Pop sensation Taylor Swift expressed astonishment at “The Tortured Poets Department” debuting at the pinnacle of the Billboard 200 albums chart, selling 2.61 million album and streaming units in its inaugural week in the US, as per Billboard’s report. This marked a monumental achievement, with traditional album sales reaching 1.91 million, including digital downloads, CDs, and cassettes, alongside an impressive 859,000 vinyl sales, as reported by Billboard citing Luminate data. The album’s massive success was further underscored by generating 891.34 million on-demand official streams.
Billboard noted that the album attained the largest streaming week and the highest sales week for a vinyl album in the modern era, solidifying its status as the best-selling album of 2024 thus far. Additionally, it marked Swift’s 14th chart-topping album, equalling Jay-Z’s record for the most No. 1s among solo artists. Swift initially released 16 tracks of “Poets” on April 19, surprising fans by revealing it as a double album with an additional 15 songs just two hours later.
Expressing gratitude on X (formerly Twitter), Swift exclaimed, “My mind is blown. I’m completely floored by the love you’ve shown this album. 2.6 million ARE YOU ACTUALLY SERIOUS?? Thank you for listening, streaming, and welcoming Tortured Poets into your life. Feeling completely overwhelmed. I was already so fired up to get back to the tour but you doing THIS?? May 9th can’t come soon enough.” She eagerly anticipated resuming her Eras Tour, scheduled to restart on May 9 in Paris, exclaiming, “I was already so fired up to get back to the tour but you doing THIS?? May 9 can’t come soon enough”.
My mind is blown. I’m completely floored by the love you’ve shown this album.
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) April 28, 2024
2.6 million ARE YOU ACTUALLY SERIOUS?? Thank you for listening, streaming, and welcoming Tortured Poets into your life. Feeling completely overwhelmed.
I was already so fired up to get back to the tour… pic.twitter.com/L7lS7WTa2Y
In addition to dominating the US charts, “Poets” also made waves internationally, becoming the highest-grossing album after Adele’s 2015 release “25.” Swift’s success extended to Spotify, where “Poets” was hailed as the most-streamed album in a single week, surpassing 1 billion streams. Garnering positive reviews from both critics and fans, “Poets,” distributed by Universal Music Group, solidified Swift’s position as a powerhouse in the music industry.
As Swift gears up to resume her tour, she joins a cohort of top female artists releasing albums this spring, including Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” debut in March, with upcoming releases from Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish slated for next month.
