Talk of a massive sales run on Taylor Swift’s new album is not the stuff of urban legend.
“Folklore,” the eighth studio LP from the 10-time Grammy Award winner, sold an astounding 1.3 million units in its first day of release, noted Republic Records.
Even more stunning, “Folklore” was streamed on Spotify 80.6 million times in the initial 24-hour period — a record for a female artist, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The album dropped at midnight on Thursday as did the video for her new single “Cardigan.”
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Swifties were floored to learn that the 30-year-old songbird had been working on the secretive project, which early on has received rave reviews.
Following the release of “Folklore,” Swift turned to Twitter to explain her motivation for its creation.
“In isolation my imagination has run wild and this album is the result,” Swift tweeted on Friday. “I’ve told these stories to the best of my ability with all the love, wonder and whimsy they deserve. Now it’s up to you to pass them down.”
The blockbusters sales put “Folklore” on pace to be the top album debut of 2020.
Currently, that record holder is “Legends Never Die,” the posthumous release by Juice WRLD that sold 517,800 U.S. units during its first week of release.
As of Saturday, the percentage of the 1.3 million “Folklore” sales in the U.S. was unknown. A precise total is expected by Monday.