By: Ethan Chau

Taylor Swift, a famous American singer and songwriter, has released many hits throughout her career, such as “Bad Blood” and “Anti-hero.” But Swift’s new album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” may be her greatest yet and could surpass her record for most weeks at number one on the Billboard 200.

The success of “Tortured Poets” began back in April of 2024. On the day the album debuted, it quickly rose through the ranks on the Billboard 200. It beat out releases from Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Atlanta rapper Gunna, and K-pop group Ateez. As of now, “Tortured Poets” has secured the top spot for 11 weeks, which is the equivalent to Swift’s career record for longest time at number one on the Billboard 200.

In the past, two of her albums, “Fearless” and “1989” reached the number one position 11 times. However, both struggled to maintain their position. But unlike these two albums, the reign of “The Tortured Poets Department” has been uninterrupted.

According to the Billboard 200, Whitney Houston’s soundtrack to “The Bodyguard” in 1992 was the last piece of music by a woman to spend at least 11 weeks at the top spot, showing the excellence of Taylor Swift’s achievement.

Last week, “Tortured Poets” sold about 114,000 copies of the album in the U.S., nearly flat from the week before. According to the tracking service Luminate, this includes 102 million streams and 35,000 sales as a complete package.

Currently, the song’s streaming numbers have remained strong in aggregate. But, with the album never dropping under 100 million weekly clicks, it seems like the “The Tortured Poets Department” will never be dethroned.

Source:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/08/arts/music/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-11-weeks-billboard-chart.html