Taylor Swift Makes Big Debut, Stops ‘Despacito’ From Breaking Mariah Carey’s Record
Mariah Carey fans, your hero has come along: Taylor Swift has stopped the massive "Despacito" from snatching a Billboard record away from Mariah Carey, who's carried the distinction for more than 20 years.
Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men, whose “One Sweet Day” spent 16 weeks reigning over the Billboard Hot 100 between 1995 and 1996, found themselves at risk of losing the title last week, when Luis Fonsi's seemingly unstoppable "Despacito" tied the record. Then, Taylor Swift entered the arena, and just a week after the debut of her new "Look What You Made Me Do," Swift has effectively blocked Fonsi from taking Mimi's title, as the song has claimed Billboard's top spot.
According to Billboard, "LWWMMD," which dropped on August 24, catapulted from No. 77 to No. 1 on the Hot 100 following its first full week of data tracking. Thanks to record-breaking streams (it racked up 84.4 million in the week ending August 31), "LWWMMD" is only the most-streamed song in a single week this year ("Despacito" earned 69.6 million at its best in June), but it's the best performance ever for a female artist. Adele's "Hello," the next best thing, earned 61.6 million streams upon its debut in November 2015.
Swift's also earned the distinction of the most-downloaded track in a single week in 2017, having moved 353,000 units. Ed Sheeran's 240,000-download "Shape of You" in January is second best.
A Look Back at Taylor Swift's Massive Squad: