The album The Tortured Poets Department includes 16 tracks, with four additional bonus tracks.
Pop sensation Taylor Swift expressed her surprise at the success of her album The Tortured Poets Department as it soared to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The album sold a staggering 2.61 million units in its debut week in the US, with traditional album sales accounting for 1.91 million units and vinyl sales contributing 859,000 units. Additionally, the album received 891.34 million on-demand official streams.
Reacting to the news, Taylor Swift shared behind-the-scenes pictures from a recording studio on X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, “My mind is blown. I’m completely floored by the love you’ve shown this album. 2.6 million ARE YOU ACTUALLY SERIOUS?? Thank you for listening, streaming and welcoming ‘Tortured Poets’ into your life. Feeling completely overwhelmed. I was already so fired up to get back to the tour but you doing THIS?? May 9 can’t come soon enough.”
The Tortured Poets Department not only secured the largest streaming week for an album ever but also marked the biggest sales week for an album on vinyl in the modern era. Furthermore, it stands as the best-selling album of 2024 thus far.
My mind is blown. I’m completely floored by the love you’ve shown this album.
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) April 28, 2024
2.6 million ARE YOU ACTUALLY SERIOUS?? Thank you for listening, streaming, and welcoming Tortured Poets into your life. Feeling completely overwhelmed.
I was already so fired up to get back to the tour… pic.twitter.com/L7lS7WTa2Y
This accomplishment marked Taylor Swift’s 14th album to top the charts, putting her on par with Jay-Z for the most No. 1 albums among solo artists. Taylor Swift’s surprise release strategy paid off immensely, with the initial 16 tracks dropping on April 19, followed by the revelation of it being a double album with an additional 15 songs two hours later.
Last week, Spotify confirmed The Tortured Poets Department as its most-streamed album in a single week, surpassing 1 billion streams. Taylor Swift also dominated the British music charts, outselling the entire top 10 combined and surpassing the Beatles for the record of the fastest artist to accumulate 12 UK number-one albums.
Distributed by Universal Music Group, The Tortured Poets Department received predominantly positive reviews from critics and fans alike. Taylor Swift is set to resume her Eras Tour, the highest-grossing historical concert tour, in Paris in May.
Join the conversation: She joins a cohort of top female artists releasing albums this spring, with Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter debuting in March and forthcoming releases from Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish scheduled for next month.