The female solo artists with the most Number 1 albums this millennium in Ireland

Taylor Swift is officially the female solo artist with the most Number 1 albums this millennium.

Six of Taylor's last seven albums Red (2012), 1989 (2014), Reputation (2017), Lover (2019), Folklore (2020) and Fearless (Taylor's Version) (2021) have all topped the Official Irish Albums Chart and, impressively, they all ruled the Top 50 within the last ten years.

And looking further back to the turn of the century, just 10 women have scored three or more chart toppers on the Official Irish Albums Chart, but who are they?

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For Taylor to have the record all to herself, she surpassed Madonna and Beyoncé, who each have claimed four Number 1s in the last twenty years, when Folklore hit the top spot.

Madonna's chart-toppers since 2000 are Music (2000), Hard Candy (2008), Celebration (2009) and MDNA (2012), while Beyoncé was Number 1 with Dangerously In Love (2003), I Am... Sasha Fierce (2009), 4 (2011) and Lemonade (2016). Lemonade scored four separate stints at Number 1 in 2016 and was the biggest album released that year by a female artist.

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Ariana Grande has also since claimed four Number 1s, notching them up in just over four years between Dangerous Woman (2016), Sweetener (2018), Thank U, Next (2019) and Positions (2020).

Imelda May holds the distinction with being the only Irish woman in the Top 10 with Love Tattoo (2009), Mayhem (2010), Tribal (2014) and 11 Past The Hour (2021) - the former three albums were the biggest of their respective years by an Irish solo artist.

The female artist to score a trio Number 1 albums since 2000 first was Avril Lavigne, who had managed it in four years with her albums Let Go (2003), Under My Skin (2004) and The Best Damn Thing (2007). Rihanna took the throne with Good Girl Gone Bad (2007), Loud (2010) and Unapologetic (2012).

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Britney Spears' My Prerogative: Greatest Hits (2004), Blackout (2007) and Glory (2016) only topped the charts in five, two and three countries respectively, but Ireland was among them on each occasion. 

The most recent ladies to claim a treble are P!nk with Missundaztood (2003), Beautiful Trauma (2017) and Hurts 2B Human (2019) and Lady Gaga with The Fame (2009), Born This Way (2011) and Chromatica (2020).

The female solo artists with the most Number 1 albums in Ireland since 2000

©2021 IRMA/Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.

*excluding A Star Is Born, a Number 1 credited to 'Motion Picture Cast Recording', a soundtrack featuring songs by Lady Gaga, but also solo tracks from Bradley Cooper, and spoken interludes from other cast members.

© IRMA