<p id=”par-1_58″>Taylor Swift broke sales records with the release of <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/taylor-swifts-new-album-fans-searching-clarification-travis-kelce.html/”>her 12th studio album</a>, <em>The Life of a Showgirl</em>. The singer shattered a record <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/taylor-swift-broke-adele-record-dozens-exclusive-releases-versions-25-adele-release.html/”>previously held by Adele</a> after selling 4 million records in the first week. While Swift’s latest album continued to hold its spot at No. 1, sales dropped steeply in the second week since its release.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-taylor-swift-s-sales-have-dropped-in-the-second-week-after-her-album-release”>Taylor Swift’s sales have dropped in the second week after her album release</h2>
<p id=”par-2_49″>Despite being deeply divisive amongst critics <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/taylor-swift-fans-say-big-fail-wanted-showgirl.html/”>and fans alike</a>, Swift’s latest album sold an astonishing 4.002 million units in the first week since its Oct. 3 release. Unsurprisingly, the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200. Every song on the album charted on the Hot 100. </p>
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<p id=”par-3_78″><em>The Life of a Showgirl</em> maintained its position at the top of the charts in the second week since its debut. Her sales for the album dropped precipitously, though. In the second week since its release, <em>The Life of a Showgirl</em> sold 338,000 units. This is a 92% drop from the week prior. While this is a significant drop, only Morgan Wallen (493,000), the Weeknd (490,000), and Sabrina Carpenter (366,000) had first-week figures higher than this (per <a href=”https://variety.com/2025/music/news/taylor-swift-stays-number-1-week-2-billboard-album-chart-1236556554/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Variety</a>).</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-taylor-swift-thanked-fans-for-her-record-breaking-sales”>Taylor Swift thanked fans for her record-breaking sales</h2>
<p id=”par-4_16″>After a very successful album release, Swift reflected on the <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/who-made-during-first-year-careers-travis-kelce-taylor-swift.html/”>first time she dropped a record</a>.</p>
<p id=”par-5_74″>“I’ll never forget how excited I was in 2006 when my first album sold 40,000 copies in its first week,” Swift wrote on Instagram. “I was 16 and couldn’t even fathom that that many people would care enough about my music to invest their time and energy into it. Since then I’ve tried to meet and thank as many people as I could who have given me the chance to chase this insane dream.”</p>
<p id=”par-6_22″>She thanked her fans and collaborators for their support over the years and emphasized the pride she takes in her latest album.</p>
<p id=”par-7_51″>“Here we are all these years later and a hundred times that many people showed up for me this week,” she wrote. “I have 4 million thank you’s I want to send to the fans, and 4 million reasons to feel even more proud of this album than I already was.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-she-addressed-the-mixed-reactions-to-the-life-of-a-showgirl”>She addressed the mixed reactions to ‘The Life of a Showgirl’</h2>
<p id=”par-8_51″>After a record-breaking release, Swift has many reasons to celebrate. One slight snag might come in the album’s reviews. While some critics and fans have praised <em>The Life of a Showgirl</em>, a number of others have met it with reactions that are tepid at best. She said this <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/taylor-swift-said-welcomes-chaos-mixed-reactions-album.html/”>doesn’t bother her</a>.</p>
<p id=”par-9_45″>“If it’s the first week of my album release and you are saying either my name or my album title, you’re helping,” she said on Apple Music’s <a href=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUZ9T-hstUI” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”><em>The Zane Lowe Show</em></a>. “And art, I have a lot of respect for people’s subjective opinions on art.”</p>
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<p id=”par-10_15″>She welcomes people to share their opinions on her album, even if they aren’t flattering.</p>
<p id=”par-11_30″>“I’m not the art police,” she said. “It’s like everybody is allowed to feel exactly how they want. And what our goal is as entertainers is to be a mirror.”</p>