Shania Twain has said Ella Langley’s recent success highlights the need for country music to make more space for women artists. Speaking to Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now podcast, Twain praised Langley’s authenticity and argued that her rise was not sudden, but reflected talent that may have been overlooked earlier because opportunities were limited.

Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” has spent 14 weeks at number one on the Hot 100, while Twain noted that it has been 23 years since her own last top-ten country-radio hit as a lead artist. Twain, 60, said many established women have struggled for exposure even as male contemporaries have continued to score major radio hits, and called for new women artists to be given room to build audiences rather than preferential treatment.