Taylor Swift Earns Second Highest First Week 2021 Debut With 10th No. 1 Album ‘Red (Taylor’s Version)’

Taylor Swift became the second woman, after Barbra Streisand, with 10 No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 after 'Red (Taylor's Version)' debuted atop the chart.

Taylor Swift poses for photos at 'All Too Well' premiere.
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Taylor Swift attends the "All Too Well" New York Premiere.

Taylor Swift poses for photos at 'All Too Well' premiere.

Taylor Swift earned her 10th No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with Red (Taylor’s Version), Billboard reports. She becomes the second woman, after Barbra Streisand, with 10 No. 1 albums.

Her latest re-recorded release amassed 605,000 equivalent album units, falling just short of the highest weekly sum of 2021, which still belongs to Drake’s Certified Lover Boy at 613,000 units. Red (Taylor’s Version) still managed to carve its place in this year’s record books with the most traditional album sales (369,000) moved in a single week. 

Swift barely edged out Elton John for the shortest amount of time to rack up four No. 1 albums, among solo artists. It took Elton 69 weeks from 1974 to 1975, while Taylor’s newest offering, along with Folklore, Evermore, and Fearless (Taylor’s Version), accomplished the same feat in 68 weeks.  

Red (Taylor’s Version) pushed 227,000 SEA units in its debut week, equaling 303.23 million on-demand streams of the album’s songs.

Swept up in Taylor’s typical Billboard dominance was the Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars collaborative project An Evening With Silk Sonic, which came in at No. 2 with 104,000 equivalent album units, of which 60,000 were comprised from streaming, and 42,000 came from album sales. 

As projections started to roll in, .Paak poked fun at Silk Sonic’s distant second expected finish, saying he “linked up with the wrong pop star.” 

pic.twitter.com/llfGuSQGgz

— Bruno Mars (@BrunoMars) November 17, 2021

Mars got in on the joke, calling .Paak’s remark a “betrayal,” and posting a photoshopped version of Taylor’s 1989 album cover with Anderson standing behind her.  

If it’s any consolation for Silk Sonic, Swift will be in for quite a battle next week as the chart-topping juggernaut known as Adele will look to assume the Billboard 200 throne following the release of 30

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