Taylor Swift claims top 14 record on Billboard Hot 100 – The Independent

Taylor Swift is enjoying one of the biggest weeks of her career, as songs from her new album show The Department of Tortured Poets claim a record 14 spots on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

This feat surpasses the record she set in 2022, when she became the only artist in history to dominate the entire Top 10 of the Hot 100 following the release of Midnights.

With her latest album, the 34-year-old has now reached her 12th No. 1 single in the United States with “Fortnights,” the title track from TTPD, with 13 other songs ranked from #2 to #14.

The album also topped the charts, meaning Swift is now tied with Jay-Z for the most number 1s by a solo artist (14). It sold 2.6 million units in the first fortnight after its release, the highest sales of any album since Adele’s 2015 LP, 25.

Billboard said traditional album sales, which include digital downloads, CDs, vinyl and cassettes, accounted for 1.914 million of the 2.61 million sales. This makes Swift the best-selling album by far in 2024, ahead of Beyoncé’s. Cowboy Carter, which has sold 228,000 units so far.

The pop titan also rules the charts in the UK, achieving his third double for the third year in a row as TTP topped the albums chart and “Fortnight” rose to number one on the singles chart.

Swift reacted to the news by sharing a series of poloroids with some of her TTP collaborators including British musician Florence Welch and rapper/singer Post Malone.

“2.6 million ARE YOU REALLY SERIOUS??” she wrote. “Thank you for your listening, your streaming and your welcome Tortured poets in your life. I feel completely overwhelmed.

She continued: “I was already so excited to go back to tour but you’re doing THIS?? May 9 can’t come soon enough.”

Swift’s Eras Tour is set to resume with its first European date in Paris on May 9, and many fans predict she’ll perform at least one or two tracks from TTP live for the first time.

The Independents Critic Helen Brown gave Swift’s album five stars, writing that it was “a terrific reminder of her storytelling powers.”

Many of the songs are thought to be about the star’s brief fling with The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, while others delve into her heartbreak at the end of her six-year relationship with British actor Joe Alwyn .

In addition to collaborations with Welch and Post Malone, physical copies of the record include an original poem by Fleetwood Mac legend Stevie Nicks, who Swift names on her song “Clara Bow.”