texas,” has broken containment and since the song entered pop radio in early February, it has spent 10 weeks as the No. 1 song on Billboard‘s Hot 100.
And Grammys prognosticators are paying attention. Langley is sitting securely at the top of Gold Derby’s predictions for Best New Artist, where a win for her would have historic implications.
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The primary question about Langley’s chances at the 2027 Grammys is now whether she’s underrated in general categories.
At the time of publication, the country singer is in nomination position for only one of the other three top categories, according to Gold Derby’s predictions. And considering the categories through the lens of “Choosin’ Texas,” it makes some sense.
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PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson
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Rosalia, Bjork, Yves Tumor
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Rosalia, Yahritza y Su Esencia
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Olivia Dean and Sam Fender
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David Guetta, Teddy Swims, Tones and I
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Langley is currently ranked sixth in Gold Derby’s predictions of Song of the Year nominees. The power of “Choosin’ Texas” lies within its songwriting, which adds some credibility to the track’s advantage in the category. It’s straightforward, stripped-down catchiness and lyrics about state-based heartbreak make it a more natural fit for the songwriting category.
And while “Choosin'” is no groundbreaking feat of production, the song’s place in popular culture has elevated it to within spitting distance of a nomination for Record of the Year. It is currently ranked ninth, just one spot out of the eight-song lineup.
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PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson
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Rosalia, Bjork, Yves Tumor
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David Guetta, Teddy Swims, Tones and I
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Olivia Dean and Sam Fender
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Rosalia, Yahritza y Su Esencia
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The field where Langley’s chances may be most underrated is Album of the Year. Her second studio album, Dandelion, currently occupies the No. 2 spot on the Billboard 200, after debuting on the top of the chart last month. And yet, the album sits several spots outside of likely nominees in Gold Derby predictions for Album of the Year, positioned in 14th.
Langley’s status as a country star may be to blame for the discounting of her odds in general categories at the Grammys, but as she continues to wrack up awards at genre-specific ceremonies, it begins to look more and more likely that “Choosin’ Texas” makes yet another crossover come nomination time this Fall.
