Taylor Swift's fifth studio album, "1989"
Taylor Swift is unstoppable—and the numbers prove it. According to data from Nielsen Music, since dropping 36 weeks ago, Swift's latest unsinkable album "1989" has sold more than 5 million copies, making it the quickest album to reach that milestone in the last decade. (Usher's "Confessions" reached 5 million in 19 weeks in 2004.)
The reign of “1989”puts Swift on track to outdo Adele’s lauded “21,” which took 42 weeks to hit 5 million in late 2011. Adele’s blockbuster album has sold 11.1 million copies to date, according to Billboard.
Taylor Swift's promo poster for her current radio smash "Bad Blood"
News of this achievement comes hot on the heels of Swift breaking another speed record earlier this week: Her music video for single “Blank Space” became the fastest video to top 1 billion views on Vevo.
Taylor Swift performing on The Voice, 2014
Of course, these two milestones go hand in hand. The longevity of “1989” has been driven in large part by its four pervasive singles and the time elapsed between each rollout. Lead single “Shake It Off” dropped in August 2014, followed by “Blank Space,” “Style” and current radio smash “Bad Blood,” meaning airwaves and Vevo have been brimming with “1989” tracks for nearly an entire year.
Keep doing what you're doing Tay—it's working.