Taylor Swift Loses Her Crown: Bad Bunny Takes Over the Charts
In a showdown of musical giants, Taylor Swift has met her match on the Billboard 200 this week. Bad Bunny’s latest album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos, has seized the coveted No. 1 spot, edging out Swift’s Lover (Live From Paris) by the slimmest of margins—just 1,000 units.
A Narrow Victory in a Heated Race
Debí Tirar Más Fotos, the fourth album from the reggaeton superstar to claim the top position, made a thunderous debut with 203,500 album-equivalent units in its first full tracking week. Meanwhile, Swift’s Lover (Live From Paris)—a special reissue of her beloved Lover album—pulled in 202,500 units, driven entirely by album sales. This razor-thin race for No. 1 has left fans of both artists buzzing.
Swift’s release, available exclusively as a vinyl LP and digital download, sparked a frenzy when it hit online stores on January 7. Fans rushed to snag the limited-edition record, causing it to sell out almost immediately. Its debut at No. 1 on the vinyl charts also marked a spectacular leap, as the album had previously been sitting at No. 58 on the Billboard 200.
The Legacy of Lover (Live From Paris)
This isn’t the first time Lover (Live From Paris) has made waves. Following a rare discount in February 2023, original vinyl copies were being resold for over $1,000 on secondary markets. With its return to the top of the charts, the album proves once again that Taylor Swift’s influence transcends time and trends.
Streaming Triumph vs. Vinyl Surge
Bad Bunny’s chart-topping success is largely attributed to the immense streaming power of Debí Tirar Más Fotos, which racked up a staggering 264 million on-demand streams in its debut week. While physical sales of the album accounted for only 8,000 units, its dominance on streaming platforms propelled it to No. 1.
Notably, Debí Tirar Más Fotos became the highest-charting live album on the Billboard 200 in over five years, a feat not seen since Lionel Richie’s Hello From Las Vegas in 2019. For Bad Bunny, this milestone underscores his status as one of the most formidable artists in the music industry today.
A Static Top 10
Outside the fierce battle between Bad Bunny and Taylor Swift, the rest of the Billboard 200’s top 10 remained largely unchanged. SZA’s SOS held steady at No. 3, while Kendrick Lamar’s GNX maintained its No. 4 position. Last week’s chart-topper, Lil Baby’s Wham, slipped to No. 5, followed by Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet at No. 6.
The lower half of the top 10 saw Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft at No. 7, Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time at No. 9, and Gracie Abrams rounding out the chart with The Secret of Us at No. 10.
The Verdict
While Taylor Swift’s Lover (Live From Paris) made an impressive bid for the throne, it’s clear that Bad Bunny is the artist of the moment. His ability to dominate the streaming space, paired with his growing global appeal, has cemented his place as one of the top forces in contemporary music.
Will Swift strike back with another surprise release, or is this Bad Bunny’s time to reign? One thing is certain—this clash of titans is far from over.
