2026 has been the year of Ella Langley, there’s no denying it.

The Alabama native released her monumental sophomore album Dandelion in April of this year, a string of remarkable singles coming alongside it. As the year has progressed, Langley’s presence has been increasingly growing in both the country music world and beyond.

Released in October 2025, ‘Choosin Texas’ has been racking up achievements ever since, but this week it landed perhaps its biggest yet: 15 non-consecutive weeks at the Number 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. The achievement marks the most weeks spent at No. 1 for a non-holiday title by a woman with no co-billed acts, surpassing legendary tracks like Mariah Carey’s ‘We Belong Together’ and Whitney Houston’s iconic cover of the Dolly Parton-penned ‘I Will Always Love You’.

As Langley continues to break more and more records, the conversation has naturally been turning to the biggest music event of the year: the 2027 GRAMMY Awards.

Beyond the country categories, there’s speculation that the Best New Artist Award could be heading to a country artist - and it would undoubtedly be about time. Whilst many country newbies have been nominated for the award over the years, it has only been won three times by country acts: LeAnn Rimes in 1997, Carrie Underwood in 2007, and Zac Brown Band in 2010. After such a successful year, many people are thinking that Langley could be the newest addition to that list.

So, what are Langley’s chances? Well, they seem pretty high. Although GRAMMY wins aren’t wholly determined by commercial success, it does have an impact. With ‘Choosin’ Texas’ now breaking 15 weeks spent at No. 1, on the all genre charts, it is easily one of the most commercially successful tracks of the year so far.

Dandelion as a whole debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and the second single ‘Be Her’ was only blocked from the top spot by Langley’s own ‘Choosin Texas’. The success of the Dandelion speaks for itself, but Langley isn’t the only female country act in talks for Best New Artist.

The emo-cowgirl herself, Megan Moroney, has also been cropping up in conversations around the honour. Moroney’s 2026 album Cloud 9 debuted at No. 1 on both the US Top Country Albums chart, and the US Billboard 200. Currently out on her Cloud 9 World Tour, Moroney has established a respected name for herself in the three years since the release of her debut album Lucky, with streaming numbers in the millions and her breakthrough track ‘Tennessee Orange’ currently sitting at half a billion streams on Spotify.

A win in the category for a female country artist would be a monumental moment for the genre, marking the peak of what has been an incredible year for women in country and a defining celebration of the success they have created for themselves.

It’s always tough competition for Best New Artist, though, and the names in other genres are looking strong too. After his 2025 breakout hit ‘Sally, When the Wine Runs Out’, indie-pop newcomer Role Model is rumoured to be in the running too, his album Kansas Anymore leading to his embark on his No Place Like Tour throughout 2025.

The four-member rock band Geese are also in talks for a nomination after a big year for the group, their album Getting Killed having catapulted them into popularity. Despite having been a popular name for a while, Dominic Fike could also be in the nominees having landed his first two top 40 hits on the Hot 100 this year: ‘White Keys’ and ‘Babydoll’.

Whoever takes home the Best New Artist award will be following on from Olivia Dean winning the honour, and those are some big shoes to fill.

Here at Holler, we’d be betting on Langley, but with the 2027 GRAMMY nominees not being named until November, there’s plenty of time for things to change.