DUESSELDORF, GERMANY – NOVEMBER 13: Taylor Swift accepts an award onstage during the MTV Europe … [+]
Days ahead of the charts being refreshed, Taylor Swift has once again made history on the Billboard charts. The magazine and chart company recently announced that she has claimed another No. 1 single on one of its most important and competitive rankings. With this latest achievement, the singer-songwriter ties with some of the biggest and most successful artists who have ever placed on the tally.
Joining their ranks after years of working her way up, Swift has proven that she is on the same level as the some of her fellow music industry elite. While she’s certainly celebrating this win, it seems that she won’t stop at merely catching up; chances are she’ll soon eclipse those she just matched, as she’s hotter than ever, while they’re not racking up the hits like they used to.
Swift’s single “Karma” is set to advance to the No. 1 position on next week’s Pop Airplay chart, which is Billboard’s ranking of the songs that reach the largest listening audience at pop radio across the U.S. Currently, the tune sits at No. 2, just behind Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down.” In just a few days, Swift will take control of the tally, earning her position at the top once again.
When “Karma” reaches the top spot on the Pop Airplay chart, it will become Swift’s eleventh No. 1 on the ranking. This latest smash will tie her with three other powerhouse names for the most chart-toppers in the history of the tally. Rihanna, Katy Perry, and Maroon 5 have also snagged 11 rulers on the list.
What separates Swift from those other musicians is that unlike her counterparts, she is still in the middle of her most successful period, while they are either taking a break from music or struggling to reach the heights they once knew.
Out of the three artists Swift is about to match, Maroon 5 has most recently scored a No. 1 on the Pop Airplay chart. The pop band’s last chart-topper was “Memories” in 2019. Since then, many of their singles have underperformed, and their latest offering, a tune titled “Middle Ground,” failed to reach many of the top Billboard rankings, including this one.
Both Rihanna and Perry, two of the biggest pop stars on the planet, may have accumulated a record-setting number of No. 1 hits on the Pop Airplay chart, but neither has reached the summit on the tally in a decade. The two stars last dominated the ranking in 2013, with Perry’s “Roar” and Rihanna’s collaborations with Eminem and Mikky Ekko, namely “The Monster” and “Stay,” respectively, taking turns in the driver’s seat.
Meanwhile, Swift continues to be on a winning streak that shows no signs of slowing down. Her latest No. 1 on the Pop Airplay chart came to her just last year when “Anti-Hero” soared to the summit. Prior to that, she last controlled the radio ranking with “Delicate” in 2018. In addition to promoting “Karma,” Swift is also pushing her years-old tune “Cruel Summer,” which may soon break into the top 10. From there, anything is possible for this unlikely hit.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2023/07/15/taylor-swift-just-tied-an-all-time-billboard-record-can-any-of-her-competitors-keep-up/