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    Taylor Swift’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ Dominates Billboard for Fifth Week, Setting New Records

    Entertainment 3 Mins Read

    Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” has continued its remarkable run atop the charts, securing the number one position on the Billboard 200 albums chart for a fifth consecutive week. This achievement marks Swift’s 11th studio album as the first to spend its initial five weeks at the top since another artist achieved a similar feat in early 2023.

    Released with a critically acclaimed double album tracklist on April 19, Swift has incorporated several songs from the new album into the European leg of The Eras Tour. Notably, during her recent performances in Lisbon, Portugal, she delivered a live debut of the album’s title track, as captured in fan-taken footage.

    Close on Swift’s heels, Billie Eilish’s latest album “Hit Me Hard and Soft” is in second place, having earned 339,000 equivalent album units. This marks the biggest week of Eilish’s career to date. Meanwhile, “The Tortured Poets Department” itself has amassed 378,000 equivalent album units in the U.S., as reported by industry analytics firm Luminate.

    Swift also set a record for the largest fifth-week sales of any album since early 2016, showing the enduring appeal of her music. The method of calculating album equivalent units includes sales of physical albums, track equivalent albums (TEA), and streaming equivalent albums (SEA), with each unit representing a set amount of song sales or streams.

    This latest success extends Swift’s lead as the solo artist with the most cumulative weeks at number one on the Billboard 200, with this week marking her 74th at the top. “The Tortured Poets Department” is her sixth album to achieve a number one spot, tying her with Jay-Z for the most chart-toppers among solo artists.

    Further boosting the album’s performance, Swift introduced six new digital album variants, a new CD, and restocked previous deluxe editions, which together prompted a 45% surge in unit sales. The album’s launch was notably successful, with 14 of its songs landing on the Billboard Hot 100, and its streams surpassing a billion shortly after release. Its lead single also topped the charts, marking Swift’s 12th number one hit.

    Amid this professional high, Swift is also making personal moves, reportedly booking a £3.3 million cottage in the Cotswolds for the U.K. leg of her tour. This rural retreat will provide a peaceful contrast to her dazzling stage appearances, aligning with her preference for a quieter, country lifestyle. Her NFL player boyfriend, Travis Kelce, is expected to join her for this getaway.

    As Swift prepares to launch her U.K. tour starting in Edinburgh on June 7, the tour is anticipated to significantly boost the local economy, potentially by nearly £1 billion. This comes as fans face soaring Airbnb prices, with costs in Edinburgh spiking over 200% during the tour dates.

    Major Points

    • Taylor Swift’s album “The Tortured Poets Department” holds the number one spot on the Billboard 200 for the fifth consecutive week.
    • Swift’s latest release ties her with Jay-Z for the most number one albums among solo artists, marking a significant milestone in her career.
    • Billie Eilish’s “Hit Me Hard and Soft” follows closely, marking the largest album debut of her career with 339,000 equivalent units.
    • Swift’s album has achieved significant streaming milestones, including surpassing a billion streams shortly after its release.
    • As part of her ongoing Eras Tour, Swift has booked a cottage in the Cotswolds for relaxation, indicating a blend of intense professional engagements with personal downtime.

    TL Holcomb – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News

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