Taylor Swift’s Folklore was the best-selling album of 2020
With all the records it’s broken, it’s probably no surprise that Taylor Swift’s Folklore is the No. 1 album of 2020.
Twenty-twenty didn’t bring much in the way of good news, but it did gift us with two surprise Taylor Swift albums. (And boy, did we need both of them after that roller coaster of a year.) The singer-songwriter churned out two widely praised albums in a row, Folklore and Evermore, with each one building off the other’s success.
And Swift’s two newest albums aren’t just great in the sense that fans weren’t expecting them. They’ve been lauded as a new direction for her music, one that’s resonated even with listeners who didn’t previously consider themselves huge Swifties. The internet hype alone is a testament to how well received Folklore and Evermore were, but if that wasn’t enough proof, Folklore also turned out to be the best-selling album of 2020.
That’s right, according to MRC data, Swift’s first surprise album was the No. 1 in terms of sales — which probably shouldn’t be a surprise given all the records it’s already broken. The only new album to sell more than 1 million copies last year, folklore topped the Billboard 200 chart for six weeks in a row, pushing Swift past Whitney Houston for most cumulative weeks a woman artist has spent at the top of the chart.
These are all huge accomplishments for Swift, but this isn’t actually the first time the singer-songwriter claimed the No. 1 album of the year. In fact, she’s done so four times previously: in 2009 (Fearless), in 2014 (1989), in 2017 (Reputation), and in 2019 (Lover). Talk about an impressive resume.
Equally as impressive is that Swift’s past two albums have been recorded from home because of the COVID-19 crisis. Speaking with Billboard, she explained that the process of creating Folklore and Evermore was so different from her other albums.
“This was an experience unlike anything else and it really changed I think what this year would have been for me emotionally and mentally,” Swift said. “One thing that’s so amazing about getting to create with your collaborators is taking those songs from the studio and getting to perform them and getting to connect with fans.”
Even without that collaboration, though, she was able to pull out two wins. We can’t wait to see what she comes up with when she does return to the studio!
Next. Ranking all the songs on Taylor Swift’s evermore. dark
What did you think of Taylor Swift’s folklore? Tell us your thoughts on the record-breaking album in the comments below!