Taylor Swift Passes Britney Spears And Lady Gaga In The History Books

Taylor Swift Scores Her Seventh U.K. No. 1 Hit

“I Knew It, I Knew You” is Swift’s seventh No. 1 on the Official Singles chart. It’s only been a few months since she sent “Opalite,” the second promotional cut from her album The Life of a Showgirl, to the top space. As that track soared to No. 1 earlier this year, nearly half of the singer-songwriter’s No. 1s on the Official Singles chart have dominated in less than a year.

In addition to both “I Knew It, I Knew You” and “Opalite,” “The Fate of Ophelia,” which served as the first focus track from The Life of a Showgirl, spent seven weeks ruling the Official Singles tally beginning in October 2025.

Here are all of Taylor Swift’s No. 1s on the Official Singles chart.

• “Anti-Hero”
• “Fortnight” with Post Malone
• “I Knew It, I Knew You”
• “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version)”
• “Look What You Made Me Do”
• “Opalite”
• “The Fate of Ophelia”

Taylor Swift Passes Britney Spears and Drake

As “I Knew It, I Knew You” arrives at No. 1, Swift moves up on the list of solo artists that have collected the greatest number of leaders on the most competitive and most important songs tally in the U.K. Last frame, she was tied with Britney Spears, Drake, Lady Gaga and Rod Stewart, all of whom hold steady with a half dozen smashes.

Thanks to her latest cut, Swift matches six other artists, and they all jointly claim the thirteenth-most rulers among solo acts in U.K. history. Swift is now sitting on the same level as George Michael, Jess Glynne, Michael Jackson, Robbie Williams, Tinie Tempah and David Guetta.

Elvis Presley Remains Far Ahead of Every Other Star

Elvis Presley continues to claim the most No. 1s of all time among solo artists, and he may never be matched. The late, great blues musician and rocker racked up an incredible 21 No. 1s on the Official Singles chart – three times as many as Swift and her colleagues.

Cliff Richard and Ed Sheeran are tied for second place with 14 apiece. Those stars have nabbed twice as many as Swift. Madonna comes next as the most successful solo female act in U.K. history. The Queen of Pop has nabbed a lucky 13 champions.

Here are the solo artists with the most No. 1s on the Official Singles chart.

• 21 – Elvis Presley
• 14 – Cliff Richard, Ed Sheeran
• 13 – Madonna
• 11 – Calvin Harris, Eminem
• 10 – Elton John
• 9 – Rihanna
• 8 – Ariana Grande, Kylie Minogue, Sam Smith, Justin Bieber
• 7 – George Michael, Jess Glynne, Michael Jackson, Robbie Williams, Tinie Tempah, David Guetta, Taylor Swift
• 6 – Britney Spears, Drake, Lady Gaga, Rod Stewart

“I Knew It, I Knew You” Nearly Sweeps the U.K. Charts

This week, “I Knew It, I Knew You” launches on five charts in the U.K., and it nearly manages a clean sweep. The tune arrives in first place on the Official Singles, Official Singles Sales, Official Singles Downloads and Official Physical Singles tallies.

Swift only misses out on conquering the Official Streaming chart, where “I Knew It, I Knew You” begins its time in second place. On that roster, even the latest single from perhaps the biggest musical star on the planet couldn’t unseat “Rein Me In,” the massively popular collaboration by Sam Fender and Olivia Dean, which holds on to the throne for yet another period.

Swift has already racked up five leaders on the streaming chart. “Look What You Made Me Do,” “Anti-Hero,” “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version),” “Fortnight” with Malone and “The Fate of Ophelia” have all reached the summit. Several other cuts, now including “I Knew It, I Knew You,” have stalled in the runner-up slot.

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