Taylor Swift Shatters Adele’s First-Week Sales Record with ‘The Life of a Showgirl’

## Adele’s Record and Taylor Swift’s New Album Release

For nearly ten years, Adele has held the title for the highest first-week album sales. In December 2015, her much-anticipated comeback, *25*, achieved remarkable sales of 3.482 million equivalent album units. Remarkably, few artists have come close to toppling this record, but Taylor Swift has recently made headlines by doing just that.

### Taylor Swift Breaks the Record

According to **Billboard**, Swift has already garnered 3.5 million equivalent album units for her latest release, *The Life of a Showgirl*. Released on October 3, this album is still in its initial tracking week. The final tally for its first-week sales is set to be revealed on October 12, allowing for a few more days to adjust those figures.

### Previous Weekly Sales Rankings

For context, Adele’s *25* stands tall at the top, with *The Tortured Poets Department* following as the second highest, debuting at 2.61 million equivalent album units. Swift’s previous albums, like *1989 (Taylor’s Version)* and *Midnights*, opened with 1.653 million and 1.578 million, respectively. Adele’s *25* also saw significant increases during its second and third weeks, strong records indeed.

### Sales Breakdown of *The Life of a Showgirl*

Swift’s new album has sold around 3.2 million copies in traditional formats, approaching, but not yet surpassing, Adele’s benchmark of 3.387 million copies for *25*. The various editions of *The Life of a Showgirl* played a significant role in these sales figures.

### Unique Album Variants

Swift introduced multiple CD versions of *The Life of a Showgirl*, such as “Sweat and Vanilla Perfume” and “It’s Frightening.” Additionally, vinyl variants included quirky titles like “Tiny Bubbles in Champagne.” Four separate acoustic CD versions were also launched, offering fans a unique listening experience with exclusive content.

### Streaming Success

On the streaming platform, *The Life of a Showgirl* shattered the Spotify record for most streams in a single day within just 12 hours of its release. In the days leading up to the launch, the album achieved an impressive 5.5 million pre-saves, breaking Swift’s own record.

The tracking week for *The Life of a Showgirl* wraps up on October 9.

What do you think about this race for first-week sales? Will Taylor Swift’s sales continue to rise?