Taylor Swift has bagged not one, but two No. 1 albums this year.
The “Cardigan” singer-songwriter’s latest full-length release, Evermore, debuted at the number-one spot, Billboard reported Sunday (December 21). The not only marks Swift’s eighth studio album of her career, but it’s also her second LP to top the Billboard 200 chart in 2020.
Evermore pushed 329,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending December 17, according to Nielsen Music, making it the fifth-largest opening week of the year following BTS’ Map of the Soul: 7 (422,000), The Weeknd’s After Hours (444,000), Juice WRLD’s Legends Never Die (497,000) and Swift’s Folklore (846,000).
Featuring 15 songs including “Willow” and “Champagne Problems,” Evermore was released by surprise on December 11 as a “sister record” to follow July’s Folklore. Work in the latter record, which contains fan-favorite tracks like “Exile,” “This Is Me Trying,” and “Betty,” garnered Swift five 2021 Grammy nominations, including Song of the Year and Album of the Year.
As aforementioned, Evermore becomes the 31-year-old’s eighth leader, putting her close on the heels of Madonna, who bests Swift by just one album with nine number-one albums. For the part of female artists, Barbara Streisand currently holds the torch with 11 No. 1 LPs.
With Evermore’s release, Swift becomes the first woman of the year to bag two chart-topping albums on the Billboard 200 chart in 2020. Other acts to repeat the same include BTS (Be and Map of the Soul: 7) and rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again (Top and 38 Baby 2).