Taylor Swift has reached a level of Billboard dominance never seen before, becoming the first artist ever to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 in the same week.
On Sunday, Folklore, her surprise eighth studio album, took top honors in its first week after moving a staggering 846,000 units. It marks the biggest sales week this year. Not to be outdone, her lead single, "Cardigan," also debuted at No. 1 after amassing 34 million U.S. streams and 71,000 downloads sold.
"Cardigan" is joined by "The 1" at No. 4, making her the first woman to have two songs simultaneously debut in the top five of the Hot 100. Meanwhile, the Bon Iver-assisted song "Exile" sits on the outside looking in at No. 6. She's the sixth artist to have three tracks in the Hot 100's top 10 in its first week. Not a bad response for an album that Taylor admittedly never planned on doing prior to the pandemic.
"Most of the things I had planned this summer didn't end up happening, but there is something I hadn’t planned on that DID happen," Swift wrote in an Instagram post. "And that thing is my 8th studio album, folklore. Surprise Tonight at midnight I'll be releasing my entire brand new album of songs I’ve poured all of my whims, dreams, fears, and musings into. I wrote and recorded this music in isolation but got to collaborate with some musical heroes of mine."
