Taylor Swift once more debuted at No.1 on the 200 Billboard Hot 100. With record-breaking first-week sales, Billboard claims that this marks her 11th time at the top spot.
Since its release on October 21st, Midnights has sold over one million copies. It boasts over half a million vinyl sales, attributed to a series of sleeve designs that inspired fans to purchase multiple copies.
In total, it sold 1.578 million album equivalents, making it the first best-selling album in almost seven years. Moreover, it contains the most physical sales since Luminate began counting 1991.
The most recent album, before Midnights, which sold the most in the first week, was Adele’s 25, released in December 2015 with 3.482 million copies.
Swift currently ranks alongside Barbra Streisand for the most number one albums by a female artist. Moreover, she is the sixth artist to have over 10 No. 1 LPs. She comes next to The Beatles, Drake, Jay-Z, Bruce Springsteen and Streisand.
Furthermore, Midnights had the biggest weekly sales for an album, behind Swift’s 2017 album Reputation.
Elsewhere, Arctic Monkey’s The Car is in the top 10, a reflection of the band’s former Billboard chart at number 6 for AM. In the UK, however, the record will likely be the first time the band has dropped to No.1 after Swift’s midweek acquisition.
Swift’s release strategy has sparked controversy over pop artists taking advantage of record updates. It blocks impending plans and includes a minor release.
And according to Billboard, the 500,000 LPs Swift changed are “more than most artists can now manufacture, let alone sell.”
Read also: Christian Bale Portrays Detective in New ‘The Pale Blue Eye’
Album of Songs Reaching the Top Spot
Swift started her career at 14 when she moved to Nashville, Tennessee. She inked a songwriting agreement with Sony/ATV Music Publishing in 2004. Furthermore, she signed a recording deal with Big Machine Records in 2005.
Her self-titled album, released in 2006, earned her the title of the first female country artist to write a US platinum-certified album. But, then, the rest is history.
Fearless (2008) and Speak Now (2010) dove into country pop. Fearless’ “Love Story” and “You Belong with Me” marked the first country tracks to top the US pop and all-genre charts.
Moreover, she navigated rock and electronic styles on Red (2012). The album had her first Billboard Hot 100 top spot track, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.”
It paved the way for her country identity for her fifth studio album, 1989 (2014). The latter contained chart-topping songs “Shake It Off,” “Blank Space,” and “Bad Blood.” And no one can ever forget the media-inspired Reputation (2017).
After leaving Big Machine, Swift inked with Republic Records in 2018. There, she dropped her seventh studio album, Lover (2019). And she released an autobiographical documentary titled Miss Americana (2020).
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she released two albums, Folklore and Evermore (2020). Additionally, its lead singles, “Cardigan” and “Willow,” debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100.
In 2021, she started releasing rerecorded versions of her early albums after a dispute regarding the albums’ masters. She released it with the album title and “Taylor’s Version” at the end – Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version).
Throughout her career, Swift has bagged accolades beyond the fingers could count.
Read also: Mega-Influencer/Actor/Producer/Writer Mark Ricci Talks about Past Successes and Future Plans
Photo: Stacker
