Pop superstar Taylor Swift has masterminded her way to a record-shattering 2023 so far, breaking barriers related to touring, album sales, chart success and more.
With new music releases and her massively attended Eras stadium tour, Swift continues to make history across multiple metrics. Some records had stood untouched for decades until the singer smashed them this year.
When Swift’s re-recorded album “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” debuted in July, it became her fourth album in the Billboard 200’s top 10 simultaneously, alongside “Midnights,” “Lover” and “Folklore.” This made her the first woman with four top 10 albums at once, a feat last achieved by Herb Alpert in 1966.
Swift also set the record for most albums by a female artist to chart on the Billboard 200 in one week, with 11 titles. Previously, only The Beatles had charted more albums simultaneously in a single week.
“Speak Now” gave Swift her 12th album to debut at number one, breaking the record for most chart-topping albums by a female artist. Barbra Streisand previously held the record that Swift surpassed.
The album broke records on Spotify as well. The streamer reported it was both the most streamed country album in one day ever and the most streamed album of 2023 so far on the platform.
With “Speak Now” hitting number one, Swift became the only woman to chart a new number one album on the Billboard 200 five years straight, from 2019 to 2023. She joined elite company alongside The Beatles, Drake, Jay-Z and Paul McCartney to achieve this feat.
The album’s release also took Swift’s career total to 212 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, the second most of all time behind only Drake. For female artists, she holds the record.
In addition, Swift became the first woman to ever have simultaneous top 10 hits on the Hot 100 from three different albums, with “Speak Now,” “Midnights” and “Red (Taylor’s Version)” all represented.
On the sales front, “Speak Now” marked Swift’s second biggest vinyl sales week ever, moving 268,500 copies. It trailed only “Midnights,” which sold a record 575,000 vinyl units in 2022.
Swift’s touring achievements were equally historic in 2023. The Eras Tour’s opening night set the record for highest-attended U.S. concert by a female artist ever, with over 69,000 fans.
She went on to break attendance records at multiple stadiums on the tour, including in Texas, Tennessee and Pennsylvania. “No group of people this big has ever gotten together for one thing in Pittsburgh ever,” Swift told one crowd.
The Eras Tour is projected to become the highest-grossing concert tour of all time once it wraps in 2024. It could surpass $1 billion to beat Elton John’s current record of $939 million.
At just 33 years old, Swift continues to build one of the most accomplished careers in music history. By writing her own relatable, diary-like songs that span country, pop and folk, she has amassed a loyal fanbase of millions.
Swift promised she’d never go out of style, and in 2023 she has the receipts to prove it. Her unique ability to connect on a mass scale while achieving creative fulfillment has fueled a triumphant year with surely more records to come.
