Taylor Swift first artist to claim 12 number one albums in UK in 21st century

Taylor Swift has become the first music artist to claim 12 number one albums in the 21st century in the UK charts, according to the Official Charts Company.

The 14-time Grammy winner, 34, has broken a string of records following the release of her highly anticipated record The Tortured Poets Department, which is thought to contain references to her ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn and The 1975’s Matty Healy.

On the day of release, April 19, her album became the first in Spotify history to achieve more than 300 million streams in a single day, and it has now topped the UK charts and secured the biggest opening week in seven years.

The album has shifted 270,000 UK chart units, according to Official Charts Company data, which has eclipsed her previous record of 204,000 in seven days, which she achieved when her 2022 album Midnights was released.

This is the biggest opening week since British singer and friend of Swift, Ed Sheeran, released his 2017 record Divide – which logged more than 670,000 sales and streams in its opening week.

Swift now has 12 chart-topping albums under her belt and is tied with Madonna as having the most number one albums of any female artist in UK chart history.

It took Swift less than 12 years to secure her 12 chart-toppers, which, in comparison had taken The Beatles 14 years to achieve.

The band’s first number one album in the UK was with the 1963 record Please Please Me and their 12th was The Beatles At Hollywood Bowl (1977).

In another feat, Swift has achieved her third UK chart double for the third consecutive year in a row.

Her single Fortnight, featuring rapper Post Malone, has soared to number one in the singles chart alongside her album.

In 2022, she secured a chart double with Midnights and its lead single Anti-Hero, and the same happened again in 2023 with 1989 (Taylor’s Version) and her re-recorded version of Is It Over Now?

Two more of her singles feature in the top five this week, the album’s title track, which has debuted at number three and Down Bad, which has come in at number four.

Swift has stolen the top spot from Irish artist Hozier, whose chart-topping single Too Sweet has moved down to number two.

Rounding out the singles chart top five is Espresso by American pop singer Sabrina Carpenter, who has supported Swift on her Eras Tour, which will be coming to the UK in June.

Second to Swift in the UK albums chart is Pearl Jam’s Dark Matter, while Beyonce’s Act II: Cowboy Carter has moved down one space to number three.

The Highlights by Canadian singer The Weeknd is in at number four and UB45 by reggae group UB40 is in at number five.

Swift launched her 16-song album on the morning of April 19, and just two hours later she revealed it was a double album with 15 more songs available on The Anthology edition.

The Bad Blood singer was named 2023’s biggest-selling global recording artist by topping the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry’s (IFPI) chart earlier this year.