Taylor Swift’s latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” has generated significant buzz. Despite being released less than a week ago, the pop star’s album has already shattered numerous records.
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Billion Streams A Week on Spotify
In just five days, “The Tortured Poets Department” (TTPD) by Taylor Swift has achieved a remarkable feat: surpassing one billion streams on Spotify. This milestone, announced by Spotify on Wednesday, makes the ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ first album ever to reach such a high streaming figure within a week. Previously, Taylor Swift held the record for the most streams with her 2022 album “Midnights,” which amassed over 700,000 streams.
300 Million Streams In A Day on Spotify
Following its release on April 19, Taylor Swift’s album “The Tortured Poets Department” (TTPD) achieved a remarkable milestone by accumulating 300 million streams on Spotify in just one day. With such an impressive trajectory, “The Tortured Poets Department” is poised to surpass 2 million in album-equivalent units on the official charts. This would mark the highest achievement since Adele’s album “25” in 2015, as reported by Variety.
Most Streamed Song
“On the release day, ‘Fortnight,’ Taylor Swift’s collaboration with Post Malone, emerged as the most favored track among listeners. Notably, it achieved the milestone of being the most streamed song in a single day in Spotify’s history.”
Most Streamed Artist
Unsurprisingly, Taylor Swift’s latest achievements also solidify her position as the most streamed artist in a single day in Spotify’s history. This accomplishment adds to her track record of consistently breaking such records with each new album release.
Bestselling Vinyl Release
In a remarkable feat, “The Tortured Poets Department” (TTPD) sold an impressive 1.8 million copies of vinyl in the US within a mere five days of its release. This achievement positions “The Tortured Poets Department” as the fourth largest-selling album in the modern era, trailing closely behind NSYNC’s “Celebrity” (2001) which sold 1.878 million copies of vinyl. NSYNC also holds the second position with “No Strings Attached” (2000) at 2.416 million copies. According to a report by Billboard, Adele’s “25” currently holds the top spot with 3.378 million copies sold.
Taylor Swift’s Controversial Lyric in ‘I Hate It Here’ Sparks Online Debate
Taylor Swift unveiled her much-awaited album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” on April 19. This double album, featuring 31 tracks, began making waves even before its release, setting a new record as the most pre-saved album on Spotify in history. In less than a week, TTPD shattered another milestone by becoming the first album ever to achieve 1 billion Spotify streams within a week. Despite the excitement surrounding its success, Swift has also faced criticism for a specific lyric in the track “I Hate It Here.”
In the contentious song that has sparked debate across the internet, Taylor Swift sings a poignant lyric: “My friends used to play a game where we would pick a decade, we wished we could live in instead of this / I’d say the 1830s but without all the racists and getting married off for the highest bid.” What sets this lyric apart from Swift’s usual repertoire is its direct mention of race. While Swift is known for speaking her mind, certain topics such as race, politics, and gender issues have been less frequent in her discussions.
Prior to this, Swift addressed the topic of race publicly in 2020 following George Floyd’s murder by police officer Derek Chauvin. In a tweet, she expressed her discomfort with monuments in Tennessee honoring historical figures with racist backgrounds, stating, “As a Tennessean, it makes me sick that there are monuments standing in our state that celebrate racist historical figures who did evil things. Edward Carmack and Nathan Bedford Forrest were DESPICABLE figures in our state history and should be treated as such.”
According to Naomi Ekas, a professor at Texas Christian University, many of her students perceive Taylor Swift’s songs as representing “white girl experiences” and believe that her music primarily resonates with individuals within that racial group. Ekas highlights that while themes like dating bad boys, experiencing friendship breakups, and navigating relationships are universal, Swift’s specific life experiences may not necessarily connect with everyone outside of her racial demographic.
Professor Stephanie Burt, a literary critic teaching a course on Swift at Harvard University, suggests that through her album “The Tortured Poets Department” (TTPD), Swift is introspectively examining “illusions and delusions” that have influenced her psyche. Burt notes that Swift critiques herself throughout the album, acknowledging her own folly and inviting listeners to witness her moments of making flawed judgments and oversimplifying her personal and historical narratives.
