Taylor Swift becomes the female artist with the most Irish Number 1 albums this millennium

Plus Taylor scores the three highest new entries on this week's Official Irish Singles Chart.

Congratulations to Taylor Swift is officially the female solo artist with the most Official Irish Albums Chart Number 1s of the millennium.

Taylor’s surprise-released eighth studio album Folklore debuts at Number 1 this week, scoring the biggest opening week of 2020 so far. Outperforming the rest of the Top 5 combined, Folklore joins Red (2012), 1989 (2014), Reputation (2017) and Lover (2019) as chart-topping albums for Taylor in Ireland.

Folklore makes Taylor the first female solo artist to have five Number 1 albums since 2000 in Ireland, eclipsing Madonna and Beyoncé who have each ruled the Official Irish Albums Chart with four albums in the same timeframe.

MORE: Ireland's Official Top 50 biggest albums of 2020 so far

Two of Taylor Swift’s previous albums Lover and 1989 are also in this week’s Top 50 at Numbers 23 and 46 respectively.

Over on the Official Irish Singles Chart, Taylor takes out three spots in the Top 10 with the week’s three highest new entries: Exile ft. Bon Iver (3), album trailer single Cardigan (4) and The 1 (7). The trio of tracks take Taylor’s career Top 10 tally to 15.

Official Irish Albums Chart

Mick Flannery secures his fifth Top 5 album with live record Alive – Cork Opera House 2019 at Number 3, this week’s best-seller on physical formats. At the tail-end of the Top 10, Australian rapper The Kid Laroi enters at Number 10 with his debut album F**k Love.

US rapper Logic is at 18 with his final album No Pressure, while Boyzone frontman Ronan Keating collects his 10^th Top 50 album in his home country with Twenty Twenty at 22.

MORE: Ireland's Official Top 50 biggest vinyl albums of 2020 so far

Fiona Apple’s album Fetch The Bolt Cutters returns to the Top 50 following its physical release at 50 – it peaked at 23 following its digital release in April.

Finally, One Direction’s albums climb significantly following the group’s 10^th anniversary. Second LP Take Me Home is back in the Top 10 (9), and other collections from Niall, Harry, Louis and Liam in this week’s Top 50 are: Made in the A.M. (12); Midnight Memories (14); Four (17) and Up All Night (36).

See the full Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50

Official Irish Singles Chart

Joel Corry & MNEK hold at Number 1 on the Official Irish Singles Chart for a second week with Head & Heart, holding off Jawsh 685 & Jason Derulo’s Savage Love at Number 2 and the trio of Taylor Swift entries. The dance track picks up 2020’s biggest week of combined sales yet in the process.

UK drill rapper Headie One climbs 10 places to 13 with his Drake-assisted Only You Freestyle, while UK producer Nathan Dawe claims his second Irish Top 50 hit with Lighter at 17; the track features British YouTuber and rapper KSI who topped the Official Irish Albums Chart in May with his debut solo album Dissimulation.

MORE: Ireland's Official Top 50 biggest songs of 2020 so far

Little Mix scoop their 27^th Top 50 hit with new single Holiday at Number 27, ahead of Canadian singer Tate McRae who makes her Official Irish Singles Chart debut at Number 30 with You Broke Me First, which gained traction on, you guessed it, TikTok.

J Cole picks up two new entries with Lion King On Ice (45) and The Climb Back (50), and finally, Swedish singer Nea steps foot on the Irish Charts for the first time with Some Say (47) which interpolates Eiffel 65’s Blue (Da Ba Dee).