Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, earns the biggest first week in music history with over 4 million U.S. and 5.5 million global album-equivalent units. Upon release, the album shattered countless records and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, marking another historic milestone in Swift’s career. Dominating across all platforms, The Life of a Showgirl amassed more than 1.5 billion global streams, securing the largest debut of 2025.
Taylor Swift commented, “I’ll never forget how excited I was in 2006 when my first album sold 40,000 copies in its first week. I was 16 and couldn’t even fathom that that many people would care enough about my music to invest their time and energy into it. Since then I’ve tried to meet and thank as many people as I could who have given me the chance to chase this insane dream. Here we are all these years later and a hundred times that many people showed up for me this week. I have 4 million thank you’s I want to send to the fans, and 4 million reasons to feel even more proud of this album than I already was. Thank you for going out to celebrate this project in the movie theaters, investing in vinyl, streaming, watching the video, buying CDs, reading the poems I wrote inside the packaging, and immersing yourselves in The Life of a Showgirl. I’ll cherish this feeling forever.”
See below for other key highlights and listen to The Life of a Showgirl - HERE.
Billboard 200 Achievements
● The Life of a Showgirl posts the largest sales week for any album in US music history.
● Marks Swift’s 15th No. 1 album, breaking the record for the most No. 1 albums in the 21st century.
● Sets the record for the most No. 1 albums by a solo artist.
● Extends her record as the female artist with the most No. 1 albums in Billboard 200history.
● Continues her streak of 11 consecutive studio albums debuting at No. 1, beginning with Fearless (2008). Including four “Taylor’s Version” re-recordings, Swift has now achieved 15 consecutive No. 1 debuts.
● With this release, Swift reaches her 87th week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, extending her records for:
○ Most weeks at No. 1 in the 21st century
○ Most weeks at No. 1 by a solo artist in history
○ Most weeks at No. 1 by a female artist in history
Billboard Hot 100 Achievements
● “The Fate of Ophelia”
○ 13th #1 single on the Hot 100
○ Ties for fourth most #1 hits in chart history
○ Third most for a female artist
○ Ties for second most #1 hits in the 21st century
○ Ties as the only soloist to have 13 #1 singles and 13 #1 albums
● Album
○ First album in history with all its songs appearing uninterrupted from #1 through #12
● Joins Taylor’s ‘Midnights’ and ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ as the only albums in history to produce #1 through #10 on the Billboard Hot 100
Vinyl Records
● The Life of a Showgirl earned the largest vinyl sales week in Nielsen history, surpassing 1 million units sold - the first album ever to achieve this milestone.
Streaming Records
● Spotify:
○ “The Fate of Ophelia” set the record for the most daily and weekly streams of any song in Spotify history.
○ The album achieved the largest standard edition debut in Spotify history with 250 million streams.
○ Swift now holds the top 19 biggest song debuts and the top 4 biggest album debuts in Spotify history.
○ “The Fate of Ophelia” also became the fastest song to surpass 100 million streams.
○ Swift is now the only artist to simultaneously hold the platform’s top single-day and weekly records across song, album, and artist categories.
○ Taylor Swift holds the top 4 biggest album debuts in Spotify history
○ “The Fate of Ophelia” fastest song to surpass 100 million streams in Spotify history
○ Taylor Swift now holds top song, album and artist single day and weekly records on platform
○ Taylor Swift now holds top 3 fastest albums to 1 Billion on Spotify
○ “Opalite” fastest non-single to reach 100 million streams in Spotify history
● Apple:
○ The Life of a Showgirl posted the largest iTunes and Apple Music debuts of 2025.
○ “The Fate of Ophelia” posted the largest Apple Music debut of 2025.
● Amazon:
○ The album achieved the largest debut in Amazon Music history.
Global Performance
● #1 Debuts reported as of Sunday
○ #1 UK
○ #1 Australia
○ #1 Canada
○ #1 Germany
○ #1 France
○ #1 Austria
○ #1 Belgium
○ #1 Denmark
○ #1 Finland
○ #1 Ireland
○ #1 Italy
○ #1 Netherlands
○ #1 New Zealand
○ #1 Norway
○ #1 Portugal
○ #1 Spain
○ #1 Sweden
○ #1 Switzerland
● UK
○ With 423k sold, The Life of a Showgirl surpasses The Tortured Poets Department, as the biggest debut since 2017
○ Taylor is the first artist in history to consecutively hold the #1 album, #1, #2, #3 singles, and #1 airplay song in the UK
○ Taylor is officially the international artist with the most No.1 albums in UK chart history (14)
○ The Life of a Showgirl is the biggest selling week one album by an international act in UK chart history
○ ‘The Fate Of Ophelia’ biggest Week 1 streams by an international artist ever
○ ‘The Fate of Ophelia’, ‘Opalite’ and ‘Elizabeth Taylor’ 3 biggest Week 1 singles sales of 2025 in the UK
● Australia
○ The Life of a Showgirl debuts with the biggest week one sales since 2015
○ Taylor Swift extends her record for most #1 albums by a female artist in Australian history (14), and ties for the most #1 albums for an International artist (14)
○ Taylor Swift extends her previous record as the only artist to hold the #1 album and #1 single simultaneously, now for the 8th time.
○ The Life of a Showgirl breaks record for biggest streaming week in Australian history
○ Taylor Swift becomes first artist to capture the entire Top 12 on the Official Singles Chart in Australian history
● Germany
○ The Life of a Showgirl debuts #1 in Germany with the highest grossing week for an international solo artist since the current German chart (GFK) launched 25 years ago
○ First International Artist to ever debut at #1 on both the Album and Singles charts
○ First artist to ever land 8 singles in the Top 10
○ Biggest weekly vinyl sales in German chart history
● Canada
○ The Life of a Showgirl is the biggest album debut in Canada (of the modern streaming era) and the biggest album debut in Canada since 2015
○ Taylor Swift now holds the Top 5 highest album debuts (of the modern streaming era)
○ This is Taylor Swift’s 15th #1 album in Canada. She is now tied for the most #1 albums of all-time in this country and is the only non-Canadian artist to reach this milestone in this country
○ “The Fate of Ophelia” becomes the most streamed song in a single day and a single week in Canadian History
○ The 12 songs on The Life of a Showgirl capture the top 12 spots on the Billboard Canada Song Consumption Chart
● France
○ The Life of a Showgirl debuts as the biggest selling English-language album since 2015
● Austria
○ The Life of a Showgirl debuts at #1 and singles at #1, #2 and #3 single - the first non-GSA artist in history to consecutively hold the #1 album, and #1, #2, #3 singles, in Austria
● Ireland
○ The Life of a Showgirl debuts with the biggest week one sales since 2017
○ Taylor Swift has the most #1 albums in Irish history
○ Taylor Swift is the only artist to consecutively hold the #1 album, and #1, #2, #3 singles, this decade
● Italy
○ The Life of a Showgirl is the biggest selling debut by an international act in Italian chart history
○ The Life of a Showgirl is the biggest selling debut by any female artist (Domestic and International) in Italian chart history
● Netherlands
○ The Life of a Showgirl debuts with the biggest week one sales since 2015
● New Zealand
○ Taylor’s 15th #1, extending her record with the most #1 albums in the market.
○ The Life of a Showgirl debuts with the biggest week one sales since 2017
● Sweden
○ The Life of a Showgirl debut’s #1, surpassing The Tortured Poets Department as the biggest debut ever by an international artist
● Switzerland
○ The Life of a Showgirl debuts at #1 and singles at #1, #2 and #3 single
WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING ABOUT The Life of a Showgirl
“5 Stars” – Rolling Stone, Maya Georgi
“With her twelfth studio album, the musician shoots into a fresh echelon of superstardom — and hits all her marks.” – Rolling Stone, Maya Georgi
“Just when the world thought Swift couldn’t climb any further, she did.” – Rolling Stone, Maya Georgi
“A catchy and substantive but unflashy album, it takes the songwriting intimacy of her “Folklore”/“Evermore” era and renders it with more clarity and oomph.” – The New York Times, Jon Caramanica
“In 2025, with the world at her feet, Swift can finally say with certainty that her place in pop history is guaranteed. The Life of a Showgirl is her well-earned victory lap.” – BBC, Mark Savage
“It is a combination of compelling songwriting and whip-smart production that easily clears the high bar Swift has set for herself.” – BBC, Mark Savage
“...another triumph for the ultimate showgirl.” – USA Today, Melissa Ruggieri
“Taylor Swift is both dreamy and defiant on new album” – USA Today, Melissa Ruggieri
“With its cheeky lyrics, infectious melodies, and upbeat Max Martin- and Shellback-produced tracks that somehow manage to sound everything and nothing like Swift has done before (an impressive feat so far into such a prolific career), it's safe to say the only thing on listeners' lips at curtain call will be: "Encore!"” – Entertainment Weekly, Lauren Huff
“The songs on The Life Of A Showgirl are mean little pleasure-machines, energetic displays of mathematical force. The record is full of grand-scale endorphin-rush moments, choruses that sound great now and will sound even better when she’s got a stadium full of people screaming back at her. There is nobody else on this planet who can write and deliver a bridge like Taylor Swift. You just have to marvel at it.” – Stereogum, Tom Breihan
“For Taylor Swift, The Life of a Showgirl would seem to be a master class in world domination, massive bangers and whispered triumphs. Recorded as her Eras tour crossed Europe, Showgirl is a very in-the-moment rendering of the lightning-rod blonde who came to prominence as a wide-eyed country songwriter and evolved into a full-force pop supernova.” – Hits Daily Double, Holly Gleason
“And nobody does it better, now or at any recent time, when it comes to delivering world-dominating pop that feels all the feels” – Variety, Chris Willman
“It’s giddy, funny, touching, silly, haughty and moving in about equal measure, but most of all, it’s got a sunstruck kind of love that seeps through the orange LP grooves.” – Variety, Chris Willman
“Taylor Swift as Western pop's definitive presence, the star that couldn't be dimmed.” – NPR, Ann Powers
“Who is Taylor Swift’s heir apparent? Her 12th album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” offers an answer. It’s Taylor Swift.” – Maria Sherman, AP News
“On these 12 tracks, she’s approximating glitz and glamour with humanity and humor. She spends no time waiting in the wings. So let the show begin.” – Maria Sherman, AP News
“No notes.” – Vogue, Florence O’Connor
“…a delicious, and at times scandalous, collection of mellow-pop hits.” – The Hollywood Reporter, Nicole Fell
“...a collection of songs that are immediately engrossing and among the most affecting of Swift’s career, while also focusing on topics like Hamlet and suburban bliss.” – Billboard, Jason Lipshutz
“The Life of a Showgirl is one of the most grounded, well-rounded projects of Swift’s career” – Billboard, Jason Lipshutz
“The Life of a Showgirl serves to remind us that, at this chosen task, Swift is a master whose powers are only growing stronger and more acute.” – The Australian, Andrew McMillen
“5 Stars” – The Irish Times, Ed Power
“Reputation was dark and brooding. By contrast, this album glows with warmth and a cosy joy.” – The Irish Times, Ed Power
“5 Stars” – Daily Mail, Adrian Thrills
“An ode to her record-breaking Eras Tour, The Life Of A Showgirl is an electric and addictive return to pop for Taylor Swift.” – Daily Mail, Adrian Thrills
“5 Stars” – RTÉ, Sarah McIntyre
“Taylor Swift's The Life Of A Showgirl is an utterly joyful ode to love.” – RTÉ, Sarah McIntyre
“5 Stars” – EUPHORIA., Nmesoma Okechukwu
“...an album filled with the type of bangers that only Swift is capable of giving us.” –EUPHORIA., Nmesoma Okechukwu
“4.5 Stars” – Metro, Danni Scott
“The Life of a Showgirl feels like a return to form, blending her best elements from Reputation, 1989, and Midnights.” – Metro, Danni Scott
“…the album is emotional, honest, witty, brutal, and downright fun. This is exactly what I wanted from the queen of pop.” – Metro, Danni Scott
“Taylor Swift knows that the show must go on.” – People Magazine, Jeff Nelson
“Taylor Swift's 'Life of a Showgirl' presents pop phenomenon at the peak of her power” – Reuters, Dawn Chmielewski
“In a stodgy year for pop smashes, Taylor has returned to shake us free: Wake up, babe, we’re going dancing!” – NJ.com, Bobby Oliver
“It combines the earworm melodies of 1989, the hard-edged defiance of Reputation, the character narratives of Folklore, and literary references from The Tortured Poets Department into one sharp and cohesive package.” – Bustle, Jake Viswanath
“4 Stars” – The Independent, Roisin O’Connor
“As compelling as she’s ever been – the star, the ringmaster and the circus all in one.” – The Independent, Roisin O’Connor
“4 Stars” – The Times, Will Hodgkinson
“…this album is Swift at her happiest, and most fun.” – The Times, Will Hodgkinson
“4 Stars” – The Sun, Jack Hardwick
“Pop records are the hardest to perfect when it comes to both lyrics and melodies, but with producers Max Martin and Shellback by her side, Taylor has once again made magic.” – The Sun, Jack Hardwick
“On The Life of a Showgirl, a confident, infectious, succinct 12th record, Swift does away with the pretence that she is still the outcast underdog writing lyrics in her bedroom, and casts herself instead as the star of her own movie.” – The i Paper, Sarah Carson
“4 Stars” – The Daily Star, James Cabooter
“Taking fans on a transformative journey from romantic tragedy culminating in a celebration of life and love, this is peak Taylor. Closer in spirit to Red, she hones her pop skills to perfection on Opalite…” – The Daily Star, James Cabooter
“After her blockbuster Eras tour and a fairytale engagement, the star follows her lovelorn previous album with a set of punchy, clear-eyed odes to joy.” – The Observer, Kitty Empire
“The joy oozing from the 12 tracks makes the message clear: Swift built this life, now she’s ready to enjoy it.” – Vanity Fair, Kase Wickman
“The Life Of A Showgirl is Taylor Swift’s most authentic, liberated album yet” — Stylist, Rose Gallagher
