Two young Alabama country stars have scored their second Top 10 duet, following a monster hit that won them some awards in 2025. And that’s not the only iron that either of them has in the fire.
Over the weekend, Billboard.com and other music-industry news sites took note of the accomplishment by Riley Green and Ella Langley. Billboard reported that their duet “Don’t Mind If I Do” had made it into the No. 10 spot in the latest version of the Country Airplay chart thanks to a 20% jump in airplay audience.
Billboard.com underscored the rarity of the feat: the last time a pair of artists racked up multiple shared Country Airplay Top 10s, according to the site, it was Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani in 2020 with “Nobody But You” and “Happy Anywhere.”
The rising single follows “You Look Like You Love Me,” a breakout hit that helped both artists ride high throughout 2025 and one that did a lot to raise Langley’s profile in particular. Langley, who’s from Hope Hull, and Green, a Jacksonville native, received multiple Academy of Country Music awards in May thanks to the song and video.
The timeline goes back at least to 2024 for both songs. “You Look Like You Love Me” was released in June 2024 and was featured on Langley’s album “Hungover.” Langley has described the writing process by saying that she and Aaron Raitiere co-wrote the initial version and Green added a verse. It topped Billboard’s Country Airplay chart for a week in December 2024.
Green wrote “Don’t Mind If I Do” and it’s the title track of his third studio album, which was released in fall 2024. It wasn’t released as a single until summer 2025. The two have performed the duet in plenty of high-profile showcases, including appearances on “The Voice,” the “Today Show” and the Sand in My Boots festival in Gulf Shores.
Green has recently perked up ears with yet another duet, one that involves a third artist with Alabama roots. On Friday, he and Jamey Johnson released “Smoke.” Johnson was born in Montgomery and grew up in Enterprise; he and Green both attended Jacksonville State University and will tour together again this month.
A headline at industry site whiskeyriff.com described it as a “classic country leavin’ song,” but there’s a catch: The lyrics strongly suggest that the protagonist’s weed habit might have contributed to a breakup, and that it’s definitely contributing to the getting-over of it.
The refrain: “Couldn’t see which way she went/ Or which way I went wrong/ Couldn’t see why she left so early/ Or why she stayed so long/ There was something burning my eyes/ Turning my head to stone/ I bet it would’ve hurt to watch her go/ Good thing I can’t see through all this smoke.”
There’s also a line about white smoke from a vehicle’s tailpipe, but just to remove any doubt, Green comes in on a line that “I’m just one puff away from a brand-new state of mind.”
“Smoke” isn’t on Johnson’s 2024 album “Midnight Gasoline.” For now, it’s a freestanding single.
“Midnight Sun” was Johnson’s first studio album in 14 years. In a recent interview, he said that a concussion he suffered in 2010, and the alcohol abuse that followed, had seriously disrupted his life for years. He said he quit drinking in 2011 and gave up pot in 2015. Nowadays he “may still break out a joint … But I don’t play games with the alcohol.”
It’s not all about duets. Green’s solo single “Change My Mind” recently entered the Top 50 of Billboard’s Hot County Songs Chart. Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” jumped even higher, debuting at No. 7 on the Hot Country chart and at No. 39 on the overall Hot 100 chart, behind a Top 30 featuring eight Taylor Swift singles.
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