Taylor Swift’s new album has broken a host of streaming records.
The 30-year-old singer’s ‘Folklore’ was released at short notice on Thursday (16.07.20) but that hasn’t stopped the album from entering the record books.
‘Folklore’ sold over 1.3 million copies around the world within the first 24 hours of its release. The album also broke records on Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music.
‘Folklore’ has created a new record for first-day album streams on Spotify by a female artist, having prompted 80.6 million streams.
Similarly, the record has also become the most-streamed album on Apple Music in 24 hours, achieving 35.47 million streams in a single day.
‘Folklore’ has created a new benchmark on Amazon Music, too, setting an indie/alternative streaming record in the US and worldwide.
The Grammy-award winning singer wrote and recorded her eighth studio album entirely during quarantine.
“In isolation, my imagination has run wild and this album is the result. I’ve told these stories to the best of my ability with all the love, wonder, and whimsy they deserve, wrote Swift on social media announcing the album.
The 13th song, “Epiphany,” follows the emotional themes of the rest of the surprise album, but fans think there’s a nod to the essential healthcare workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic.
The second verse of the song appears to dive into the trauma that has been brought on by the pandemic for healthcare workers.
“Something med school did not cover / Someone’s daughter, someone’s mother / Holds your hand through plastic now,” Swift sings. “Doc, I think she’s crashing out / And some things you just can’t speak about.”
In the chorus of the song, Swift laments, “With you I serve, with you I fall down, down / Watch you breathe in, watch you breathing out, out.”
Meanwhile, Taylor recently revealed she didn’t even tell her friends she was making ‘folklore’.
Aaron Dessner who worked with Taylor on her new album even kept it a secret from his daughter.