Biggest first-week debut of 2021 and biggest female country streaming week ever
Returning to No. 1 around the world and breaking numerous records, Taylor Swift has made history yet again with Fearless (Taylor’s Version). Notably, she’s the first woman with three new No. 1 albums in less than a year. Moving over one million units worldwide, Fearless (Taylor’s Version) logged the “biggest first week debut of any album this year,” “the biggest first week debut for a country album since 2015” and “the biggest female country streaming week ever.” Fearless (Taylor’s Version) is the only No. 1 album of its kind: a re-recording of an artist’s (own or another’s) previously released album.
Generating 50 million-plus streams on release day, it also achieved “the biggest first day streaming debut for any album on Spotify this year” and marked her fourth consecutive album to exceed 50 million Spotify streams in 24 hours. The set also becomes the first country album by a female artist to reach No. 1 on Apple Music’s US Albums chart.
In addition to capturing No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200, No. 1 on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart and No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart, it went No. 1 in the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland. It debuted Top 5 in Belgium, Norway and the Netherlands and in Germany it was the biggest debut by a country album in the history of Germany’s album chart. Fearless (Taylor’s Version) charted at No. 1 on the iTunes Top Overall Albums Chart in 61 countries.
The album stands out as Swift’s fourth No. 1 album in less than two years with the “3 biggest debuts since July 2020” with Folklore, Evermore, and Fearless (Taylor’s Version). It also emerges as “the biggest female country album debut since the inception of the Billboard Top 200 album-based conception charts in 2014.” Fearless (Taylor’s Version) is the eleven-time GRAMMY Award-winning, record-breaking superstar’s ninth No. 1 Album.
Swift entered rarified air across the pond as Fearless (Taylor’s Version) became her third album to chart No. 1 during its debut week in less than a year in the UK. The Beatles had previously accomplished this incredible feat the fastest in 364 days, but Swift eclipsed the speed of The Fab Four as she reached this benchmark and accumulated three No. 1’s in just 259 days — a difference of 105 days.
Not only did it become her seventh No. 1 in the country, but Swift became “the first and only solo artist ever to claim three UK #1 albums in less than 12 months during the 21st century” and “the first ever international artist and first ever female artist to land three #1 albums in the UK within one year in history.”
Physical sales of Fearless (Taylor’s Version) outsold the remaining combined total physical sales of the UK Top 15. The permanent downloads also bested the remaining combined total permanent downloads of the Top 70. She shattered her own record for the second time in the last year as “the first and only female artist to garner 7 #1 studio albums in the UK this century.” Additionally, she has gathered “the 3rd Most #1 albums in the UK by a female artist.”
Down Under, Swift is now “the first artist to release three #1 albums in a 12-month period in Australia.” Swift is the first artist to have three different albums top the ARIA Charts in a 12 month period. She bests her own record of “the shortest span of #1 albums in Australia” with only 17 weeks between evermore and Fearless (Taylor’s Version). Her previous record was 20 weeks between Folklore and Evermore. With eight total No. 1 albums in Australia, she is second for “female artist with most #1 albums” only behind Madonna and just behind Eminem for “most consecutive #1 albums.” At radio, “Mr. Perfectly Fine (Taylor’s Version)” bows in the Top 10 on the Airplay Chart.
