Taylor Swift breaks record as female with most no. 1 albums

American singing superstar Taylor Swift now has more number one albums than any other woman in history after her latest release Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) reached top spot.

The album is her 12th release to make number one on the US music charts, beating 1970s singer Barbra Streisand, who previously held the record with 11 number one albums.

Swifties have been going crazy for “Tay Tay”, making Speak Now the biggest album release of 2023.

The album is a re-recorded version of one she released in 2010. It has achieved 716,000 album units – 506,600 in album sales and the rest for streaming.

Swift ties with rapper Drake’s record of 12 No. 1 records, but sits just behind Jay-Z, who has 14 No. 1 albums to his name, and 1960s rock favourites The Beatles, who have 19.

Swift is the first living artist in almost 60 years to have four different albums in the top 10 at the same time, according to Billboard magazine, which publishes the US charts for most popular music.

Midnights, Lover and Folklore are currently sitting at number five, number seven and number 10.

Last month Swift sent Australian fans into a spin when she announced she was coming Down Under to perform as part of her Eras tour.

More than 4 million people tried to get pre-sale tickets through Ticketek, which crashed the website and left thousands of disappointed fans missing out. The number of buyers trying to score tickets was close to one quarter of the entire population.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• release: when something, like an album, becomes available to buy
• re-recorded: recording something for the second time
• album units: a music term that represents how many albums have been sold based on sales plus streaming numbers
• pre-sale: before tickets officially go on sale
• population: a group of people that live in the same place

EXTRA READING
Taylor Swift’s total chart takeover
Why some songs get stuck in your head
Bluey brings cricket world to tears

QUICK QUIZ
1. How many number one albums has Taylor Swift had on the Billboard 200?
2. How many Australians tried to get pre-sale tickets to her Eras tour?
3. Which band had the most number one albums in history?
4. How many album units has Speak Now (Taylor’s version) achieved?
5. What other three Taylor swift albums are currently in the top 10?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. “Tay Tay” mania
What is it about 33 year old Taylor Swift that is making her so popular with her fans?

List 5 things below;

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

What do you think her next career move may be?

Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
What might all this career success and records mean to a young lady like Taylor Swift?

Does fame and fortune guarantee you happiness? Write a one paragraph explanation of your answer.

Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
BAB it!
Show you have read and understood the article by writing three sentences using the connectives “because’’, “and”, and “but” (BAB).

Your sentences can share different facts or opinions, or the same ones but written about in different ways.

What can you come up with?

Remember to use your VCOP editing skills to read aloud, edit and up-level.