Taylor Swift releases an album — and, in this case, a 3am Edition. Taylor Swift breaks seemingly every imaginable record. Rinse, repeat. Today (October 24) marks 16 years since her self-titled debut album, and Midnights will assuredly become her 11th No. 1 album. But that’s the baseline for what its pacing to achieve.
Hits Double Daily projects Midnights’ first full week will generate between 1.4 million and 1.6 million units, which would make it “the first album to debut at or past the million mark in the post-bundling era” and Swift’s fifth album to debut with at least one million. Pop Crave added, “It would mark the biggest opening week of her career, surpassing 1989.”
#Midnights by #TaylorSwift is now projected to debut with 1.4–1.6 MILLION units in its first week in the US, @HITSDD reports.
It would mark the biggest opening week of her career, surpassing ‘1989.’ pic.twitter.com/JIvUPiaLDM
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) October 24, 2022
If these projections come true, Midnights will crack the top 10 of the fastest-selling albums in the United States since tracking of such data began in March 1991. Adele’s 25 has been the fastest-ever-selling album for seven years at 3.378 million. Swift already owns the No. 9, 10 and 11 spots with 1989 (1.287 million), Reputation (1.216 million) and Red (1.208 million). Midnights would replace Backstreet Boys’ Black & Blue at No. 5 should it hit 1.6 million. The 1.4 million mark, or anything below 1.58 million, would slot it between Eminem’s Encore and The Eminem Show, which currently stand at No. 6 and 7, respectively. (Este Haim did warn us Swift was “about to drop the album of the century.”)
Midnights dropped last Friday (October 21). Before “the clock could even strike midnight on October 22nd,” Spotify revealed that Midnights became the most-streamed album in a single day in the platform’s history. Swift simultaneously broke Spotify’s record for most single-day streams for any artist in its history.
Spotify’s most-streamed album in a single day *and* the most-streamed artist in a single day in @Spotify history. Congratulations, @taylorswift13 https://t.co/3VmArzJo85
— Spotify News (@SpotifyNews) October 22, 2022
The Midnights freight train continues tonight with Swift appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon before she premieres her second installment of the “Midnights Music Movies.” The first was “Anti-Hero.”
Midnights is out now via Republic. Get it here.