Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” Shatters Records with 2.61 Million Units Sold in First Week! 

Taylor Swift announced that her new album The Tortured Poets Department had debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. This marked Swift’s 14th number-one album and was the largest streaming week ever for an album, with over 2.61 million equivalent album units earned in its first week.

In response to the news, Swift expressed shock and gratitude on her social media accounts. She wrote “What do you MEAN” upon seeing the headline and said “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.”

The 2.61 million total units comprised 1.914 million traditional album sales, 683,000 streaming equivalent album (SEA) units equaling 891.37 million on-demand official streams, and 14,000 track equivalent album (TEA) units. Along with being her highest first-week sum, it was also the second-biggest week for any album by units earned and the third-largest sales week in the modern era.

Swift also shared behind-the-scenes photos from recording the album with artists like Post Malone and Florence Welch. She expressed enthusiasm for returning to her Eras Tour on May 9, hinting she may incorporate some songs or elements from The Tortured Poets Department into the shows. Swift’s European tour dates will take her to venues in places like Paris, Sweden, Portugal, the UK, and Germany through the summer.