Current:Home > reviewsTaylor Swift's "The Tortured Poets Department" wasn't just good. According to Billboard, it was "historic." -Elevate Capital Network
Taylor Swift's "The Tortured Poets Department" wasn't just good. According to Billboard, it was "historic."
View
Date:2025-04-14 11:19:35
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! (34832)
Related
- Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
- See Tom Holland's Marvelous Tribute to His Birthday Girl Zendaya
- Hayden Panettiere Debuts Bold New Look That Screams Pretty in Pink
- Bob Barker to be honored with hour-long CBS special following The Price is Right legend's death
- Meet 11-year-old skateboarder Zheng Haohao, the youngest Olympian competing in Paris
- New details revealed about woman, sister and teen found dead at remote Colorado campsite
- What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend viewing, reading and listening
- Kevin Costner Says He’s in “Horrible Place” Amid Divorce Hearing With Wife Christine
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- NWSL's Chicago Red Stars sold for $60 million to group that includes Cubs' co-owner
Ranking
- Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
- As Taiwan’s government races to counter China, most people aren’t worried about war
- The Second Prince: Everything We Know About Michael Jackson's Youngest Child, Bigi
- Convicted murderer who escaped from prison spotted on surveillance camera: DA
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Consumers accuse Burger King and other major restaurant chains of false advertising
- The Exorcist: Believer to be released earlier to avoid competing with Taylor Swift concert movie
- Pro-Kremlin rapper who calls Putin a die-hard superhero takes over Domino's Pizza outlets in Russia
Recommendation
Krispy Kreme offers a free dozen Grinch green doughnuts: When to get the deal
Pope praises Mongolia’s tradition of religious freedom from times of Genghis Khan at start of visit
Police release body camera video showing officer fatally shooting pregnant woman
Where scorching temperatures are forecast in the US
Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
Shooting in Massachusetts city leaves 1 dead, 6 others injured
How billion-dollar hurricanes, other disasters are starting to reshape your insurance bill
Sabotage damages monument to frontiersman ‘Kit’ Carson, who led campaigns against Native Americans