Surpassing the likes of the Beatles and Madonna: What music records has Taylor Swift broken in 2023?

The popstar is riding on the success of her sell-out Eras Tour. Credit: AP

By Lily Ford, ITV News Multimedia Producer


Taylor Swift has become the first female artist in history to tot up 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify - the 8th music record she's broken in 2023.

The popstar, riding on the success of her 10th studio album, Midnights, and globally popular Eras Tour, is achieving feats previously only accomplished by The Beatles and Barbra Streisand decades ago.

Here is a look at some of the other titles Swift has claimed since the year began.

Most number one albums by a woman in history

Swift has been re-recording her albums to claim ownership over her music in an ongoing feud with her ex-manager Scooter Braun.

The re-release of Speak Now (Taylor's Version), her third album that originally debuted in 2010, immediately went to number one on the Billboard 200 chart in July.

It was the 12th album to debut at number one, breaking the record for most number one albums by a female artist in history - previously held by Barbra Streisand.

First woman with four albums in Billboard chart top 10 at the same time

When Speak Now (Taylor's Version) came out in July, it sat alongside three other albums of Swift's in Billboard 200 chart's top 10.

Midnights, Lover, and Folklore also occupied some of the top spots - it makes her only the second living artist to achieve this after Herb Alpert in 1966.

"It's a pretty amazing feat," Alpert told The New York Times.

"With the way radio is these days, and the way music is distributed, with streaming, I didn't think anyone in this era could do it."

Since 1963, Prince and The Beatles are the only other artists who charted more albums simultaneously, according to Billboard.

First woman with songs from three albums in the top 10 at the same time

Another record only previously held by The Beatles.

In 2023, three of Swift's songs occupied the Billboard Hot 100's top 10 at once: I Can See You, Cruel Summer, and Karma.

Billboard said this made Swift the "first woman ever with simultaneous top 10s from three of her own albums."

Her Eras Tour might be about to break another record. Credit: AP

First woman with new number one albums in five consecutive years

Billboard has also said the singer is the only woman to chart a new number one album on the Billboard 200 in five consecutive years.

The impressive line-up is as follows: Lover (2019), Folklore and Evermore (both 2020), Fearless (Taylor's Version, 2021), Red (Taylor's Version, 2022), Midnights (2022), and Speak Now (Taylor's Version, 2023).

The only other musicians to have achieved this are The Beatles, Drake, Jay-Z, and Paul McCartney.

Female artist with the most Hot 100-charting songs in history

Swift has officially surpassed the cast of Glee upon releasing Speak Now, as all 22 songs on the album debuted Billboard's Hot 100.

It means she has 212 songs in total that have hit the Hot-100 chart, the highest of any female artist.

Drake has managed to just pip her to the post for the most Hot-100 charting singles of all time.

Swift's tour has began its international leg. Credit: AP

Most streamed country album in a single day on Spotify

The digital music service said Speak Now (Taylor's Version) was the most streamed country album in a single day in the app's history, and the most streamed album in a day of the year so far.

Most attended concert by a female artist in the US

The opening night of her Eras Tour in Glendale, Arizona, set a record for the most attended US concert by a female artist with a crowd of 69,000, Capital FM said.

Madonna had reportedly held this record since 1987.

She might be about to break the record for the first ever concert tour to gross $1 billion.

The Wall Street Journal has projected that Swift is on track to claim a title held by Elton John's Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, which grossed $939 million during its 2018-2023 run.


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