Taylor Swift has reclaimed the top position on the Billboard 200 album chart with the release of an expanded edition of “The Life of a Showgirl.” Titled “The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore,” the deluxe version features four additional tracks and marks the pop star’s first return to the number one spot since January 2026.
This latest ascent extends the album’s total reign at the summit to 13 weeks, giving Swift a seventh consecutive year with a thirteen-week leader. During its tracking week ending September 25, the new edition accumulated 173,000 equivalent album units. Because physical copies of the expanded set have not yet been released, most of these figures come from streaming the four bonus songs, alongside digital downloads.
According to data from Billboard and Luminate, sales contributed 21,000 units to the total. Streaming accounted for the remainder, generating 136,000 SEA (Stream Equivalent Albums) units, which translates to approximately 138.79 million on-demand official streams.
The promotional push for the album also included the world premiere of the music video for the new single, “Patient Zero.” The high-profile clip, which stars Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell, debuted last Sunday night during the MTV Video Music Awards. Swift is expected to secure the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart when that ranking is published later this week.
Swift’s current position places her second in her catalog for the most weeks spent at number one. Her record-holder remains “The Tortured Poets Department,” which spent 17 weeks atop the chart. Albums “1989” and “Fearless” are tied for third with 11 weeks each.
The previous leader, Miley Cyrus with “Bass Persuades,” fell out of the top ten this week. The full rankings beyond the top ten were not immediately disclosed, as Billboard typically releases the top ten on Sundays and follows up with the complete top 200 in the subsequent days.
In other chart movements, Tinashe entered at number six with her album “Popstar,” earning 35,500 units. Kenny Chesney followed closely at number seven with “Silver Sands Marina,” moving 35,000 units. Chesney’s performance benefits significantly from his single “Carry On,” which recently secured his 34th number one hit at country radio, breaking his own record for the most chart-toppers in that genre.
The remainder of the top ten includes Olivia Rodrigo at number two with 67,000 units for “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl in Love,” Ella Langley at number three, Morgan Wallen at number four, Noah Kahan at number five, and Olivia Dean at number eight. Noah Kahan also holds the number nine spot with his earlier release “Stick Season,” making him the only artist currently with two albums in the top ten. Drake rounds out the top ten at number ten.
Noah Kahan with two albums in the top ten is the real plot twist here. Who would’ve guessed?
Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell in the music video? Okay, I have to admit, that sounds like a cool casting choice.
It’s impressive, sure, but isn’t this just about re-recording and adding bonus tracks? Where’s the innovation?
Wait, did Miley Cyrus actually lose the top spot? That came out of nowhere!
Thirteen weeks at number one is absolutely insane. Taylor’s dominance shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.