Taylor Swift’s latest album, titled The Life of a Showgirl, has achieved an impressive milestone by selling four million equivalent album units in the United States during its debut week. This remarkable feat marks the largest first-week sales in modern music history, as reported by Luminate, a prominent industry data and analytics firm that began monitoring sales in 1991.
Swift’s album surpassed the previous record set by Adele’s 25, which sold 3.378 million copies in its first week back in 2015. Released on October 3, The Life of a Showgirl saw pure album sales of 3,479,500 copies within its initial week.
With this achievement, Taylor Swift now holds the title of the solo artist with the most No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 chart, boasting a total of 15 chart-topping albums. Previously, she was tied with Drake and Jay-Z, each having 14 No. 1 albums. Swift now trails only behind the Beatles, who lead with 19 No. 1 albums.
Notably, the history-making success of The Life of a Showgirl began immediately upon its release. The album sold a record-breaking 2.7 million copies in traditional album sales on its first day, surpassing Swift’s own record for the highest first-week sales in a single day set by her previous album, The Tortured Poets Department, in 2024.
One key factor contributing to Swift’s phenomenal success is the release of various vinyl variants of her record. In addition to multiple editions exclusive to Target, such as It’s Frightening, It’s Rapturous, and It’s Beautiful, Swift also introduced an exclusive vinyl release titled The Crowd Is Your King. Other vinyl variants include The Tiny Bubble in Champagne Collection, The Baby That’s Show Business Collection, The Shiny Bug Collection, and standard LP and cassette formats in “sweat and vanilla perfume Portofino orange vinyl.”
According to Luminate, The Life of a Showgirl set a new record for the most copies of a vinyl album sold in a single week in the U.S., with 1.2 million copies sold on the first day. The previous record was held by The Tortured Poets Department, which sold 859,000 copies on vinyl in its debut week.
Additionally, every track from The Life of a Showgirl made its debut on the Billboard Hot 100, claiming the top 12 positions on the chart dated October 18. The song “The Fate of Ophelia” marked Swift’s 13th No. 1 hit on the chart.
Swift’s success on the Billboard charts continues to be unparalleled, as this marks the third instance in her career where she has occupied the entire top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. She remains the only artist to achieve this feat, first with her 2022 album Midnights, followed by 2024’s The Tortured Poets Department. Furthermore, The Life of a Showgirl holds the distinction of being the first album to have all its songs consecutively top the chart.
In other news, Taylor Swift’s record-breaking sales coincide with the announcement of two upcoming projects on Disney+. The first is a six-episode docuseries titled Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour: The End of an Era, offering a behind-the-scenes look at her landmark Eras Tour. The initial two episodes are set to premiere on December 12.
Additionally, a concert film titled Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour: The Final Show is in the works, featuring an incorporation of The Tortured Poets Department segment. The film captures Swift’s three-and-a-half-hour performance in Vancouver, distinct from the 2023 concert film Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, which was filmed at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, preceding the release of The Tortured Poets Department.
