There was nearly a half-second gap between audio and video. That’s an eternity in music — surely something the millions watching would notice. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
Day: February 9, 2026
Ella Langley is celebrating another career-defining moment. Today, it was announced that her buzzed-about hit, “Choosin’ Texas,” has officially climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. This marks the first time she has ever claimed the top spot.
With the achievement, Langley makes history as the first female artist to simultaneously lead the Hot 100, Hot Country Songs, and Country Airplay charts. According to Billboard, only three other songs have previously accomplished the same feat: Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help” featuring Morgan Wallen, and Wallen’s “Last Night.”
Additionally, the song has surpassed 310 million streams worldwide, earning RIAA Platinum certification and reaching No. 1 on the U.S. Spotify Chart, Apple Music’s U.S. Songs Chart, and became the fourth country song by a female lead to top the Billboard Streaming Songs chart list in its 13-year history.
Her latest milestone arrives just days after Langley rallied fans for one final push to help her achieve the historic goal. Taking to social media, she emphasized how close the song was to reaching the top spot and explained to listeners that their help could make all the difference.
“Y’all have put me in a position to do something only a few females in country music have ever done,” she wrote at the time. “I’m being told we’re neck and neck on getting the #1 and if we have one last push on iTunes we might make country music history.”
“Choosin’ Texas” was co-written and produced by Langley with Miranda Lambert, alongside producer Ben West and co-writers Luke Dick and Joybeth Taylor. Lambert can also be heard singing background vocals on track. Throughout the catchy tune, the Alabama native delivers a bittersweet tale of heartbreak, singing from the perspective of someone realizing the man she loves was never really hers as his heart is firmly rooted in Texas, and with someone else.
“She’s from Texas I can tell by the way/ He’s two steppin round the room/ And judgin by the smile that’s written on his face / There’s nothin I can to do/ It doesn’t take a crystal ball to see / A cowboy always finds a way to leave / Drinkin Jack all by myself/ He’s choosin’ Texas I can tell,” she sings on the chorus.
The song serves as the lead single off Langley’s forthcoming sophomore album, Dandelion, which is set to release on April 10.
Looking ahead, Ella Langley is gearing up to hit the road for The Dandelion Tour, which kicks off May 7 in Toledo, OH and includes stops in St. Louis, Oklahoma City, Austin, and more before wrapping in Fort Worth, TX on August 15.
Joining Ella on tour as support across select dates is Kameron Marlowe, Dylan Marlowe, Kaitlin Butts, Gabriella Rose, and Laci Kaye Booth.
Also on the schedule for the year are supporting dates for Eric Church’s Free The Machine Tour, Morgan Wallen’s Still The Problem Tour and several other festival appearances.
The post Ella Langley Makes Chart History as ‘Choosin’ Texas’ Tops Billboard Hot 100 appeared first on Country Now.
Country Now
By: Grace Dumas, News of the North
District leaders and student advocates from across Alaska testified this morning at a joint Education Committee hearing with both the House and the Senate.
One thing all districts had in common, despite the unique challenges facing schools from Fairbanks to Yakutat, was a call for reliable school funding.
Public schools are funded through Average Daily Membership or ADM, this is the count of enrolled students each year, it can take months to fully process, with an accurate count generally unavailable during budget making.
Testifiers say school funding is a “guessing game.” With districts often creating their budgets with no concrete data.
Some schools have classes that span multiple age groups, bloated class sizes that spread teachers thin, and testifiers say it’s, “costing the state excellence.”
Another commonality between all districts was concern for teacher turnover.
Testifiers said teachers are not compensated fairly to adjust for the rising cost of living in the state, and they are not provided an adequate retirement package which creates an incentive to stay in Alaska.
“I don’t know where the state is going to save all kinds of money by not giving our children the education they need.” said testifier Strong from Chatham school district.
15-year old Maddie Bass from Juneau described growing up in what she called an “underfunded district” where teachers routinely sent home lists of supplies so students could fully participate in class.
“I have never had the opportunity to learn in a classroom that was funded enough to have materials for everyone.” she said, “even with recent consolidations in my district, which caused the firing of multiple teachers, the cutting of programs and more, there is not enough.”
Bass, whose father taught in Alaska schools, said she has watched educators in her district work multiple jobs, struggle to secure adequate health care and has watched her father go to school sick because there were not enough substitute teachers.
She added that, as a teenager, she should not be missing class to “testify in front of legislators” to ask for funding so her teachers can afford to live and students can receive a full education.
“So I’m asking you, please do as much as you can for me, for my teachers, and so my little sister will not have to stand up here and testify when she goes to high school in four years,” she said.
Testifiers thanked legislators for the increase in the Base Student Allocation, but that recognition came with a plea for more stability moving forward.
On her podcast, the reality TV star talked about how she and her children use sunscreen. But according to medical experts, her approach might not be the best.
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As you’ve surely heard by now, Bad Bunny delivered an epic performance during halftime of Super Bowl LX on Sunday night.
For many viewers, it was the most entertaining halftime spectacle in recent memory.
But others began criticizing this year’s halftime show months ago, when Bad Bunny — real name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — was first announced as the headliner.
They complained that the performance would be un-American, even though Benito was born in the US territory of Puerto Rico.
They griped that he performs primarily in Spanish, as though anyone watches the Super Bowl halftime show for the lyrics.
In other words, this is a situation where a lot of people got outraged first, and then worked their way backward to try and justify their furor.
The haters received some valuable ammunition on Monday in the form of a viral photo that appears to show Benito burning an American flag.
“Right here. This is why this fu–wad should be nowhere near the Super Bowl,” wrote one very angry X user who reposted the pic.
Needless to say, a lot of very pissed off patriots soon joined OP in expressing their outrage.
Few of those people could be bothered by the fact that the photo is very clearly fake.
Thankfully, community notes exist, and the post has now been updated with some important facts:
“The image first appeared on a Facebook account that says it publishes satire,” the note reads.
“The image contained a SynthID watermark, indicating it had been generated using artificial intelligence.”
Of course, the original poster still hasn’t deleted the photo, because being outraged is more important than being right.
It’s possible that no halftime show in history has sparked as much controversy as Bad Bunny’s.
As we previously reported, the folks at Turning Point USA were so angry that they prerecorded their own halftime show and aired it opposite the real one.
Donald Trump lashed out at Bad Bunny on his Truth Social platform, calling this year’s halftime show “one of the worst ever.”
“The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER! It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence,” the president posted, adding:
“Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World.
“This ‘Show’ is just a ‘slap in the face’ to our Country, which is setting new standards and records every single day — including the Best Stock Market and 401(k)s in History!”
How has Benito responded to all of this?
Well, it seems that he’s mostly just shrugged it off and kept living his best life. One thing he hasn’t done (as far as anyone knows) is burn an American flag — but don’t tell that to the AI-happy hate mongers.
Bad Bunny Flag Burning Photo Goes Viral: Is It Real? was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
Aldi’s Red Beans and Rice Mix is a great base for a meal. You can transform it from delicious side into an easy main with a few quick add-ins.
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Starbucks New 1971 Roast Coffee Review
Starbucks has released a brand-new roast to add to its full-time menu: the 1971 Roast. We tried it for ourselves (black) to see how it measured up.
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Move over, ramen! Celebrity chef Alex Guarnaschelli predicts that this simple yet comforting soup will be what many people will choose to eat this year.
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The biggest spectacle of the NASCAR season has arrived — welcome to the Daytona 500! How long is the race? What time does it start? Can William Byron make it three straight victories? We’ve got you covered with a guide of everything to know about the 2026 Daytona 500 (Sunday, 2:30 PT on FOX). I assume this race is in Daytona Beach, Florida? Yes! Daytona International Speedway sits about five miles west of the ocean. It is a 2.5-mile tri-oval — mostly an oval shape but with a couple of doglegs with a slight turn between Turn 4 and Turn 1. The trioval is banked 18 degrees, while the turns are banked 31 degrees and the backstretch is banked 3 degrees. Daytona International Speedway, which opened in 1959 and was last repaved in 2010, seats 101,500. How many cars will compete? The field will be 41 cars. [DAYTONA 500 COUNTDOWN: 20 Most Memorable Moments in Race History] How do drivers get in? There are 37 drivers who are locked in and eight drivers are expected to vie for the final four sports. Two will get in through single-car qualifying Wednesday, which also sets the Daytona 500 front row. Two drivers not locked in also will get in through the duels Thursday, which set the lineup for the Daytona 500. For more detailed description of how a driver gets in, this story has all the info: How The Daytona 500 Lineup Is Set. What time does the Daytona 500 start? The listed start time is 2:30 p.m. ET. Coverage on FOX begins at 12:30 p.m. ET. The green flag is scheduled to drop at 3:13 p.m. ET. What is the forecast? FOX Weather predicts (as of Tuesday morning) temperatures in the high-70s with a 60 percent chance of rain. How long is the race? The race is 200 laps (500 miles). NASCAR races are split into stages. The first stage will be 65 laps. The second stage will be 65 laps. The final stage will be 70 laps. Which drivers are the favorites? Well, William Byron has won the last two Daytona 500s, so he is a favorite, but the odds of winning three consecutive Daytona 500s are remote — no driver has ever won three in a row. In fact, eight of the last 11 winners won the Daytona 500 for the first time. Typically, you look at drivers who are good at the high-banked drafting tracks — Daytona, Talladega and now Atlanta that provides a shorter version (1.5-mile track) of the style of racing where drivers are packed up because of the need to limit horsepower in order to keep the cars on the ground. The last 11 drafting-track races since Byron’s 2024 Daytona 500 win have had 11 different winners: Daniel Suarez, Tyler Reddick, Harrison Burton (no longer in Cup), Joey Logano, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., William Byron, Christopher Bell, Austin Cindric, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney and Chase Briscoe. Most of those would be considered somewhat favorites, in addition to three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin. Who are the dark horses? Chris Buescher, Michael McDowell, Ross Chastain, Austin Dillon and Bubba Wallace all have wins at Daytona or Talladega in the last five years and shouldn’t be counted out. Who are the sentimental favorites? Former Cup champions Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch have never won the Daytona 500. Busch is making his 21st start and has led 342 laps in the race during his career. Keselowski is making his 17th start. Three other active Cup champions don’t have a Daytona 500 win — reigning Cup Series champion Kyle Larson (13th start), 2023 Cup champion Ryan Blaney (12th) and 2020 Cup champion Chase Elliott (11th). Also, while Denny Hamlin has won three Daytona 500s, after coming up gut-wrenchingly short on another championship run and a tragic offseason with the death of his father, many fans would feel the emotion of his win. Is Jimmie Johnson still racing? Yes. Johnson stopped racing full-time in the Cup Series following the 2020 season but has run the Daytona 500 the last three seasons. The seven-time Cup champion will race again this year and also plans to race the Cup event at Naval Base Coronado, near his hometown of El Cajon near San Diego. Is Dale Earnhardt Jr. still racing? No. But he will own a car attempting to make the Daytona 500. JR Motorsports, an organization that fields several cars in what is now the O’Reilly Series (formerly Xfinity), made the race last year with Justin Allgaier and is attempting to make it again this year. Is there anything new for 2026? There isn’t much new about the Daytona 500. But the big change is how NASCAR determines its champion. Instead of win-and-in eligibility to make the postseason this season, NASCAR will just take the top-16 drivers in the point standings after the 26th race. And then, instead of elimination rounds with four drivers eligible for the title in the final race, the championship round is the full 10-race postseason, and whichever driver finishes with the most points is the champion. Wins are worth 55 points instead of 40 under the new format (second place remains 35). The 16 drivers who make the “Chase” will have their points reset to 2100 for the regular-season champion, 2075 for second, 2065 for third, 2060 for fourth, 2055 for fifth and decreasing in five-point increments through 2000 for 16th. [MORE NASCAR: With Lawsuit in Rearview, What Does it Mean for Drivers?] Who is doing the prerace concert? Country star Miranda Lambert will perform on the stage prior to the race. Who is giving the command to start engines? Comedian Nate Bargatze will give the command to start engines. Who is waving the green flag? The honorary starter of the race is still to be announced. Who is singing the national anthem? The national anthem singer is still to be announced. Who is driving the pace car? The celebrity pace-car driver prior to the race is legendary actor Kurt Russell.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
Blake did not take this one lying down. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs