SWIFTIES OFTEN REFER to Taylor Swift as “the music industry.” Monday may be as close to that moniker as she’s ever been.
The release of Swift’s Midnights has already been established as one of the biggest opening weeks for an album in recent memory — and now, the pop star has broken yet another record, becoming the first artist in history to take all 10 of the top 10 slots on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
“10 out of 10 of the Hot 100??? On my 10th album???” Swift tweeted on Monday. “I AM IN SHAMBLES.”
To call that achievement a success is a massive understatement. It’s never happened before, and until last year, no one’s come particularly close. As Billboard noted with the release of Drake’s Certified Lover Boy in September 2021, the rapper took nine of the top 10 slots — including all of the top five — with the record, the latter of which had only been achieved by the Beatles. Drake and Certified Lover Boy previously held the record, but Swift now stands alone.
Given that Swift didn’t release any music prior to Midnights’ release, it wasn’t immediately clear going into opening week what the “lead single” would be. “Anti-Hero,” itself the subject of some controversy last week over a since-removed shot of Swift standing on a scale that some critiqued as fatphobic, took the top slot, while “Lavender Haze,” “Maroon,” “Snow on the Beach” featuring Lana Del Rey and “Midnight Rain” rounded out the top five. At six through 10 were “Bejeweled,” “Question…?,” “You’re On Your Own, Kid,” “Karma,” and “Vigilante Shit.”
With the album out, fans are widely anticipating for Swift to announce her first tour since 2018. In fact, Swift told Graham Norton last week that a tour would happen “soonish.”
