taylor swift
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Taylor Swift is no stranger to topping the music charts, but how about the book charts? A new kid’s book about the singer hit No. 1 on Amazon’s bestselling books category and No. 8 on the tally of nonfiction releases.
Taylor Swift: A Little Golden Biography, released Tuesday (May 2), follows Swift’s journey from aspiring recording artists to certified superstar. The picture book was written by Wendy Loggia and illustrated by Elisa Chavarri.
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According to the description, the book was written to “help your little one dream big,” plus it makes a fun activity for Swifities who have kids (also a cute Mother’s Day gift for Swiftie moms with younger kids).
“One of Taylor’s biggest strengths is storytelling – her songs tell stories that many people can relate to,” reads an excerpt from the book. “Taylor wrote all the songs on her third album, Speak Now. Listening to a Taylor Swift album is like hearing a diary being sung out loud!”
Taylor Swift: A Little Golden Book Biography
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Despite being written for children, older Swifties (with and without kids) can also enjoy the book’s inspirational story, adorable illustrations, and nods to Swift’s loyal fan base.
“Taylor also loves sharing things with her fans,” reads another passage from the book. “They know that her lucky number is thirteen. She often hides clues and symbols in her music and videos. For a few of her albums, she surprised special groups of fans by inviting them to secret parties to listen to the album before anyone else. They got to hang out at her house, meet her family – and even bake cookies together!”
Taylor Swift: A Little Golden Biography is part of the Little Golden biography series, which features kid’s books on other stars like Willie Nelson, Beyoncé, Dolly Parton, The Beetles, Tony Bennett, and Bruce Springstein.
As for Swift, the “Anti-Hero” singer is currently on the North American leg of her Eras Tour, which heads into Nashville on Friday, May 5.
Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time clocks an eighth consecutive and total week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated May 6). The set earned 149,000 equivalent album units in the week ending April 27 (down 10%) in the United States, according to Luminate. The album opened at No. 1 on the chart dated March 18 and has yet to cede the summit.
The last album to notch eight consecutive weeks at No. 1 was the Encanto soundtrack. It logged eight weeks in a row, of its total nine nonconsecutive frames at No. 1, between the Jan. 29-March 19, 2022-dated charts. Meanwhile, the last album to spend its first eight weeks at No. 1, like One Thing at a Time, was Wallen’s last release, Dangerous: The Double Album, which spent its first 10 weeks at No. 1 (its total run atop the list), from the Jan. 23-March 27, 2021-dated charts.
Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, Agust D (an alias of BTS’ Suga), Taylor Swift and YoungBoy Never Broke Again all arrive with new releases.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new May 6, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on May 2. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Of One Thing at a Time’s 166,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending April 20, SEA units comprise 151,000 (down 5%, equaling 201.71 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 36 songs), album sales comprise 12,000 (up 102% following the release of a new vinyl edition of the set) and TEA units comprise 3,000 (up 7%).
If One Thing at a Time can spend 10 weeks at No. 1 – matching Dangerous’ No. 1 run – Wallen will become the only act with at least two country albums to have spent 10 or more weeks at No. 1. (Country albums are those that have charted on, or are eligible for, Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.)
Further, if One Thing at a Time nets a 10th week at No. 1, Wallen would become only the third solo male artist overall to have at least two albums spend 10 or more weeks at No. 1 each, since the Billboard 200 began publishing on a regular, weekly basis in March of 1956. He would join Elvis Presley and Henry Mancini. The former did it four times (his self-titled album [10 weeks in 1956] and the soundtracks for Loving You [10, 1957], G.I. Blues [10, 1960-61] and Blue Hawaii [20, 1961-62]) and the latter did so twice (the soundtracks The Music From Peter Gunn [10, 1959] and Breakfast at Tiffany’s [12, 1962]).
Suga’s solo debut studio effort D-Day, under the alias Agust D, debuts at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, with 140,000 equivalent album units earned. It’s the first top 10 for the artist, thus making him the third member of BTS to score a solo top 10 on the Billboard 200. Earlier this year, Jimin also bowed at No. 2 with his solo debut, FACE (April 8-dated chart), while in December, RM peaked at No. 3 with Indigo (Dec. 31). BTS itself has clocked seven top 10s, of which six hit No. 1.
Of D-Day’s 140,000 units, album sales comprise 122,000 (it’s the top-selling album of the week and claims the fourth-largest sales week of 2023), SEA units comprise 12,500 (equaling 17.9 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks) and TEA units comprise 5,500.
Like many K-pop releases, the CD edition of D-Day was issued in collectible CD packages (seven total, including exclusives for Target, Walmart and the Weverse webstore) each containing a standard set of items and randomized elements (in this case, photo cards). It was also available as a standard digital download album, as well as three alternative cover digital download variants that were sold exclusively through the artist’s official webstore. Of D-Day’s first-week sales, 90% were CDs, while the remaining 10% were digital album downloads. The set was not available in any other retail format (such as vinyl or cassette).
Taylor Swift makes a splash in the top 10 of the Billboard 200, as her buzzy new Record Store Day-exclusive vinyl release Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions launches at No. 3 with 75,000 equivalent album units earned – all from sales of its vinyl LP. (It’s the single-largest sales week for an album on vinyl in 2023.)
The live acoustic album, which was previously available only as bonus tracks on a deluxe digital and streaming edition of her Folklore studio album (released in 2020), was issued on vinyl LP (its first physical release of any kind) for Record Store Day (April 22) at participating independent record stores. It was previously announced that Long Pond’s production run for Record Store Day would be 75,000 copies in the United States, and the set sold out instantly. (It’s typical for many albums and singles to garner unique and limited edition runs exclusively for the annual independent record store day celebration.)
Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions is the companion album to the Disney+ documentary film of the same name, released in November 2020 about the making of the Folklore album.
Typically, high-profile Record Store Day-exclusive titles might have a production run of 10,000 to 20,000 in the United States. For Record Store Day 2022, there were 10 titles that had pressings ranging from 10,000 to 18,000, but nothing larger. For Record Store Day 2023, Swift’s Long Pond title had by far the largest production run of any RSD title. Pearl Jam’s live concert album Give Way had the second-biggest production run, with 15,500 vinyl LPs pressed.
Swift is no stranger to Record Store Day festivities, as she was the Global Ambassador for Record Store Day in 2022 and has released titles exclusively for Record Store Day in previous years.
Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions marks Swift’s 14th top 10-charting album on the Billboard 200.
Plus, with the Long Pond debut, Swift has three albums in the top 10 concurrently for the first time, as former No. 1s Midnights and Lover are Nos. 4 and 10, respectively. The last act to have at least three albums in the top 10 at the same time was Prince in 2016, following his death. That year, there were two weeks when Prince placed at least three weeks in the top 10: the chart dated May 14 (with five titles at Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7) and the May 7 chart (three titles at Nos. 1, 2 and 6). Before Prince, Led Zeppelin had three albums in the top 10 on the June 21, 2014-dated chart, when reissues of its self-titled album, Led Zeppelin II and Led Zeppelin III re-entered the chart at Nos. 7, 9 and 10, respectively, following the release of expanded deluxe editions of the albums.
Swift’s Midnights is a non-mover at No. 4 on the new Billboard 200 with 62,000 equivalent album units earned (though up 3% in activity).
YoungBoy Never Broke Again notches his 14th top 10-charting album on the Billboard 200 (and second of 2023) as his 33-track Don’t Try This at Home bows at No. 5 with 60,000 equivalent album units earned. Streaming activity powers the bulk of the album’s debut, as SEA units comprise 59,000 of that sum (equaling 87.71 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks). Album sales comprise 1,000 units while TEA units comprise a negligible sum.
SZA’s former No. 1 SOS falls 3-6 on the Billboard 200 with 59,000 equivalent album units earned (down 10%), while Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album drops 5-7 with 48,000 (down 2%). Luke Combs’ Gettin’ Old falls 6-8 with 39,000 units (down 9%), Metro Boomin’s former leader Heroes & Villains dips 7-9 with 37,000 units (down less than 1%) and Swift’s Lover descends 9-10 with 36,000 units (though up 8%).
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
It seems Taylor Swift is no longer in that “Lavender Haze.”
Eagle-eyed Swifties noticed something unusual on the superstar’s Instagram account this week: the explanation video for her Midnights opener “Lavender Haze” no longer appears on her page. The track is famously about the star’s relationship with Joe Alwyn, and the deleted clip follows news that the couple has split after six years of dating.
“I happened upon the phrase ‘lavender haze’ when I was watching Mad Men,” she explained in her “Midnights Mayhem With Me” video posted to Instagram back in October. “I looked it up because I thought it sounded cool, and it turns out that it’s a common phrase used in the ’50s where they would describe being in love.”
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“I guess theoretically, when you’re in the lavender haze, you’ll do anything to stay there and not let people bring you down off of that cloud,” she continued. “I think a lot of people have to deal with this now, not just ‘public figures,’ because we live in the era of social media. If the world finds out that you’re in love with somebody, they’re going to weigh in on it.”
“Like, my relationship for six years, we’ve had to dodge weird rumors, tabloid stuff — and we just ignore it,” she added. “This song is sort of about the act of ignoring that stuff to protect the real stuff.”
The music video, which arrived in January, featured subtle references to Alwyn, including a “Mastermind” vinyl cover with Sagittarius and Pisces constellations, which are Swift and Alwyn’s zodiac signs, respectively.
It’s been four years since Taylor Swift laid her eyes on and fell in love with a sweet, blue-eyed kitten on the set of her “ME!” music video in 2019, and Taylor Nation took to Instagram to celebrate four years of Benjamin Button.
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“And then there were #fouryearsofBenji!” the official account wrote on Thursday (April 26) alongside a series of photos in which the 12-time Grammy winning superstar is seen cuddling with the fluffy feline.
“He’s a good boy,” the account wrote in another post, and soon enough, the hashtag #fouryearsofBenji began trending on Twitter.
In a clip titled “ME! Behind The Scenes: The Story of Benjamin Button,” shared following the release of her colorful music video starring Panic At The Disco’s Brendon Urie, Swift took fans into the process of meeting and subsequently adopting her third cat.
“Hi honey, you’re beautiful,” she coos in the clip, holding a baby Benji. An exchange is then had with the kitty’s handler, and Swift asks if she can have him — and the rest is history. “Whenever I watch the video, I’ll be like, ‘That’s the first time I saw him,’” Swift later says to Urie.
Of course, the Swifties flooded Twitter with celebratory messages in honor of Benjamin Button’s big day. See below.
Was Benji an Easteregg?
KARMA IS A CAT 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔@taylornation13 #fouryearsofBenji
— Jorge Metlife/NJ- N1 (@jo0rgesandoval_) April 26, 2023
You’ll never find another one like Benjamin 🫶🏻🫶🏻#fouryearsofBenji! @taylornation13 pic.twitter.com/xqkpBfqIUC
— Emily (taylors verison)🌙🌧️✨☔️ (@EmilyisABeee) April 26, 2023
Not to be dramatic but I would die for Benji #fouryearsofbenji
— MAStermind (@samisntokay) April 26, 2023
he said the way my blue eyes shined #fouryearsofbenji @taylornation13 pic.twitter.com/6YQnywBli8
— clelia SAW NIALL (@obsessedwvinyl) April 26, 2023
Benji Button is simply put ✨GORGEOUS✨ #FourYearsOfBenji
— em (taylor’s version) ☁️ (@moonlightemi) April 26, 2023
Karma takes Benji to the summit 😻 #fouryearsofBenji pic.twitter.com/sDU4tUre0d
— Sammie (@samanthtweets) April 26, 2023
The man accused of killing 20-year-old Taylor Swift fan Jacob Lewis in a hit-and-run accident as he left the Houston Eras Tour stop last Friday will be charged with felony murder, a prosecutor in the case says.
According to KHOU-11, Lewis and his sister April Bancroft were driving back home from the concert at NRG Stadium when they had car trouble. Lewis started pushing the vehicle to the shoulder when he was struck by a suspected drunk driver — identified by police as 34-year-old Alan Hayes — who fled the scene. A tow-truck driver witnessed the incident and led police to Hayes, who was later arrested.
Hayes is currently being held in jail on $120,000 bond for DWI and failure to stop and render aid. Prosecutor Kelly Marshall told the outlet that Hayes has two prior DWI convictions and was arrested in Montgomery County on drug charges just a few days before the accident.
Meanwhile, Lewis’ sister has expressed gratitude toward Swift fans, who have extended kindness to her and her family in light of her brother’s death. A GoFundMe in Lewis’ name has raised more than $120,000 with the help of $13 donations from Swifties; the family will use the money for funeral costs and a scholarship in Lewis’ name.
“I cannot express the overwhelming happiness and gratitude from every #Swiftie out there,” Bancroft tweeted Sunday. “Thank you thank you thank you. I will get to your messages eventually if I haven’t already, your words have inspired me through my day so much.”
Looks like Liam Payne is a Swiftie!
The former One Direction star went up against Love Island alum Tommy Fury in a Soccer Aid game featuring Payne humming a song and Fury having to guess what it is. The charitable soccer organization shared a clip from the game on Twitter, in which the “Strip That Down” singer is seen humming along to Taylor Swift‘s Red hit, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.”
Fury guesses the track almost immediately, playfully admitting, “I shouldn’t know these songs.”
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Payne then replied, “We’re getting a little secret look into you playlist, aren’t we?” After it was posted, the crooner retweeted the video, adding a hand heart emoji.
The pair are set to face off on the pitch at Soccer Aid 2023 on June 11. The UNICEF event advertises itself as “the world’s biggest charity football match,” and raises money for children in need.
In other Payne news, the singer supported his One Direction bandmate Louis Tomlinson last month at the premiere of the latter’s new documentary All of Those Voices.
“Seeing the world through your eyes last night was the most beautiful thing to experience,” he captioned an Instagram post from the event. “My neck hurts from how much Im looking up to you right now you were already my friend and brother but getting to look through that window into your world and mind I just extends that respect I have for you.”
20-year-old Jacob Lewis was killed by a suspected drunk driver on Friday night (April 21) after leaving the Taylor Swift concert in Houston, Texas, with his sister April Bancroft.
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According to KHOU-11, the two young fans were driving home from the show when they had car trouble on the freeway. Lewis began pushing the car and was struck and immediately killed by 34-year-old Alan Bryant, who fled the scene. Thankfully, a tow truck driver that saw what happened followed Bryant and he was eventually arrested by police.
Jacob’s father, Steve Lewis, shared the devastating news on his Facebook page over the weekend, noting that Bancroft survived, and suffered “only minor bruises and scrapes.”
Steve also shared photos of Jacob and gave insight into his passion-filled life, which included enjoying theater, dance, music and playing video games. “It was Jacob’s love of Pokémon that introduced this family to the Pokémon Trading Card Game, and he would qualify for the Pokémon World Championships 3 times. Jacob competed against players from all over the world in Vancouver in 2013, Boston in 2015, and San Francisco in 2016,” Steve wrote.
“Jacob will be remembered as a loving and faithful young man who was loyal to his family and friends,” he concluded his heartbreaking message. “His last act was to push his sister to safety on a dark street. There is no way to describe the magnitude of this loss and the emptiness left in our hearts.”
See Steve’s post here.
Lately she’s been dressing for revenge! Taylor Swift stepped out in New York City this week with some of her OG 2015 girl squad members, looking stunning in a sleek black mini dress, loafers and her classic red lip.
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Walking alongside her were pals Gigi Hadid, Blake Lively and the HAIM sisters. See the photo via a fan Instagram account here. The outing comes following reports that the 33-year-old superstar and actor Joe Alwyn have broken up after six years of dating.
According to ET, a source said the breakup was amicable and “was not dramatic.”
“The relationship had just run its course. It’s why [Alwyn] hasn’t been spotted at any shows,” the source told the publication earlier this month. The couple has yet to publicly reveal the status of their relationship.
Swift seems to be leaning on friends amid the split, as she also went out for dinner on Wednesday night (April 19) with Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds at Casa Cipriani in downtown Manhattan. A week prior, she was photographed dining with her longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff and his fiancée Margaret Qualley at Via Carota restaurant.
The 12-time Grammy winner is also staying busy with her massive The Eras stadium tour, which is set to take over Houston’s NRG Stadium — temporarily renamed NRG Stadium (Taylor’s Version) — for three nights this weekend before taking the week off and heads over to Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium next weekend.
Frank Ocean was scheduled to take the stage for the headlining slot at Coachella but will reportedly be replaced by Blink-182. Actress Emma Laird posted a photo featuring Joe Alwyn and the Swifties are not happy. Camila Cabello seemingly references her time with Shawn Mendes at Coachella this past weekend on an upcoming track teased on Instagram and more!
“Willow” and “Cardigan” are two of Taylor Swift’s most beloved tracks on Evermore and Folklore, respectively. But what if they didn’t make it into her discography?
That was almost the case, according to the superstar’s frequent musical collaborators The National. In a new interview with The Telegraph published on Thursday (April 20), the band’s Aaron Dessner and Matt Berninger revealed that the two songs were originally intended to be for The National.
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“I’d taken a swing at [‘Cardigan’] and ‘Willow’ and a couple of others, and I wasn’t having a lot of luck, so Aaron sent them to Taylor,” Berninger recalled. “I always have a lot of music to work on, and I am looking for something to connect emotionally. The reverse has happened, too, where Aaron wrote something for Taylor, and I dove right in. It works both ways.”
The National is gearing up to release their ninth studio album, First Two Pages of Frankenstein on April 28, and previously revealed that Swift will be featured on the track “The Alcott.” The group previously collaborated with Swift on Evermore‘s “Coney Island.”
“We’re all big fans of Taylor, and she’s been really generous with us, inviting us to be part of ‘Coney Island,’” Aaron’s brother Bryce Dessner previously shared in an Apple Music interview. “And obviously my brother’s worked with her a lot, and I’ve done a bunch of orchestration for her albums.”
He continued, “‘The Alcott’ is a song that she co-wrote with Matt [Berninger], where she co-wrote the lyrics. It’s really amazing to hear her, the way she was able to take what Matt had done and then reinvent the song, and it’s really a special song.”