It was a tough race for a UK No. 1 album this week. According to the Official Charts, Brat by Charli XCX was predicted to beat Forever by Bon Jovi for the best-selling album. However, in a twist of events, Taylor Swift came out on top with The Tortured Poets Department after she dropped even more versions of her album on Thursday. Due to the last-minute release, fans have accused Swift of blocking Charli XCX so she could remain No. 1 instead.
Just hours before the chart refreshed, Swift released UK-exlusive editions of her latest record. Since they would only be available temporarily, fans scrambled to buy the new versions before they left her shop. The move proved to be a smart one for Swift since it helped The Tortured Poets Department rank at No. 1 yet again.
This means Swift has officially remained No. 1 in the UK for six non-consecutive weeks. The achievement now makes The Tortured Poets Department Swift’s longest-running No. 1 album in the UK.
While Swifties are celebrating, Charli XCX fans are upset since they feel the British singer should have been No. 1. One person called Swift “greedy” for dropping new versions of her album at the last minute, which resulted in Charli XCX’s Brat debuting at No. 2.
Another person said they “adore Taylor,” but think Charli XCX “deserved” the No. 1.
Brat is Charli XCX’s sixth studio album. Since it released on June 7, the project has been praised by music critics everywhere. It currently holds a Metacritic score of 95, making it the highest-rated album of 2024 so far. Meanwhile, The Tortured Poets Department received an overall rating of 76 since its release on April 19.
