Taylor Swift has taken over the King of Rock’ n’ Roll in the Billboard sphere.
Billboard announced on Sunday that Taylor Swift has now surpassed Elvis Presley as the soloist with the most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with the release of her latest album 1989 (Taylor’s Version). The “Style” singer has spent 68 weeks at the top of the Billboard 200, crossing Elvis Presley who recorded 67 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 across his 10 albums between 1956 and 2002.
The “Anti-Hero” singer first absorbed praise for reaching the top of the Billboard chart after the release of Fearless album, where she remained at the top for 11 weeks between 2008 and 2009. She then followed it up with her albums She then followed it up with her albums Speak Now, Red, 1989, Reputation, Lover, Folklore, Evermore and Midnights, which added an additional 47 weeks at the top.
Hand-holding and maintaining her position at the top were ensured by her rerecorded evergreen hit albums Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Red (Taylor’s Version), Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and 1989 (Taylor’s Version), which added 10 more No. 1’s for Swift atop the Billboard 200.
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Despite surpassing the “Jailhouse Rock” singer, the 34-year-old pop icon has a long way to go before she sits atop the Beatles, who have spent 132 weeks in the No. 1 spot across their 19 albums between 1964 and 2001.
Last month, the 12-time Grammy winner scripted history by tying with Drake for the most Billboard Music Awards of all time after she took home 10 BBMAs during the Nov. 19 ceremony. In a pre-recorded speech, while she was on tour for her Eras Tour, the “Wildest Dreams” singer said, “Well, this is unreal,” adding, “The fact that you guys have given me 10 Billboard Awards — I’m talking to the fans, specifically. None of this happens without you.” She continued dedicating her accolades to her fans, saying, “The Billboards base everything off of what you are listening to and what you’re passionate about, and I’m so honored that this year you made the tour, The Eras Tour, so magical. You went and saw the movie, you cared about my re-recordings. I just, like, I love you so much.”
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Swift has achieved unimaginable heights of success from her Eras Tour which launched in Arizona in March before embarking on a 35-show run that concluded in Los Angeles in August. She marked her first time headlining shows in Mexico where she did a four-show stretch and wrapped up the 2023 tour in Argentina and Brazil in November.
The unprecedented hype that her tour created prompted the “Karma” singer to release the Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour film, which opened to blockbuster ticket sales of $92.8 million in the U.S., making it the fifth-biggest opening of any theatrical release this year.
After her immense success in 2023, Swift is spending some time with her beau Travis Kelce until she hits the road again in 2024.