Topline
Many of billionaire pop star Taylor Swift’s albums surged dozens of spots on the latest Billboard 200 albums chart released Tuesday, days after she announced her upcoming 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl.”
Swift’s albums surged on the Billboard charts this week. (Photo by Ashok Kumar/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)
Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
Key Facts
Swift charts nine albums on this week’s Billboard 200, led by her latest release “The Tortured Poets Department,” which returned to the top 20 at No. 18 after Swift appeared on her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast last week to unveil her forthcoming album.
“1989” and “Red (Taylor’s Version)” made the biggest jumps this week, with the former leaping 82 spots to No. 98, re-entering the top 100, and the latter surging from No. 179 to No. 111.
Two Swift albums returned to the top 40 this week: “reputation,” which rose from No. 62 to No. 32, and “Lover,” which jumped from No. 51 to No. 38.
Swift’s 2020 album “evermore” re-entered the chart at No. 193, its first appearance after dropping off the Billboard 200 four months ago.
The only Swift album to decline in popularity on the Billboard 200 this week is “folklore,” which dipped five spots, though it holds as her second most-popular album of the week at No. 29.
Tangent
Swift also surged in popularity on Spotify after her album announcement. She rose to No. 1 on Spotify’s daily artist chart last week on the day she made the announcement and has led that chart every day since, dethroning Morgan Wallen and Drake, the only two artists who had ranked above her.
What To Watch For
Whether Swift’s new album can top the record-shattering sales debut of “The Tortured Poets Department,” which sold a career-best 2.61 album equivalent units, composed of sales and streams, in its first week. Swift on Monday unveiled a limited edition vinyl version of “The Life of a Showgirl,” which reportedly sold out in less than an hour.
What Do We Know About Taylor Swift’s New Album?
Swift has so far released artwork, the tracklist and the names of several collaborators for “The Life of a Showgirl,” her new album due out on Oct. 3. The twelve-song tracklist includes titles like “The Fate of Ophelia,” “Ruin the Friendship” and “Actually Romantic,” and Sabrina Carpenter is featured on the album’s title track. Swift said she collaborated with producers Max Martin and Shellback, prolific pop hitmakers who previously worked on “1989” and “reputation,” for this album. On his podcast, Kelce said the album is “a lot more upbeat” and ”fun pop excitement,” calling it a “complete 180 from a lot of the songs on ‘Tortured Poets’ for sure,” referring to her previous album, which included more slow ballads. Swift, on the podcast, described the songs as “bangers” and said there are no additional songs coming, a departure from “Tortured Poets,” when she surprised fans by releasing a companion album with 15 previously unannounced songs hours after the album’s release. Swift’s appearance on Kelce’s podcast drew 1.2 million concurrent viewers and has garnered nearly 20 million views in five days.
Forbes Valuation
Swift is worth $1.6 billion, according to Forbes estimates, making her the wealthiest female musician in the world. Swift joined the billionaire ranks in October 2023 amid the success of her $2 billion-grossing Eras Tour, and she became the first person to become a billionaire based solely on the value of her music catalog and concert tours.
Further Reading
Taylor Swift ‘New Heights’ Podcast Episode Draws 1.2 Million Viewers As Singer Reveals New Album Details (Forbes)