How Do We Look at Taylor Swift’s Second-Week Numbers for ‘The Life of a Showgirl’?

Last week was all about the history: In its debut frame, Taylor Swift‘s The Life of a Showgirl album set single-week records for most units moved (4.002 million) and most copies sold (3.478 million) — while also notching all 12 of its tracks in the top 12 of the Billboard Hot 100, led by first single “The Fate of Ophelia.”

This week? Showgirl is still showing out, holding atop the Billboard 200 and claiming 12 of the top 14 spots on the Hot 100. But the counting numbers are a little more modest now — 338,000 units for the album in week two, a significant drop from week one (albeit still one of the top five weeks for any album so far in 2025).

What do we make of those first-week numbers? And what would we advise Taylor to do for the rest of 2025 if we were on her team? Billboard staffers answer these questions and more below.

1. Taylor Swift holds atop the Billboard 200 with 338,000 second-week units moved by her The Life of a Showgirl album. Is that Week Two number lower, higher or about what you would have expected?

Katie Atkinson: Where I would have expected. That would have been an exceptional week 1 number for almost every non-Taylor artist, so while you could focus on the album’s precipitous drop from the 4 million-plus mark, it’s just as easy to frame it as an impressive stand-alone week outside the context of her history-making debut. The higher you climb, the harder… you know the rest.

Stephen Daw: It’s slightly lower than I would have expected. A big drop-off was guaranteed — when you break through the ceiling of first-week sales like Showgirl did, there is nowhere to go but down — but this one is slightly steeper than I would have anticipated. In its second week, Tortured Poets moved roughly 100,000 more units that Showgirl has here, which may have more to do with Swift front-loading the number of album variants on offer for this LP’s rollout than anything else. But either way, this album having the fifth-biggest week of any album in 2025 in its second week is still an accomplishment that only Taylor Swift could achieve in 2025.

Kyle Denis: Much lower, considering this is her lowest second-week units total since 2020’s Evermore (not counting re-recordings). Given the plethora of available formats, constant buzz and conversation and a lead single that didn’t immediately tumble from the top, I thought 350,000 would be the absolute lowest Showgirl pulled in its second week. 

Joe Lynch: Between “about what I expected” and “higher.” Much to-do was made of Swift hitting that insane four-million mark thanks to variant versions, so I was genuinely curious what week two would look like. In 2025, 338,000 units is a first-week home run — in fact, it’s the fifth biggest week of the year so far — so it’s an incredible showing for week two.

Andrew Unterberger: Definitely lower, but it makes sense. Swift was clearly pulling out all the stops for that first-week number to be as high as it could possibly be — and she certainly got one higher than I believed was possible. Meanwhile, she knows week-two numbers aren’t nearly as much of a topic of conversation, and (correctly) figured that the streaming numbers would be massive enough to keep her instilled atop the Billboard 200 for some time to come regardless.

2. In addition to still rating atop the Billboard 200, Swift also reigns for a second week on the Hot 100 with “The Fate of Ophelia,” while still commanding 12 of the top 14 spots on the chart. On a scale from 1-10, how impressive do you consider that second-week chart dominance?

Katie Atkinson: 10. Commanding eight of the top 10 in the second week of an album is certainly unprecedented. The most interesting part about this week two lineup is seeing how the songs shuffled around a bit. We still have the same four highest tracks (“Ophelia,” “Opalite,” “Elizabeth Taylor” and “Father Figure”), but then “Wi$h Li$t” slots in front of “Wood,” the title track leapfrogs “Actually Romantic,” and “Eldest Daughter” swaps with “Cancelled!” Since it’s not a “listening to the track list in order” situation, we can get a better idea of what songs are settling in as repeat Swiftie favorites.

Stephen Daw: 9.5. This, to me, is the vastly more impressive feat that Showgirl has accomplished this week. Tortured Poets managed to hold onto the No. 1 spot and the lowest-ranking slots on the Hot 100 in its second week, even with massive sales numbers. While the songs off Showgirl might not have too much competition for the top 10 the way Poets did — it was up against newer, year-defining hits like “A Bar Song” and “Espresso” — the fact that Taylor has managed to keep a grip on eight of the top 10 spots is a massive deal, and one that no other artist today could accomplish. 

Kyle Denis: 8. The first time Taylor clogged the Hot 100’s top 10 (Midnights), she only claimed four of those spots by the second week. When she did it again with Tortured Poets, she held onto just three of those spots the following week. Maintaining nearly the entire top 10 — barring the summer-dominating hits “Golden” and “Ordinary” — with an album that was arguably received even worse than her last two is definitely impressive. 

Joe Lynch: 10. Keeping this much of the Hot 100’s top slots on lock for the second week is unheard of, literally—this is the first time an artist occupied 12 of the Hot 100’s top 14 spots in the second week of their album’s release. Prior to Showgirl’s drop day, I listened to many people ask incredulously, “How much bigger can she actually get?” We might not have the final answer to that question for a while, but for now, it’s clear Swift is still rising.

Andrew Unterberger: 9. It shows that not only did she claim all 12 of the top 12 spots last week, she grabbed them by the throat — by enough of a margin that her numbers could fall dramatically (as they inevitably did in the set’s second week) and still maintain a chokehold on the chart’s top tier. Staggering stuff.

3. Beyond “Ophelia,” does there seem like an obvious second hit off the album to you? Or does the way the album was released discourage any additional hits from breaking out from the larger album?

Katie Atkinson: This one has to go to “Opalite.” Once again using my kids as my own in-house focus group, my third-grader says this is the one his teacher is playing in class when they get to listen to songs on Fun Friday and that all the girls in his class have created a dance to it. I don’t think we need further proof that this is next in line for the radio/TikTok push.

Stephen Daw: While I would normally say that the rollout strategy means more hits are unlikely from this album, I can’t help but look at past Taylor songs like “Cruel Summer” — or even Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” from last year — and think that another massive hit is certainly possible. Just by the numbers on both streaming services and the charts, it seems like fans are signaling their interest in “Opalite” as the follow-up single, which makes sense to me — it’s bubbly, light and fits within the broader landscape of the pop space right now. 

Kyle Denis: Right now, I’m leaning towards “Opalite” and “Wood” being Showgirl’s follow-up hits. Regardless, any post-“Ophelia” hit will probably need an attention-grabbing remix and music video to truly get off the ground. 

Joe Lynch: “Opalite”! Perfect pop song, begging to be released as a single (and I’m sure it will be). The Sabrina Carpenter-featuring title track certainly seems primed for the single treatment — particularly with a clever, Easter egg-stuffed music video — but my money is on “Opalite,” a sturdy song constructed for repeat listens and the radio, as the next single.

Andrew Unterberger: It’s “Opalite.” If you came to Showgirl for pop bangers — as millions and millions undoubtedly did — this is the breezy brain-sticker for you, for sure. Even with the title.

4. If you were on Taylor Swift’s team, what would you recommend she do in the next couple months to extend the lifespan of Showgirl? Or do you think she’d be better off retreating back to the shadows a little and not continuing to push it with the album?

Katie Atkinson: Retreating to the shadows? No thank you! Taylor doesn’t need to continue her media tour or anything, but I’m looking forward to seeing some of the visuals from The Release Party of a Showgirl theatrical release online or in some other venue and I’m very much hoping we get a strong second single (if not two), à la “Karma” from Midnights or “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” from Tortured Poets. I’m definitely not done with this album cycle, and I’m guessing I’m not alone.

Stephen Daw: Neither Taylor nor her team need my advice. They very clearly understand that the greatest asset Taylor has working for her is the simple fact that she is the most famous person on the planet. Sure, I’ve seen plenty of Taylor-related fatigue creeping its way into the internet discourse around this project, and lots of people (including me) would prefer that Taylor take a beat before rolling out more new content, especially around this album. But the simple fact is that as long as Taylor is able and willing to keep promoting this project, her fans are clearly in the market to keep buying what she is selling. From a purely financial point of view, there is no incentive whatsoever for her to take her foot off the gas. 

Kyle Denis: I don’t think she needs to do too much. Showgirl is pretty much guaranteed to stick around the top of the charts through the holiday season. I would spend the next few weeks letting “Ophelia” (and “Opalite,” to a lesser extent) do its thing on radio, enjoy the holidays with my fiancé, and enjoy 2025-26 awards season and the Super Bowl before launching a new single (preferably with a buzzy remix/video, maybe “Actually Romantic?”) around March.  

Joe Lynch: I think it’s probably smart to pull back a bit while still making headlines every fortnight or so via a major podcast or TV appearance or music video. She put the pedal to the metal to get to 4.002 million: you don’t want to go from 100mph to slamming on the brakes, but you’re wise to ease up on the gas pedal after demolishing the finish line.

Andrew Unterberger: I think it’d be a good call for Taylor to do a couple lower-stakes performances showcasing some of the album’s less-buzzy tracks. Maybe an SNL appearance doing acoustic versions of “Ruin the Friendship” and the Showgirl title track (with recent double-duty-puller Sabrina Carpenter in tow, natch)? She’s talked about the songs plenty at this point, it’d be nice to give those songs a spotlight moment to speak for themselves a little.

5. The Tortured Poets Department reigned for 17 total weeks — do you think Life of a Showgirl’s rule will ultimately be longer or shorter than that?

Katie Atkinson: I don’t see it hitting that astronomical number – not with the holiday music season upon us. But I wouldn’t be surprised by 10ish weeks in the top spot. Anything is possible with Taylor Swift.

Stephen Daw: I think it won’t reign as long. While the album probably has most (if not all) of 2025 locked up at No. 1, part of what helped Tortured Poets achieve its massive streak was the late year release of the album’s Anthology edition in physical copies. Taylor could pull a similar stunt and release a deluxe edition of the album with new songs, but she previously said she does not intend to do that. Based on the sheer volume of variants we have already seen from this album, I tend to doubt there are even more coming. 

Kyle Denis: Shorter. I think KPop Demon Hunters will give Taylor a run for her money as holiday shopping gets under way… especially post-Halloween. There are also the very real possibilities of a massive surprise album dropping out of the sky, or the Wicked: For Good soundtrack avenging its predecessor and topping the Billboard 200. And who knows? Maybe Drake really does drop Iceman this year. 

Joe Lynch: Shorter. That album had so many more tracks, which fueled The Tortured Poets Department’s chart enjambment. I’m sure Showgirl will dance atop the Billboard 200 again, but it seems unlikely it will enjoy a longer life at No. 1.

Andrew Unterberger: Longer. As I said last week, I’m done betting the under with Taylor Swift.