A fierce competition has erupted between popular music artists Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish, with both vying to claim the top spot on next week’s Billboard album chart. Swift, 34, has held the number one position on the Billboard 200 for the past four weeks with her latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” amassing over 3.6 million equivalent album sales. However, Eilish’s new album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” is poised to challenge Swift for the top position, particularly due to its popularity on streaming platforms like Spotify.
The Rivalry Heats-up!
This rivalry, fueled by the passionate support of their respective fan bases, can be traced back to March when Eilish criticized major artists for selling multiple vinyl versions of the same album, labeling it as “wasteful” and environmentally harmful. While Swift has extensively used this tactic, Eilish clarified that she did not single out any specific artist and acknowledged her participation in the practice, but tensions remained.
Last week, Swift responded by releasing three special digital editions of “Tortured Poets,” featuring previously unheard demos, a move seen by many as an attempt to undermine Eilish’s album launch. Eilish countered by releasing a new digital edition of her album with isolated vocal tracks. Such strategies are common in the music industry as a means to boost sales and streams during close chart battles.
The competition further escalated, with Swift releasing a remix of her hit “Fortnight” on Tuesday, followed by Eilish’s remix of “L’Amour De Ma Vie” on Wednesday. On the final day of Billboard’s tracking week, Eilish released limited editions of her songs at different speeds and discounted “Hit Me Hard and Soft” on iTunes to $4.99, while Swift’s album remained priced at $14.99. Swift’s “Fortnight” remix was priced at 69 cents.
Awaiting The Final Count
In a final push on Thursday evening, Swift released three more digital versions of “Tortured Poets,” each featuring a new live track from her recent Eras Tour in Paris, available for one day only. Midweek predictions gave Swift a slight edge with an estimated 350,000 equivalent units to Eilish’s 300,000, according to Hits magazine. The final tally will be revealed next week, with Billboard predicting a close race. Representatives for both artists declined to comment, as unaffiliated fan groups were called upon to support one side or the other.
