Ranking the Taylor Swift Albums Ahead of ‘The Life of a Showgirl’

Taylor Swift has announced a new album is on the way. ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ will be the 12th Taylor Swift album.

At this stage all we know is the album is coming on 13 October 2025.

So lets review Taylor’s previous 11 album condensed to a Top 10 based in streaming and sales metric:

1. The Tortured Poets Department (2024)
• Most-streamed album globally in 2024 (Spotify Wrapped), with record-breaking weekly streaming—over 1.17 billion streams in its first week.

2. Midnights (2022)
• Been a streaming juggernaut; scored record single-day and single-week streams across Spotify, Apple Music, and more. Its debut week in the U.S. saw over 1.5 million units moved.

3. 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (2023 re-recording)
• Broke Spotify’s single-day stream record in 2023. Sold 2.8 million global copies in 2023 and was the top-selling vinyl of the year.

4. Lover (2019)
• U.S. best-selling album of 2019, with nearly 1.1 million pure sales in its first week. Continues to chart regularly.

5. Folklore (2020)
• Huge streaming success with 2 million units first week and best-selling female album globally in 2020. Broke multiple records on Billboard and streaming platforms.

6. 1989 (2014 original release)
• Taylor’s biggest pure-sales album: over 6.47 million sold in the U.S.; also the best-selling album overall for her.

7. Red / Red (Taylor’s Version)
• The original Red debuted at 1.2 million first-week U.S. sales; the re-recorded version contributed significantly to Swift’s streaming resurgence.

8. Fearless (Taylor’s Version)
• While earlier, it charted strongly; though exact streaming numbers aren’t higher than later albums, its cultural impact is enduring.

9. Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and evermore
• Both have arguably strong fan followings and relevant streaming numbers; however, they rank lower in global popularity metrics compared to the albums above.

10. Taylor Swift (debut) and other early albums
• While foundational, they’re the least streamed among her catalog now and thus rank lower by current popularity metrics.
Swifties tend to gravitate to these albums:

1989

Often celebrated by fans as Taylor’s definitive pop opus, 1989 is praised for its cohesiveness, infectious songwriting, and bold reinvention from country to mainstream pop. One fan noted it as:

“a pop masterpiece… the most cohesive album she’s ever put out… Taylor really steps into her own.”,
Critically, 1989 is repeatedly ranked as one of her best albums ever, including by NME and The Guardian, who saw it as a turning point in pop culture.

Red

Beloved especially for its emotional depth, Red is frequently described as a career-defining work. Songs like All Too Wellare referred to as “lyrical masterpieces,” cementing its legacy among fans.

Folklore & Evermore

These sister albums, born out of the pandemic era, resonated deeply through their poetic introspection and indie-folk aesthetics. Fans and critics alike often hail Folklore as her best, noting how it expanded her storytelling scope beyond autobiographical roots.

The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD)

While still a recent release, TTPD is rapidly seen as a vital, deeply personal chapter in Swift’s discography. One year after its release, it’s appreciated for its candid emotional narrative and bold structural scope:

“TTPD… a striking and unique body of work … the songwriting pulls the curtain back on her most intrusive thoughts.”
Moreover, fans prize the album’s immersive “Swiftverse” storytelling—its many lyrical callbacks and meta-references weave a rich, interconnected universe.

Watch the Noise11 interview with Taylor Swift:

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Tagged as: 00s, country, pop, Taylor Swift, The Life of a Showgirl, USA