Several days in and Taylor Swift’s new album Folklore is already a success. The LP, which was surprisingly released last week, broke multiple records while selling 1.3 million copies in the first 24 hours.
According to official numbers, Folklore had the biggest streaming debut on Spotify for a female artist with 80.6 million streams on its first day. This was enough to break the record previously held by Ariana Grande, who had 70.2 million streams with her 2019’s release Thank U, Next.
In addition, Swift’s eighth studio album had 35.47 million streams on Apple Music, breaking the platform’s record for the most-streamed pop album in 24 hours.
Folklore is also a success with the critics, receiving widespread acclaim upon its release. Rolling Stone magazine called it Swift’s “greatest album—so far” while Uproxx dubbed it her “most timeless work.”
The album came less than a year after Swift’s most recent chart-topping album Lover.
“Before this year I probably would’ve overthought when to release this music at the ‘perfect’ time, but the times we’re living in keep reminding me that nothing is guaranteed,” said Taylor upon releasing Folklore. “My gut is telling me that if you make something you love, you should just put it out into the world. That’s the side of uncertainty I can get on board with.”
