There are so many pieces of evidence you could point to while declaring that Taylor Swift is one of the biggest pop stars of all time, whether it’s the astronomical success of The Eras Tour or all the No. 1 albums she’s achieved. Speaking of the latter point, her legacy continues to grow on that front: On the new Billboard 200 chart dated July 22, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) debuts at No. 1.
It reached the apex thanks to 716,000 equivalent album units earned in the US during the week ending July 13, which is the biggest week for any album so far in 2023. Furthermore, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is Swift’s 12th No. 1 album, which is the most of all time among female artists. The previous record holder, Barbra Streisand, has 11 chart-toppers.
.@taylorswift13's 'Speak Now (Taylor's Version)' officially debuts at No. 1 on this week's #Billboard200.
It earns Swift her 12th career No. 1 album, passing @BarbraStreisand to tie @Drake for the third-most of all time, after @thebeatles (19) and Jay-Z (14).
— billboard charts (@billboardcharts) July 17, 2023
Swift actually has four top-10 albums at the moment. After Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) are Midnights (No. 5), Lover (No. 7), and Folklore (No. 10). This makes her the first living artist to have four top-10 albums at once since Herb Alpert in 1966. The only other artist who’s ever done it, living or dead, was Prince following his death in 2016.
Notable on the new album are the new “From The Vault” songs, including ones with Hayley Williams and Fall Out Boy. See where those rank on our list of the best “From The Vault” tracks.
