Taylor Swift has achieved a historic milestone in the UK, surpassing Madonna to become the female artist with the most number-one albums in the country.
According to The Guardian, Taylor Swift’s latest release, Lover (Live From Paris), has clinched the top spot on the UK charts, marking her 13th number-one album and equating her record with Elvis Presley for the most chart-toppers by an international artist.
This live album, which captures performances from her 2019 studio album Lover, was initially released with a limited release on Valentine’s Day 2023 and peaked at number 90. However, a new release on heart-shaped double vinyl catapulted it to number one, boasting 47,000 copies sold in its first week—2023’s largest first-week album sales to date.
Interestingly, Lover (Live From Paris) reached number one with minimal streaming, a rare occurrence in today’s digital music landscape. Swift’s 2017 album Reputation was the last album to achieve a number-one spot in the UK without significant streaming numbers. It relied on direct sales initially before becoming available on streaming platforms.
Swift’s Growing Legacy
Since her first UK number-one album, Red, in 2012, Swift’s dominance in the charts has only intensified. Her project to re-record her earlier albums has further bolstered her tally, with re-releases of Fearless, Red, Speak Now, and 1989 all reaching the summit. Fans are now anticipating the re-recording of Reputation. However, Swift might be considering a break after her monumental Eras tour, which became the highest-grossing concert tour of all time.
Read: Taylor Swift’s Super Bowl Side-Eye Goes Viral Amid Crowd Boos
In other UK chart news, Irish rock band Inhaler, fronted by Bono’s son Elijah Hewson, made a strong debut at number two with their third album, Open Wide. Additionally, Kendrick Lamar moved back into the top three following the physical release of GNX and his notable Super Bowl halftime performance. His track Not Like Us also rose to number two on the singles chart, though Lola Young’s Messy retained the top position for the fourth week.
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