“Taylor Swift Surpasses Madonna, Becoming the Female Artist with the Most UK No.1 Albums”
The singer earned her 13th UK No. 1 album with the Valentine’s Day edition of her live album Lover (Live from Paris).
Taylor Swift has broken Madonna’s record, becoming the female artist with the most No. 1 albums in the UK, as her live album Lover (Live from Paris) claimed the top spot, marking her 13th chart-topping album.
This achievement ties her with Elvis Presley for the most No. 1 albums by an international artist, though the Rolling Stones, Robbie Williams, and the Beatles still lead with 14 and 15, respectively.
Lover (Live from Paris), which features live performances from her 2019 studio album Lover, is Swift’s fourth live album and her first to hit No. 1.
Initially released in a limited edition for Valentine’s Day 2023, it reached No. 90 before a new heart-shaped double vinyl version sold 47,000 copies, pushing it to the top. This marks the biggest opening week for an album this year.
Notably, Lover (Live from Paris) has never been fully released on streaming platforms, although its tracks are available individually.
It’s rare for an album to reach No. 1 without streaming, with Swift being the last artist to achieve this feat when she released Reputation eight years ago, topping the charts solely through album sales before later adding it to streaming services.
It took Taylor Swift until her fourth album, Red (2012), to score her first UK No. 1, but since then, her tally has grown, partly thanks to her project of re-recording her albums.
New versions of Fearless, Red, Speak Now, and 1989 have all topped the charts. Fans are now eagerly awaiting the final album in the series, Reputation. However, Swift may be taking some time off after her Eras tour, which became the highest-grossing concert tour of all time when it wrapped up in December.
In this week’s chart, rock band Inhaler, led by Bono’s son Elijah Hewson, debuts at No. 2 with their third album Open Wide. Kendrick Lamar makes a significant jump from No. 31 to No. 3, thanks to the physical release of his album GNX and his much-talked-about Super Bowl halftime show.
The Super Bowl also boosted Lamar’s diss track Not Like Us, which soared to No. 2 on the singles chart, marking the highest position for any Lamar track. However, Messy by Lola Young stays at No. 1 for a fourth week.
Lamar’s five Grammy wins for Not Like Us likely helped its chart performance, and other Grammy winners saw similar boosts.
Best New Artist winner Chappell Roan’s Pink Pony Club reached a new peak at No. 4, while Benson Boone’s Beautiful Things, a former No. 1, jumped back up to No. 6 after a viral acrobatic performance at the awards. Doechii’s Denial Is a River, another widely-shared performance, became her first Top 10 hit, landing at No. 9.
