Taylor Swift’s latest album, ‘The Tortured Poets Department,’ made its debut on April 19th and has been causing waves in the music industry ever since, smashing records left, right, and center.
Her 31-track double album soared to the top of the Billboard 200, putting her in a tie with Jay-Z for the second most number one albums, both boasting 14. However, The Beatles still hold the record with an astounding 19 albums reaching the number one spot. Swift’s latest release also dominated the Billboard Hot 100 list, securing the first 14 positions, surpassing her own previous record set by her 2022 album, ‘Midnights,’ which claimed 10 spots.
The album’s debut was monumental, selling a remarkable 2.6 million units in its first week alone, marking the first time in nine years that an album has achieved such staggering numbers. Of those units, 1.9 million came from traditional album sales including CDs, vinyl, cassettes, and downloads, with vinyl sales alone reaching 859,000. Swift took to X to express her gratitude, saying, “My mind is blown. I’m completely floored by the love you’ve shown this album. 2.6 million, are you actually serious? Thank you for listening, streaming, and welcoming Tortured Poets into your life. Feeling completely overwhelmed.”
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But the accolades didn’t stop there. Swift shattered streaming records across various platforms. According to Billboard, her album achieved the highest number of streams ever, with 891.37 million streams. Spotify announced that ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ became the most streamed album in a single week on the platform, surpassing 1 billion streams globally, with her song ‘Fortnight,’ featuring Post Malone, breaking the record for the single biggest streaming day for any song on the platform. The album, comprising 11 tracks, also made waves on Amazon Music, boasting the top streaming debut, and securing four number one singles on iTunes.
Adding to her list of accomplishments, Taylor Swift became the first artist in U.S. history to reach 100 million equivalent album units, as reported by Luminate. Moreover, her album claimed the top spot in 2024 in less than 24 hours after its release.
Swift announced her latest album amidst her ongoing record-breaking Eras Tour, and while fans anticipated its success, the actual numbers have surpassed all expectations. Since the album’s release, Swift has performed its tracks live for the first time during her concert in Paris on May 9th, altering her setlist to include ‘Fortnight,’ ‘Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me,’ and ‘Down Bad,’ among others. She also delighted fans by adding ‘Paris’ and ‘Loml’ to her acoustic set.
This is just the beginning for the unstoppable pop star, who shows no signs of slowing down as she continues to break records and capture headlines.