When writing “Choosin’ Texas” alongside Luke Dick, Joybeth Taylor, and Miranda Lambert, Ella Langley had no idea that it would become one of the biggest moments of her career. At least for now. Since last October, the song has climbed the charts and become the longest-running No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Surpassing Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You,” Langley has continued to ride the wave of success that followed “Choosin’ Texas.” But for fans in Tennessee, they offered a different opinion when an entire stadium booed the hit song.
With thousands of fans traveling to see Langley perform, she hoped to give them an unforgettable show. And while the crowd was loving the performance, it came to a halt when she jumped into “her hit song”Choosin’ Texas.” Gaining nearly 200,000 views on TikTok alone, the video showed the crowd turning against Langley when she mentioned the Lone Star State. Stepping back, the singer watched as the boos overtook the venue.
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Why did thousands of fans boo Langley? It had nothing to do with the country singer and everything to do with pride. On Saturday, the Tennessee Volunteers will take the field at Neyland Stadium to try to defeat the No. 1 team in the country, the Texas Longhorns. Currently sitting at No. 14 in the nation, Tennessee fans were notorious for protecting their home turf, and apparently, that included making sure nobody was “Choosin’ Texas” inside Neyland Stadium.
[RELATED: 2026 CMA Awards Nominees Announced as Ella Langley Leads With 9 Nominations]
Ella Langley Takes College Football Rivalry Center Stage
The college football rivalry didn’t stop at Langley’s concert. Pouring into the comments, fans took sides, with one person writing, “Tennessee fans really do think losing is a personality trait.” Another person added that there was nothing better than college football.
But among the sea of comments was one that explained the vast difference between Texas and Tennessee. “Everyone’s always chosen Texas just like Davy Crockett told Tennesseean’s to go to h**l, he went to Texas! The only poor b*****d who ‘chose’ Tennessee had too many Exes in Texas but deep down he knew where he wished to be. Arch could’ve gone to Tennessee too but he chose real UT.”
No matter what happens on Saturday, Tennessee fans clearly weren’t backing down. And if Langley planned on performing “Choosin’ Texas” in Knoxville again anytime soon, she might want to check the Volunteers’ schedule first.
(Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
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