(January 9, 2026) – Here’s something Swifties — and chart geeks — will love.
Taylor Swift has a chance to do something no other artist in recorded music history has accomplished. Not The Beatles. Not Michael Jackson. Not Madonna. Not anyone.
Swift currently holds the inside track to be named Billboard’s Top Artist of the 2020s, combining both singles and albums. Six years into the decade, she has already racked up seven No. 1 singles, including her latest chart-topper, “The Fate of Ophelia,” which this week became her longest-leading No. 1 hit at nine weeks and counting. On the albums side, she’s posted nine No. 1 LPs this decade, including the four blockbuster Taylor’s Version re-recordings.
In short: she leads the 2020s in both No. 1 singles and No. 1 albums — and shows no signs of slowing down.
If Swift maintains this pace through December 2029 and is crowned Billboard’s top artist of the decade, she’ll become the first act ever to win a decade title more than 20 years after launching a chart career. Her first Hot 100 appearance came in September 2006 with “Tim McGraw,” released that June. That anniversary arrives later this year — and the timing couldn’t be more poetic.
Why the Decade Winners Usually Peak Early
History tells us this simply doesn’t happen.
1950s: Elvis Presley ruled the decade — even though Billboard’s modern singles and albums charts weren’t fully established until the latter half of the ’50s. Elvis dominated almost immediately after debuting.
1960s: The Beatles didn’t hit U.S. charts until 1964, yet still scored 18 of their 20 No. 1 singles during that decade alone. Like Elvis, they conquered the same era in which they first arrived.
1970s: The crown largely belongs to Bee Gees, fueled by a late-decade explosion that included eight (of nine total) No. 1s and Saturday Night Fever — though Elton John has a strong counter-argument thanks to his dominant early ’70s run. Either way, both acts began charting barely a decade before the ’70s ended.
1980s: For singles, Billboard in 2013 retroactively named Madonna as the decade’s top artist. For overall impact, Michael Jackson arguably owned the era thanks to Thriller, Off the Wall, and Bad. Still, Madonna debuted on the Hot 100 in 1983 (“Holiday”), and MJ’s solo career began in 1972 — close enough to the ’80s to fit the historical pattern.
1990s: Mariah Carey dominated the decade she debuted in, posting 14 No. 1 singles, four No. 1 albums, and winning Billboard’s official ’90s trophy at the BBMAs in December 1999.
2000s: Eminem became the first artist (and first rapper) officially named in Billboard magazine as the decade’s biggest, launching his chart run in 1999 — just months before the new millennium began.
2010s: Drake edged out Swift thanks to historic Hot 100 volume (now at 360+ entries) and massive streaming-era dominance. Like Eminem, his breakthrough came just before the decade he would ultimately rule.
The pattern is clear: artists usually win the decade they debut in — or one immediately after.
Why Taylor’s Case Is Different
That’s what makes Swift’s current trajectory so remarkable.
She finished second to Drake in the 2010s, then watched Beyoncé earn Billboard’s editorially chosen title of Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century in December 2024. Now, the “Fortnight” singer has owned the 2020s with something to prove — and the numbers to back it up.
The only credible challenger left standing based on chart numbers is country star Morgan Wallen, whose album dominance has been historic. His Dangerous: The Double Album and One Thing at a Time have each spent more weeks in the Top 10 than any non-soundtrack album in history, trailing only the original cast recording of My Fair Lady. But Wallen’s singles résumé still lags behind Swift’s — four Hot 100 No. 1s this decade versus her seven.
Unless that gap closes quickly, the 2020s remain Taylor’s decade to lose.
A Once-in-a-Lifetime Career Curve
If Swift ultimately claims Billboard’s Top Artist of the 2020s, she won’t just add another trophy to an already crowded shelf. She’ll shatter a long-standing industry rule: that artists peak early and decline quietly.
Instead, Swift would become the first act ever to dominate a decade more than 20 years after first entering the charts — achieving her biggest statistical era long after most legends had settled into legacy status.
That kind of endurance is rare. That level of reinvention is rarer. And that combination? Virtually unprecedented.
As the 20th anniversary of “Tim McGraw” approaches, the story comes full circle — from a debut single named after a country star to a country singer-turned-pop icon rewriting chart history yet again.
And if it happens, you can bet DJROBBLOG will be right there, counting down the moments to her inevitable crowning.
DJRob
DJRob (he/him) is a freelance music blogger from the East Coast who covers R&B, hip-hop, disco, pop, rock and country genres – plus lots of music news and current stuff! You can follow him on Bluesky at @djrobblog.bsky.social, X (formerly Twitter) at @djrobblog, on Facebook or on Meta’s Threads.
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