Taylor Swift beats Whitney Houston’s Billboard record with ‘TTPD’

Taylor Swift has surpassed the late Whitney Houston in a historic Billboard milestone.

According to Billboard, Swift’s new album, The Tortured Poet’s Department, has spent 12 consecutive weeks on the Billboard 200 chart, beating the record previously set by Houston in 1987.

Since it’s release on April 19, 2024, TTPD has dominated the Billboard 200 chart, maintaining the top spot for 12 straight weeks as of the week ending July 20.

This achievement marks a significant moment in Swift’s career, as her previous albums, 1989 and Fearless, each held the top position for 11 weeks upon debut, tying with Houston’s long-standing record. 

Houston’s self-titled sophomore album, Whitney, previously held the record for the longest-running number one debut by a female artist for nearly four decades.

Whitney — considered one of the best-selling albums of all time with sales of over 20 million copies worldwide — featured hits like I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me), Didn’t We Almost Have It All, So Emotional, and Where Do Broken Hearts Go. These tracks all peaked at number one on the US Hot 100, making Houston the first female artist to achieve four number-one hits from one album.