Pop sensation Taylor Swift has taken the music world by storm once again with her latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, Billboard reported on Sunday.
During its first week of release in the U.S., Swift’s album sold a staggering 2.61 million album and streaming units, marking a monumental achievement in her career. Traditional album sales accounted for 1.91 million units, including digital downloads, CDs, cassettes, and an impressive 859,000 vinyl sales, according to data from Luminate. Additionally, the album generated a remarkable 891.34 million on-demand official streams.
“The Tortured Poets Department” made history by scoring the largest streaming week for an album ever and achieving the largest sales week for an album on vinyl in the modern era. It has also secured its position as the top-selling album of 2024 so far.
This remarkable feat marks Swift’s 14th chart-topping album, placing her in a tie with Jay-Z for the most No. 1 albums among solo artists.
Swift surprised fans by releasing the first 16 tracks of “Poets” on April 19, only to reveal two hours later that it was a double album, featuring an additional 15 songs.
As if breaking records in the U.S. wasn’t enough, Swift also conquered the British music charts, outselling the entire top 10 combined and surpassing the Beatles for the record of the fastest artist to rack up 12 UK number one albums.
“Poets,” distributed by Universal Music Group, received widespread acclaim from critics and fans alike, further cementing Swift’s status as a musical powerhouse.
Swift is set to resume her Eras Tour, which has become the highest-grossing concert tour in history, with a performance in Paris scheduled for May.
Amidst a wave of new releases from music’s leading female artists this spring, including Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” in March and upcoming albums from Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish next month, Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” stands out as a monumental achievement in contemporary music.
