Taylor Swift’s reign as one of music’s most unstoppable forces just hit another milestone. With the release of her 12th studio album The Life of a Showgirl, the Grammy-winning superstar has officially moved into sixth place on the Recording Industry Association of America’s list of the most certified album units in U.S. history. That means she has now surpassed Michael Jackson, a legend long considered untouchable in the record books.
Taylor Swift breaks records while kicking off her boldest new chapter yet
According to the RIAA, Swift’s U.S. album sales now stand at 105 million certified units. Jackson, who previously held the sixth spot with 90 million, now sits at number seven. The top five remains an exclusive club, led by The Beatles with 183 million, followed by Garth Brooks at 162 million, Elvis Presley at 146 million, the Eagles at 120 million, and Led Zeppelin at 112 million. With Swift closing the gap quickly, her ascent shows no signs of slowing.
Top 10 artists with the most RIAA-certified album sales (U.S.):
- The Beatles: 183M
- Garth Brooks: 162M
- Elvis Presley: 146M
- Eagles: 120M
- Led Zeppelin: 112M
- Taylor Swift: 105M
- Michael Jackson: 90M
- Billy Joel: 89M
- AC/DC: 84M
- Elton John: 81M
The timing could not be more fitting. The Life of a Showgirl, Swift’s first new album since the juggernaut success of Midnights and her ongoing Eras Tour, marks the beginning of a fresh creative chapter. Fans have been buzzing for weeks about the project, and now that it has officially dropped, it is poised to dominate the charts and further cement her place in history. Swift’s ability to craft entire cultural moments around her albums has kept her not only relevant but consistently groundbreaking nearly two decades into her career.
What makes this achievement particularly impressive is the competition. Swift is the only contemporary artist to appear in the RIAA’s top 10 list, surrounded by titans of classic rock, country, and pop. While she may have once seemed like the underdog among these all-time greats, she has now firmly joined their ranks. And given her relentless pace of recording, touring, and reinventing, it is not out of the question that she could continue climbing toward the very top.
For Swifties, this is more than just another accolade. It’s a reminder that their idol is rewriting music history in real time, one album at a time. With The Life of a Showgirl ushering in yet another era, Taylor Swift’s story is far from finished. If anything, she is just getting started.
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