Current:Home > reviewsTaylor Swift's "The Tortured Poets Department" wasn't just good. According to Billboard, it was "historic." -EquityExchange
Taylor Swift's "The Tortured Poets Department" wasn't just good. According to Billboard, it was "historic."
View
Date:2025-04-13 01:56:25
If you can't get enough of Taylor Swift's latest album, "The Tortured Poets Department," you're not alone. Billboard said on Sunday that the long-awaited album made a "historic" debut that puts her in a tie with Jay-Z for the most No. 1s among soloists, as the album saw the "largest streaming week for an album ever."
"The Tortured Poets Department" was released on April 19, featuring more than two dozen tracks believed to revolve around several of Swift's relationships, including The 1975 singer Matty Healy, actor Joe Alwyn and current beau, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
Billboard said the album, which Swift announced during her Grammys acceptance speech in February, made a "gigantic debut," hitting No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, which ranks a week's most popular albums in the U.S. That milestone marks the 34-year-old pop star's 14th chart-topping album, Billboard said, tying her with hip-hop mogul Jay-Z for having the most No. 1 albums among soloists.
Every single one of Swift's full-length studio albums and projects since the release of "Fearless" in 2008 have debuted at No. 1. She and Jay-Z are only surpassed by The Beatles for most No. 1s, who have 19. Of the 10 artists who have had at least 10 No. 1s on the Billboard 200, Swift is only one of two women, the other being Barbra Streisand, who has had 11 No. 1s, tied with Bruce Springsteen and Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West.
The album also hit another milestone – "the largest streaming week for an album ever," Billboard said, with 891.34 million official streams of the album's 31 songs.
"The Tortured Poets Department" saw 2.61 million equivalent album units earned by the end of last week. Digital downloads, CDs, vinyl LPS and cassettes made up 1.914 million of that total. The vinyl sales alone were monumental, with 859,000 album units earned, marking "the largest sales week for an album on vinyl in the modern era," Billboard said.
Swift's latest record has surpassed Beyoncé's "Cowboy Carter" for the top-selling album of 2024 – by far. While "Cowboy Carter" has sold 228,000 copies, "The Tortured Poets Department" has hit more than 1.9 million sales.
- In:
- Taylor Swift
- Billboard
- Music
Li Cohen is a social media producer and trending content writer for CBS News.
veryGood! (843)
Related
- The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
- How many votes are needed to win the House speaker election?
- Justice Department issues new report aimed at improving police hiring nationwide
- Brazil congressional report recommends charges against Bolsonaro over riots
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- Movie Review: In ‘Nyad,’ Jodie Foster swims away with a showcase for Annette Bening
- Pulse nightclub property to be purchased by city of Orlando and turned into a memorial
- Failed referendum on Indigenous rights sets back Australian government plans to become a republic
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- German government launches a drive to get more Ukrainian and other refugees into jobs
Ranking
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- Start Your Fall Fashion Capsule Wardrobe With Amazon Picks From Darcy McQueeny
- Woman becomes Israeli folk hero for plying Hamas militants with snacks until rescue mission arrives
- Justice Department issues new report aimed at improving police hiring nationwide
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- Rite Aid is closing more than 150 stores. Here's where they are.
- Far-right influencer sentenced to 7 months in 2016 voter suppression scheme
- Astros awaken: Max Scherzer stumbles, Cristian Javier shines in 8-5 ALCS Game 3 conquest
Recommendation
The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
Little Rock names acting city manager following Bruce Moore’s death
Young lobsters show decline off New England, and fishermen will see new rules as a result
Aaron Nola tosses a gem, Phillies crush Diamondbacks to take commanding NLCS lead
'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
Erik Larson’s next book closely tracks the months leading up to the Civil War
Joran van der Sloot’s confession in Natalee Holloway case provides long-sought answers, mother says
Some Americans saw big gains in wealth during the pandemic. Here's why.