Karma is another record on the pop charts for Taylor Swift.
As Swift’s fans across the world prepare for the arrival of her new album, The Tortured Poets Department, the 34-year-old music icon picked up another accolade on the DL. Swift’s “Is It Over Now?,” a new song released last year on 1989 (Taylor’s Version), hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart last week, giving her an unprecedented 13th chart-topper.
Swift displaced Jack Harlow’s “Lovin on Me,” which had spent five weeks at the top position (while spending nearly five months on the chart). Swift already had the title of artist with the most No. 1’s on the Pop Airplay Chart, but this latest win sees her pulling away from the pack.
Rihanna, Katy Perry and Maroon 5 are all tied for second place with 11 No.1’s. Perry, 39, last topped the Pop Airplay chart a decade ago with “Dark Horse,” according to Forbes. Rihanna, 36, hasn’t been near the top of the Pop Airplay chart since 2013 with “Stay,” her collaboration with Mikky Ekko, and “The Monster,” her song with Eminem. Maroon 5 has the most recent No. 1 of those tied in second place, topping the chart with “Memories” in February 2020.
The Tortured Poets Department, Swift’s 11th studio album, arrives on April 19. The likelihood of Swift achieving another Pop Airplay No. 1 is all but certain. Swift may also tie Ariana Grande for the record of female artists with the most songs to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Grande, 30, took the lead earlier this month when her “We Can’t Be Friends” debuted at No. 1, her seventh hit to do so.
Swift has six No. 1 debuts, with “Is It Over Now?” being her most recent song to reach the top position on the Hot 100. It is also her 11th overall No. 1 on the chart, a number that is sure to grow when The Tortured Poets Department arrives.
One month out from her new album’s release, Swift hasn’t announced any lead singles. However, she has announced four variations of TTPD, each coming with different artwork and named after the bonus track included in the pressing: “The Manuscript,” “The Bolter,” “The Albatross” and “The Black Dog.”
With Billboard reporting that one out of every 15 vinyl albums sold in 2023 was a Swift album and Rolling Stone noting that Swift’s releases helped push pop to outsell rock (in terms of vinyl albums), expect Swift to end 2024 with a few more “crowns” in terms of sales and No. 1s.
