Taylor Swift’s The Life Of A Showgirl has become her 14th UK Number 1 album.
The Shake It Off songstress, 35, released her new music just one week ago and it has already racked up 3.5 million copies sold, meaning she has surpassed Elvis (13) and pulls level with The Rolling Stones, who also have 14 Number 1 albums.
Taylor has now topped both this week’s Official Albums Chart and Official Singles Chart – breaking a slew of records in the process.
After securing the biggest opening week of the year in just three days earlier this week, The Life Of A Showgirl ends the week on a staggering 423,000 combined chart units.
Official Charts can confirm that The Life Of A Showgirl’s spectacular start makes it the biggest opening week for an album in the UK since Ed Sheeran’s Divide in 2017 (672,000), and the biggest opening week for an international album in the UK this century.
Taylor Swift’s The Life Of A Showgirl becomes her 14th UK Number 1 album and earned her the biggest opening week of her career
It’s also the first time that an album of Taylor’s has gone BRIT-Certified Platinum in its first week on sale.
The modern-era single-week sales record was previously held by Adele’s album, 25, with 3.378 million copies sold upon its release in 2015.
Taylor’s fans were hoping to break Adele’s record for number one’s on Apple Music for both album and single.
The Life Of A Showgirl sold 3.2 million, physical and digital purchase copies and 300,000 from equivalent album units in streaming, totalling 3.5 million.
Adele’s 25 secured 3.482 equivalent million units in 2015, with 3.378 million being traditional sales and the remaining from streaming.
A record number of 5 million fans pre-saved The Life Of A Showgirl on Spotify and a special vinyl edition, available online, sold out in under an hour.
Taylor’s latest album The Life of a Showgirl, which was released last week, has polarised critics but the mega star has welcomed the ‘chaos’ of the varied reactions to the record.
She told The Zane Lowe Show on Apple Music: ‘I welcome the chaos, seeing that it’s a rule of show business. If it’s the first week of my album release and you are saying either my name or my album title, you’re helping.
She has broken Adele’s streaming record as her new album, The Life Of A Showgirl, has racked up 3.5 million copies sold in its first week
In contrast, Adele’s 25 secured 3.482 equivalent million units in 2015, with 3.378 million being traditional sales and the remaining from streaming
‘And art, I have a lot of respect for people’s subjective opinions on art. I’m not the art police.
‘It’s like everybody is allowed to feel exactly how they want. And what our goal is as entertainers is to be a mirror.’
Elsewhere in the interview, she discussed how her music is often reflective of her state of mind.
The singer said: ‘Oftentimes, an album is a really, really wild way to look at yourself. What you’re going through in your life is going to affect whether you relate to the music that I’m putting out at any given moment’
Taylor also reassured her fans that she is in the music business for the long-term.
She added: ‘We’re doing this thing for keeps. I have such an eye on legacy when I’m making my music.’
Taylor Swift’s biggest selling albums… so far
1989 (2014): 14 million
Fearless (2008): 11 million
Red (2012): 8 million
Taylor Swift (2006): 8 million
Currently only 2017’s Reputation and her debut album (pictured) – which was released in 2006 – are left to be re-released
The Tortured Poets Department (2024): 8 million
* Based on US domestic sales according to the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA)