Taylor Swift surpasses Madonna’s record for most UK Number One albums

Taylor Swift has surpassed Madonna as the female artist with the most UK Number One albums, securing her 13th chart-topper with ‘Lover (Live From Paris)’.

The live album, which features performances from Swift’s 2019 studio LP, sold 47,000 copies in its opening week, marking the highest first-week sales for any album in 2025. Originally released as a limited vinyl for Valentine’s Day in 2023, the record has now been reissued as a heart-shaped double vinyl.

This achievement places Swift level with Elvis Presley, who also holds 13 UK Number One albums. The Rolling Stones currently have 14 Number Ones, while Robbie Williams and The Beatles share the overall record with 15 each. This marks Swift’s second Number One album achieved without streaming availability, following 2017’s ‘Reputation’.

Swift’s vinyl success continues to grow, with her album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ leading 2024’s vinyl albums chart after selling 112,000 copies. The record achieved the highest annual vinyl sales this century, including 66,000 units in its first week. Her albums ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’, ‘Midnights’, ‘Lover’, ‘Folklore’, and ‘Evermore’ all featured in 2024’s vinyl Top 40.

The achievement follows Swift’s completion of her ‘Eras’ World Tour, which concluded in Vancouver on 8th December, and was certified as 2024’s highest-grossing tour.