Taylor Swift 'Speak Now' Tops Chart, is Now The Only Female Artist to Have the Most No.1 Albums Ever

Taylor Swift'sSpeak Now album left the music industry "speechless" as the Shake It Off singer continues to earn record after record in her name. After entering the 'billionaire' circle, the pop singer has broken another record by becoming the only female artist to have the most No.1 albums ever. On Sunday, July 16, 2023, the news of her new achievement was revealed. 

As per Billboard, no other female has reached this height of success. Barbra Streisand owned the title previously with 11 No.1 records; Swift surpassed her and earned 12 No.1 albums, reported PEOPLE. The news comes after Swift's latest album, Speak Now (Taylor's Version), which was released on July 7, debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 chart. 

Her other albums like Midnights at No. 5, Lover at No.7, and Folklore at No. 10 also followed to earn their top spots. The 33-year-old singer also became the first female artist to have four albums simultaneously making it to the charts at Billboard's Top 10. 

In the history of Billboard, only two other artists acquired this feat- Herb Alpert in 1966 and Prince posthumously in 2016. According to a Republic Records release, Swift's latest record is the biggest-selling album so far this year, with 716,000 album-equivalent units sold. It is an unmatched success for Swift. 

In related news, Jake Owen recently addressed the rumors that a song, Sparks Fly, from Speak Now, is about him. Although, the country star seemed nonchalant about being one of the subjects of Swift's 2010 hit song. The theory has been doing rounds for years, but the 41-year-old Owen confessed to PEOPLE it 'never' bothered him. 

He said, "It's a great song. And the speculation has always been funny to me." The singer-songwriter was at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada, where he was participating in the American Century Championship. "I am sure Taylor probably laughs at it all too, but I'm happy to even have my name in the discussion around it." 

Owen told the outlet he has known 'Taylor since she was 16' and has been a fan of her work since. "She's an amazing girl and an amazing artist," praised Owen. "It's been incredible to see how she's grown as a musician and what a global phenomenon she's become." The American singer has recently released his own album, Loose Cannon. 

The 12 times Grammy Award winner secured a spot on Forbes' 2023 list of America's richest self-made women, ranking 34th on the index with a net worth of $740 million, per Fox Business. The Blank Space singer is the second-richest female musician on the list, following Rihanna, whose net worth is reportedly $1.4 billion.

Swift's extent of fame can be understood through the incident when millions of fans lined up in a queue to purchase tickets to "The Eras Tour" in 2023. Despite this, they were denied entry to see the Anti-Hero singer at one of the 35 stadium stops.

References: 

https://people.com/taylor-swift-officially-earns-more-number-one-albums-than-any-other-woman-in-history-7562643

https://www.foxbusiness.com/entertainment/taylor-swift-more-no-1-albums-any-woman-history