THE RECORD for the longest stint(一段时间；任期) atop the Billboard Hot 100, a chart of America’s most popular songs, once belonged to Mariah Carey’s schmaltzy(煽情的；过分感伤的) festive anthem, “All I Want For Christmas Is You”. No longer. “Choosin’ Texas”, a twangy(鼻音重的；拨弦声的) country song by Ella Langley, now claims that distinction, having spent 24 weeks in the number-one slot. (Though it was recently bumped to second place(被挤到第二位) by Taylor Swift’s new single.) Ms Langley’s track about being dumped in a honky-tonk may seem like a replay of the genre’s whisky-and-heartbreak trope.(兰利这首讲述在乡村酒吧被甩的歌，看似在重复乡村音乐威士忌加心碎的陈词滥调。) In fact, her ascent shows how the country-music business is finding a new rhythm.(事实上，她的崛起恰恰展示了乡村音乐产业如何找到了新的节奏。)
公告牌百强单曲榜是美国最热门歌曲的排行榜，其榜首停留时间最长的纪录曾属于玛丽亚·凯莉那首煽情的节日颂歌《圣诞节我想要的只有你》。如今这一纪录已被打破。埃拉·兰利那首鼻音浓重的乡村歌曲《选择得克萨斯》现在摘得这一殊荣，在冠军位置停留了24周。（不过它最近被泰勒·斯威夫特的新单曲挤到了第二位。）兰利这首讲述在乡村酒吧被甩的歌，看似在重复乡村音乐威士忌加心碎的陈词滥调。事实上，她的崛起恰恰展示了乡村音乐产业如何找到了新的节奏。
Country music has traditionally relied on radio to reach its fans. But it is now America’s fourth-most-streamed genre(类型；流派), after R&B/hip-hop, rock and pop, according to Luminate, an analytics firm. Spotify reports that global streams passed 90bn last year and royalties(版税；特许权使用费) have grown more than 130% since 2020. More labels are setting up shop(开设办事处；开店) in Nashville and Austin. Pop stars have climbed the charts after donning(穿上；戴上) cowboy boots. This year Ms Swift, who started out as(最初是；以……起家) a country singer before turning to pop, returned to the genre with the single “I Knew It, I Knew You”. (There are rumours that her next album will offer more boot-scootin’(跳牛仔舞的；乡村舞曲的) tunes.)
乡村音乐传统上依靠电台触达歌迷。但根据分析公司 Luminate 的数据，它现在是美国第四大流媒体音乐类型，仅次于节奏布鲁斯/嘻哈、摇滚和流行。Spotify 报告称，去年全球播放量突破900亿次，版税自2020年以来增长超过130%。越来越多的唱片公司在纳什维尔和奥斯汀设立办事处。流行歌手穿上牛仔靴后也登上了排行榜。今年，斯威夫特女士——她最初是乡村歌手，后来转向流行——凭借单曲《我知道，我知道你》回归乡村音乐。（有传言说她的下一张专辑将带来更多适合跳牛仔舞的曲子。）
Ms Langley is currently touring her second album across America. Her monthly listeners on Spotify, the biggest streamer, have soared(猛增；飙升) by 20m in a year. Her breakout(突破性的) success combines old-world pastoral(田园的；牧歌式的) charm with an astute(精明的；敏锐的) use of social media.
兰利女士目前正在美国各地巡演她的第二张专辑。在最大的流媒体平台 Spotify 上，她的月度听众一年内猛增了2000万。她的突破性成功将旧时代的田园魅力与对社交媒体的精明运用结合在一起。