Taylor Swift knows a few things about selling her music. She has not become the most popular entertainer on earth by accident. Her songs are catchy and the albums are packaged well, but Swift is in full control of her career and she has proven no one knows better about how her career should be run.
She might not have chosen the best time to announce the release of her new album - she decided to drop the news during the Grammys and the news overshadowed every other musical artist, of course, and that seemed unfair - as people are going to find out immediately any hint of new Taylor Swift news. She could write a handwritten note to a close friend over dinner and somehow the note will go viral. Such is the power of Taylor.
The performer also knows, good or bad, that a new album of hers is going to sell incredibly well. When Billboard reported that Swift's latest record, The Tortured Poets Department, sold 2.6 million units in the week after it was released, no one should have been shocked. Happy, yes. But not actively surprised.
Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department gives Swift her 14th number-one album
The record hit number one, of course. By doing so, Swift has her 14th chart-topping album, tied for the most number ones for a solo artist along with Jay-Z. The 2.6 million units moved in the first week also was the most since Adele put out 25 in 2015.
After learning of the news, Swift took to social media to thank her fans. She wrote on Instagram, "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."
Cliches aside, Swift likely is quite pleased with how much the album sold, though one might wonder how she feels about not having the highest number of sales. That actually seems odd as Swift's followers seemingly could not wait for the new record to drop. There are certainly more than 2.6 million Swifties as well.
Swift's Eras tour restarts on May 9 in Paris, France. She will tour Europe fairly consistently through the end of August. After that, she will return to North America in November and do shows in Toronto and Vancouver.