S Poddar
Taylor Swift has now made history as the female artist with the most UK Number One albums, beating the iconic Madonna.
The achievement was accomplished with the launch of Swift’s live album Lover (Live From Paris), featuring live tracks from her 2019 studio album. This is the 13th occasion on which Swift has topped the UK album charts.
Originally released as a limited edition vinyl for Valentine’s Day in 2023, the album got a fresh re-release this year in a heart-shaped double vinyl format. The new edition quickly became a hit, selling 47,000 copies in the UK within its opening week, making it the best-selling album in the country for 2025 so far.
Surprisingly, this is not the first time Swift has topped the charts with a Number One album without the aid of streaming services. The previous time was with Reputation in 2017, which only came out on streaming platforms some weeks after it was released.
With this milestone, Swift joins the likes of music legends Elvis Presley, who also has 13 UK Number One albums. The Rolling Stones are still ahead by just one with 14 Number Ones, and Swift is tied for the 13-album record with both Robbie Williams and The Beatles.
Besides conquering the UK charts, Swift has enjoyed a stunning streak of vinyl sales in recent years. Her 11th studio release, The Tortured Poets Department, was the bestselling vinyl album of 2024, with 112,000 copies sold, as reported by the Official Charts Company. This album also smashed records, setting the record as the best-selling vinyl of the 21st century in its first year alone, with 66,000 copies sold on its opening week.
Swift’s vinyl success doesn’t end there. It was the third year in a row that she had an album at the top of the UK vinyl charts. In 2023, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) took the position, and Midnights held the position in 2022. Both of those albums also were ranked in the Top 40 in the 2024 charts, with 1989 being ranked at 20 and Midnights ranked at 38. Other Swift albums, such as Lover, Folklore, and Evermore, also appeared in the 2024 Top 40.
Swift’s dominance is not a UK phenomenon only. In 2023, it was reported that out of every 15 vinyl records sold in the United States, one was hers. Her extensive success highlights her immense global influence in the music industry.
Adding to her impressive list of accomplishments, Swift also concluded her massively successful Eras World Tour in December 2024. The last performance was held in Vancouver on December 8 and was officially certified as the highest-grossing tour of 2024, beating top contenders such as Coldplay, Bruce Springsteen, and Madonna. The Eras Tour, which mesmerized fans globally, cemented Swift’s status as one of the most influential and successful artists of her time.
With this newest accomplishment, there is no doubt that Taylor Swift’s dominance at the pinnacle of the music industry has no end in sight.
