Taylor Swift’s re-recorded version of her third studio album Speak Now is outselling the rest of the top 10 combined, the Official Charts Company said.
The release, which includes six unheard songs “from the vault”, marks the next stage of the US megastar’s ambitious re-record of her entire back catalogue to regain control of her master recordings.
Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) sold 48,000 chart units over the weekend and would mark her 10th number one album, as well as extend her lead as the female solo artist with the second most number one albums in UK chart history – second only to Madonna, the Official Charts said.
We've had the time of our lives breaking records with you 💜 @taylorswift13 pic.twitter.com/wTujVZK7Ro
— Spotify (@Spotify) July 8, 2023
It comes as music streaming platform Spotify also revealed the musician had broken records with the re-released album.
Its official Twitter account said: “On July 7 2023, Taylor Swift’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) became Spotify’s most-streamed album in a single day in 2023 and the most-streamed country album in a single day in Spotify history.”
Meanwhile, the first batch of tickets for Swift’s 2024 UK tour went on sale, with thousands attempting to secure their seats.
Fans who pre-ordered the US pop star’s latest album Midnights from Swift’s official store were given early access, with tickets for London and Edinburgh on sale from Monday morning.
Thousands of people are said to have joined the queue online, with some using social media to complain about technical problems while attempting to snap up tickets.
🚨 ATTENTION: @taylorswift13 FANS 🚨 If you're trying to access a presale please only use one device at a time. Close down all browsers/tabs, clear cookies & ensure you are following the correct presale link sent via email. For further info head here >> https://t.co/6JsUOlOY50
— ticketmasteruk (@TicketmasterUK) July 10, 2023
The official UK Ticketmaster Twitter account said: “ATTENTION: @taylorswift13 FANS. If you’re trying to access a presale please only use one device at a time.
“Close down all browsers/tabs, clear cookies and ensure you are following the correct presale link sent via email.”
Ahead of the sale, the ticket site issued advice on how to avoid disappointment, telling fans a ticket link will be emailed with a unique code if they’re selected, but tickets are “first-come first-served while supplies last”.
Announcing the release on Twitter on Friday, Swift recalled “obsessing” over the tracklist for the album, which was first released in 2010 through Big Machine Records.
She said: “It’s here. It’s yours, it’s mine, it’s ours. It’s an album I wrote alone about the whims, fantasies, heartaches, dramas and tragedies I lived out as a young woman between 18 and 20.
“I remember making tracklist after tracklist, obsessing over the right way to tell the story. I had to be ruthless with my choices, and I left behind some songs I am still unfailingly proud of now.
“For life, for you, for the fact that I get to reclaim my work. Thank you a million times, for the memories that break our fall. Speak Now (MY VERSION!) is out now.”
It’s here. It’s yours, it’s mine, it’s ours. It’s an album I wrote alone about the whims, fantasies, heartaches, dramas and tragedies I lived out as a young woman between 18 and 20. I remember making tracklist after tracklist, obsessing over the right way to tell the story. I had… pic.twitter.com/I2cLH76EIH
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) July 7, 2023
The remake saw Swift change the lyrics in song Better Than Revenge that had garnered controversy in the years since the original recording came out in 2010 as being unprogressive towards women’s sexuality.
Original lyric “She’s better known for the things that she does on the mattress” has been rewritten to “He was a moth to the flame, she was holding the matches”.
The half a dozen previously unheard tracks also feature Fall Out Boy and Paramore singer Hayley Williams.
Swift first embarked on the re-recording of her first six albums after the master recordings were acquired by the prominent talent manager Scooter Braun when he bought her former label, much to her fury.
The masters have since changed hands again after a deal with investment firm Shamrock Capital, but Swift has continued with a bid to regain ownership of the music by creating new versions of the songs.
Swift signed with Universal Music in 2018 in a deal believed to give her control of her master recordings.
She has already recorded new versions of her previous albums Fearless and Red.
She still has to release new versions of her 2006 self-titled debut album, 2014’s 1989 and 2017’s Reputation, although it is thought the work on 1989 has already been done.