Taylor Swift just pulled off a Billboard feat no artist ever has before

(Image credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for RADIO.COM)

published 3 August 2020

After Taylor Swift's fans put on her new album and said it's their favorite, she's breaking a whole bunch of records.

Swift on July 24 debuted her surprise album Folklore, which she made in isolation during the coronavirus pandemic, and it's certainly doing well. It's Swift's seventh album to debut at the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart, as well as the best-selling album of 2020 so far and biggest week for an album since Swift's Lover, per Billboard.

Swift with Folklore also pulled off a few historic feats. Not only is she the first artist to have seven separate albums sell 500,000 copies in a week, as The Associated Press reports, but according to Billboard, she's also the "first artist ever to debut at No. 1 on both the Hot 100 and Billboard 200 in the same week." That's thanks to "Cardigan" debuting at number one on the Hot 100 songs chart.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox