With nine consecutive Number 1 albums now under her belt, Taylor Swift overtakes Madonna to set a new all-time Official Chart record, generating the fastest succession of nine UK Number 1 albums of any female artist.
Taylor scored her first UK Number 1 album exactly 10 years ago in October 2012 with Red, whereas it took Madonna 21 years to reach the same tally. The Beatles hold the overall record here, racking up nine chart toppers in 5 years and 7 months between their debut album Please Please Me in May 1963 and The White Album in December 1968.
Madonna retains the title of the female artist with the most Number 1 albums overall with 12 to her name, but Taylor now overtakes Kylie Minogue to follow in second place. Taylor also extends her lead as the female solo artist with the highest-collection of Number 1 albums this century.
Midnights joins Taylor’s previous eight UK chart-topping albums, all achieved consecutively; Red (2012), 1989 (2014), reputation (2017), Lover (2019), Folklore (2020), Evermore (2020), Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (2021) and Red (Taylor’s Version) (2021).
Soaring straight to the top of the Official Singles Chart, Taylor also scores her second UK Number 1 single to date with Anti-Hero this week, following 2017 chart-topper Look What You Made Me Do. Midnights boasts two further tracks in the Official Singles Chart Top 10, too; Lavender Haze (3) and Lana Del Rey collaboration Snow On The Beach (4) - more on that below.
As if all that wasn’t enough, Taylor also becomes the first female artist in nine years to debut atop the Official Albums and Singles Charts simultaneously. The last was Miley Cyrus back in August 2013, when Bangerz and Wrecking Ball both entered the Official Charts at Number 1.
Recognising both Taylor and Arctic Monkeys’ incredible achievements this week, Martin Talbot, Chief Executive, Official Charts Company says:
“Many congratulations to Taylor Swift on her fantastic achievement in topping 200,000 sales this week.
“We always knew this would be a huge week for fans of Taylor and Arctic Monkeys, following the release of their brand new albums - and their combined first week total of more the 320,000 chart sales indicates that their pre-release excitement was well placed. Coming so soon after a fantastically successful National Album Day earlier this month, the successes also highlight just how popular albums continue to be in the digital era – and suggest that the pre-Christmas sales surge is underway.”
