Taylor Swift breaks her own record of sales again with new album, the pop mega star’s journey of No. 1s

Taylor Swift is back with her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department. (image credit - Wikimedia Commons)

On April 19, 2024, Taylor Swift released her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department (abbreviated as TTPD) via Republic Records. It is a 31-track album produced by Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner.

The anticipation for this album knew no bounds ever since she announced the release of TTPD at the 64th Grammys during her acceptance speech for Best Pop Vocal Album. She went ahead and won Album of the Year that evening too, making her the most awarded artist in that category.

The hype for TTPD definitely didn’t die down after release. The album sold 1.4 million copies on its first day of release in the US according to initial reports from data tracking firm Luminate.

Swift broke her own record (again) surpassing the 1.359 million sold of 1989 (Taylor's Version) in its first week. Plus, the album’s 31 songs (available on its deluxe and digital editions) garnered 243.4 million official on-demand audio streams in the US on April 19, led by the album’s first single, “Fortnight,” featuring Post Malone, with 18.4 million streams.

Rolling Stones magazine has dubbed The Tortured Poets Department as an instant classic.

Two hours after the release of TTPD, Swift announced the release of a 31 songs long Anthology album. She released it on all streaming platforms. She wrote : “It’s a 2am surprise: The Tortured Poets Department is a secret DOUBLE album. I’d written so much tortured poetry in the past 2 years and wanted to share it all with you, so here’s the second instalment of TTPD: The Anthology. 15 extra songs. And now the story isn’t mine anymore… it’s all yours.” The Anthology edition of the album runs for more than two hours with a clear emphasis on vulnerability and visuals that transport you to the cinematic universe of Yorgos Lanthimos.

If The Tortured Poets Department goes No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, it will mark Swift’s 14th No. 1 album, extending the record for the most amongst female musicians. The Beatles are the only act with more than fourteen No. 1s with 19. The sales are expected to increase by the end of the week.