Taylor Swift’s TTPD Breaks a Billboard 200 Albums Chart Record Previously Held by Whitney Houston

Swift’s ‘The Tortured Poet Department’ has officially broken the late icon’s record of being the only album by a woman to spend its first 12 weeks at No. 1

Taylor Swift; Whitney Houston. PHOTO: MATT WINKELMEYER/GETTY, VINNIE ZUFFANTE/GETTY

Another day, another record broken by Taylor Swift’s star power.

This week, the pop star, 34, hit a new career-best milestone as her The Tortured Poets Department album marked its 12th consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, where it has remained since its April 19 release.

In doing so, Billboard reported that the singer’s 11th studio album also set a new precedent as it surpassed a record set by Whitney Houston’s 1987 self-titled LP, which spent all 11 of its weeks atop the Billboard 200 from its initial release date. Therefore, Swift’s latest album is the only one by a woman to spend its first 12 weeks at the No. 1 spot.

Taylor Swift performs onstage during The Eras Tour at Veltins Arena on July 17, 2024 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.ANDREAS RENTZ/TAS24/GETTY

Taylor Swift Ties Whitney Houston as Female Artist with Most Weeks at No. 1 on Billboard Chart

The 14-time Grammy winner previously beat Houston’s Billboard 200 record for the most weeks ever spent atop the chart with her surprise 2020 album Folklore, which brought her career total to 47 over the late icon’s 46.

Earlier this year, Forbes reported that Swift also surpassed Houston’s record of having the fourth-most No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 following the success of “Fortnight,” her 12th single atop the chart.

10 Years, 5 Albums & 1 Artist of the Decade: Taylor Swift’s Record-Breaking Career by the Numbers

This isn’t the first (nor the last) time Swift has beaten a music legend’s stellar record. Just this past December, she notched a new accolade over the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Elvis Presley, as the soloist with the most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 following the release of 1989 (Taylor’s Version), Billboard reported.

At the time, she had spent 68 weeks atop the chart, beating out Presley, who had a record 67 weeks at No. 1 across his 10 albums between 1956 and 2002.

Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department has been dominating the coveted album chart this year as numerous additional versions of the album have been released across digital, vinyl, CDs and more. However, some wonder if it’ll remain in the top slot as Eminem’s newly-released album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grace), is predicted to debut at No. 1 on the upcoming Billboard 200 dated July 27.

Taylor Swift Reclaims No. 1 Spot on Billboard Chart, Surpassing Morgan Wallen’s 12-Week Run

The rapper, 51, has a streak of 10 consecutive albums on the chart dating back to 2000’s The Marshall Mathers LP.

Perhaps Swift’s “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart” — the second single released from TTPD on July 16 — will help maintain her album’s reign. So far, only the singer’s “Fortnight” has enjoyed the single and music video treatment thanks to some assistance from featured collaborator Post Malone.

Swift’s record-breaking week continues with her final Eras tour show in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, on Friday, July 19. She picks up her international tour run in Hamburg with shows on July 23 and 24, followed by two stops in Munich on July 27 and 28. As previously announced, her sweeping tour will finally conclude in December following a string of shows in the United States and Canada.