Taylor Swift Wows Critics, Breaks Records, Dominates Global Charts
Taylor Swift’s new album “folklore” ended its first week as the #1 album in the world with global sales over 2 million worldwide and over half a billion total audio and video streams.
The album hit #1 on iTunes in more than 85 countries.
Lead single “cardigan” debuted at #1 on the Global Spotify chart, claiming the most daily Spotify streams in 2020. The song also reached #1 on iTunes song chart and was the most added song at Top 40 and Hot AC radio airplay charts nationwide.
Taylor Swift is the only female artist to have seven albums each sell at least 500,000 copies in a single week (Fearless, Speak Now, RED, 1989, reputation, Lover and folklore).
Last week, the new album shattered the global record for first-day album streams on Spotify by a female artist with 80.6 million streams and delivered the most-streamed pop album on Apple Music in 24 hours with 35.47M streams. Additionally, folklore set the U.S. and Worldwide Amazon Music Indie/Alternative Streaming Record.
Breaking UK Records Too
Swift is also the only female artist in the 21st century to score five #1 studio albums in the UK. folklore marks the biggest first-week album streams by a female artist in the UK in 2020 and biggest first week album streams of Taylor Swift’s career in the UK.
The song was also added straight to the A list on BBC Radio 1 in the UK.
Kudos From Critics
In the past, Taylor Swift has been admired by many music critics but hardly respected. That’s changed with the release of “folklore.”
From The Guardian to Rolling Stone and Paste to Pitchfork, Music Week and more, Taylor Swift’s new album is getting glowing reviews.
“5 Stars. Folklore proves that she can thrive away from the noise: if you interpret “classmates” as pop peers, Swift is no longer competing.” – The Guardian, Laura Snapes
“Some of us have spent years dreaming Taylor would do a whole album like this—but nobody really dreamed it would turn out this great. Her greatest album—so far.” – Rolling Stone, Rob Sheffield. “4.5 Stars”
“Taylor Swift has leveled the hell up” – Paste Magazine, Ellen Johnson.
“…one of her best, most perfectly-produced projects ever.”
“The music here is threadbare and nuanced, following her thoughts to these lonely corners and adding new depth.” – Pitchfork, Sam Sodomsky
“Indisputably songs to cherish on vinyl and clutch to your heart to ease the horror of dark days, of which, sadly, there have been too many lately. Thanks to Taylor Swift, at least today will be brighter… “There is less too, of Swift’s confessional lyrical style, as she turns to observe other lives as expertly as she dissects her own. She does it superbly too casually dropping gems such as, ‘They told me all my cages were mental/So I get wasted, like all my potential’...
“Swift is no ordinary pop star. And certainly no ordinary songwriter. Her craft has always been revered by the songwriting cognoscenti as well as the pop fandom.” – Music Week, Mark Sutherland
“Folklore’: There’s Nothing Quiet About This Songwriting Tour De Force.” – Billboard, Jason Lipshutz
“Part of the album’s genius is how it makes us fantasise about isolation while in isolation. Taylor wants us to imagine a generative and meaningful solitude – unhampered by fear and uncertainty – where we’re free to ruminate on failed affairs, and luxuriate in the graved sting of nostalgia.” – The Face, Emma Madden. “With folk-revivalist pastiche, Taylor has created an atmosphere of intimacy which makes us feel closer to her than ever before – and she didn’t even have to flee into the wilderness to achieve this. Folklore makes it seem, to speak in memeable terms, as though Thoreau walked so that Taylor Swift could fly.”
