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Taylor Swift Breaks Billboard Record Held by Whitney Houston for 37 Years

Theo

Taylor Swift is no stranger to breaking records, and she just broke another one. According to new reports, Swift’s latest album The Tortured Poet’s Department has officially reached its 12th week at number one on the Billboard 200. This particular chart ranks albums based on their overall popularity.

The last time a musician held the coveted spot for so long was in 1987, when Whitney Houston’s self-titled album became the first album by a female artist to spend 12 weeks at No. 1. Houston has held the record for 37 years, until now.

Before breaking Houston’s record, Swift’s previous albums 1989 And Intrepid spent 11 consecutive weeks at number one following their respective releases in 2014 and 2008.

Swift’s album 2024 also broke a number of additional records. It broke the record for the most global streams in a day and week for an album on the streaming platform Spotify. The Tortured Poet’s Department also broke records for the most vinyl sales in a week, the fastest album streams to reach a billion on Spotify, and more.

Taylor Swift has already broken a Whitney Houston record

Taylor Swift has already broken another record held by Whitney Houston. Her 2020 album Folklore earned the pop star the record for the most cumulative weeks at No. 1 by a female artist in 2020. In total, Swift has accumulated 81 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Currently, the only artist/group with more cumulative weeks at No. 1 than Swift would be The Beatles, who have 132 at No. 1.

(Buy tickets to see Taylor Swift live in 2024)

As for soloists, Taylor Swift has more weeks at No. 1 than any other artist, including Elvis Presley. Eminem’s recent album release, The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grace), could knock Swift out of the running, as Eminem is currently on a 10-album streak since 2000. We’ll have to wait and see!

Photography by Kevin Winter

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