Taylor Swift Makes Pop Radio History With Her New No. 1
Taylor Swift claims another No. 1 on a Billboard chart this week with "Anti-Hero," the lead single from her recent album Midnights.
Taylor Swift claims yet another No. 1 on a Billboard chart this week, and as is so often the case whenever she rises to the top of a ranking, the singer-songwriter makes history.
“Anti-Hero,” the lead single from Swift’s recent blockbuster album Midnights, rises to No. 1 on this week’s Pop Airplay chart.
The list ranks the songs that reach the largest audience at Top 40/pop radio across the U.S. every week. This time around, “Anti-Hero” trades places with Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy,” with the latter descending to second place after ruling for a short time period.
Swift nabs her milestone 10th No. 1 on the Pop Airplay chart this week with “Anti-Hero.” With one more champion now included in her discography, the singer advances once more on the all-time ranking of the best-performing musicians.
The Grammy winner is now tied with Justin Bieber for the third-most leaders ever on the Pop Airplay chart. Before “Anti-Hero” ascended to the summit, Swift was on the same level as both Pink and Bruno Mars, with nine rulers apiece. Now, she only needs one more champion to tie Katy Perry, Maroon 5, and Rihanna for the most rulers ever.
Billboard notes that Swift is the first woman to chart a No. 1 single on the Pop Airplay ranking in each of the past three decades. She earned her first No. 1 at pop radio in 2008 with her single “Love Story.”
Throughout the 2010s, she tacked on eight more leaders. “Anti-Hero” is her first dominator of this decade, though it’s highly likely it won’t be her last. The only other musical act to achieve such an impressive feat is Maroon 5.
In addition to ranking as one of the artists with the most No. 1 hits in Pop Airplay history, Swift is also understandably one of the best-performing names in many other regards on the chart.
“Anti-Hero” became Swift’s nineteenth top 10 on the ranking not too long ago, and she is currently tied with both Pink and Ariana Grande for the fourth-most placements in the important region, while Rihanna leads the pack with 30.
Looking at the entire chart, Swift is on the same page as Drake, and the two claim the fifth-most entries, as both artists have managed 38 appearances throughout their careers. Once again, Rihanna rules them all, with 51 appearances anywhere on the chart.
Just as “Anti-Hero” finally reaches the summit, the woman behind the smash is already aiming for another big hit. Fellow Midnights single “Lavender Haze” is also present on the 40-position chart this week.
The tune, selected as the second official cut from the album, climbs to a new high point of No. 16 this time around. In just a few weeks, it’s entirely possible that “Lavender Haze” will break into the top 10, at which point Swift will make history yet again.
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