Did Taylor Swift Block Charli xcx From Having A #1 Album?

Charli xcx recently released her sixth album, brat, on June 7. Fans are accusing Taylor Swift of purposely releasing new versions of her The Tortured Poets Department to block xcx from having a #1 album in the United Kingdom.

According to Forbes, both Charli xcx and Bon Jovi were previously in the lead to the race to #1. Since Swift released the UK-exclusive variation on Thursday (June 13) afternoon, she has retained being #1 in the UK charts for the eighth week in a row, the UK Official Charts announced Friday.

One person wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "Taylor swift trying to block charli xcx like this isnt her first time at the flop rodeo." Another user said, "I like some of Taylor Swift’s music but releasing a UK-exclusive version of her 2-month old album to prevent Charli xcx from having a #1 album for even one week is very bizarre behavior." Added a third, "Genuinely have no interest in Charli xcx and even I’m quite taken aback by Taylor Swift blatantly blocking her from number 1. Like come on, there’s gotta be stricter rules set around this." Another person bashed, "this is a deliberate attempt to block brat. why is taylor swift threatened by charli xcx you annoying greedy bitch ily but you are on top of the world let charli have her moment her album is worlds better than yours."

Charli’s brat and Bon Jovi’s Forever are currently second and third on the chart, but a few days prior, both artists were battling out for the top spot. Swift's UK edition features live recordings and acoustic versions of songs, which were only available for sale until 11:59 p.m. Thursday evening, which is the end of the chart tracking week.

As we reported, brat was highly rated by critics and fans alike. Metacritic rated brat a 92 on their site, calling it a “genius” album for a multitude of reasons: it’s literary and musically complex yet effortless, and it is “perfectly suited for when you need to cry at the club."

Additionally, folks speculate that Charli's new song "Sympathy is a Knife" is a shade toward Swift. The lyrics seem to point to Swift’s brief romance with 1975 frontman Matty Healy. Charli sings, “Don’t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend’s show. Fingers crossed behind my back, I hope they break up.” The singer is engaged to the band’s drummer, George Daniel. She adds in the lyrics that she “couldn’t even be her if I tried.”

Swift has previously caused fans to question if her motives were petty when she released additional versions of TTPD on the day of Billie Eilish's release of HIT ME HARD AND SOFT. As we reported, folks online called her "greedy," "nasty," and a "fraud."

Meanwhile, footage of Swift dancing at her latest concert stop in Dublin had folks making fun of her ruthlessly online. Wrote one user, "Seen strippers in the club on a Sunday dinnertime with better moves." Added another, "Fish flopping on the bank of a pond." A third said, "Honestly Taylor Swift need to work on her dancing skills or probably shouldn’t dance and let her backup do the dancing because this is such a disappointment." Another person stated: "every clip i see of taylor swift dancing is always funnier and more cringe than the last."

It's that time of year: summer playlists are being curated for 2024, and we have the best recommendations. Pop artists have been releasing albums and singles all year, so there is plenty to choose from.

In March, Ariana Grande released her seventh studio album, eternal sunshine, which includes fun songs using samples of popular late '90s R&B tracks. "true story" features instrumentation heavily influenced by the metal bass and iconic late '90s bounce in pop and R&B music. "the boy is mine" features a sample using R&B singers Brandy and Monica's 1998 hit song of the same name. The two make a cameo appearance as news anchors reporting on the rat crisis in Grande's playful music video.

Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department came out in April, with loyal Swifties patiently waiting for the double album to drop. The singer-songwriter's 31-song album features guest appearances from Post Malone and Florence + The Machine. Her album, unsurprisingly, was met with high praise by fans.

Then, in May, Dua Lipa released her third studio album with the '70s-inspired psychedelia Radical Optimism. The pop superstar already released singles "Houdini" and "Training Season" ahead of the release, and the rest of the record features more summer staples.

A few weeks later, Billie Eilish released her highly-anticipated third studio album HIT ME HARD AND SOFT. The instrumentation of the album is different from what fans are used to, with the addition of synthesizers. Prior to the album’s release, Eilish announced to her fans that she was “not doing singles i wanna give it to you all at once.”

That same day, actress-turned-pop star Kate Hudson debuted her first studio album with Glorious.

By the time June hit, both Meghan Trainor and Charlie xcx released studio albums on the same day with Timeless and brat, respectively. Trainor's sixth studio album features T-Pain on the track "Been Like This," and the two shared their mutual adoration for each other prior to the song's release. Charlie's album was highly rated by critics and fans alike and filled with summer hits.

Meanwhile, pop artist Sabrina Carpenter announced her sixth studio album, Short n’ Sweet, to be released on August 23rd. Lorde teased that her fourth album is coming soon with a cryptic spit post.

Following the major success of Carpenter's "Espresso" earlier this year, the pop star dropped another song perfect for the summer with "Please Please Please." The music video is [inlink id="relationship-with-barry-keoghan-please" text="even more of a summer vibe"], with Carpenter warning her beau, Barry Keoghan to not make an embarrassment out of her. The playful song features the iconic lines, "Heartbreak is one thing, my ego’s another. I beg you, don’t embarrass me, motherf—er."

The English singer-songwriter's latest album, brat, is a [inlink id="charli-xcx-brat-review-ratings" text="summer vibe in and of itself"]. However, if we had to pick just one for our summer playlist, it would be the album's closing track, "365." Charlie kicks off the album with a track called "360," so we love how she goes full-circle in ending the record with "365." The track is truly a club banger for hardcore partiers, with lyrics alluding to doing hard drugs, as well as bumping fire tracks. The lyrics include lines: "No, I'll never go home. Don't sleep, don't eat, just do it on repeat. Keep bumping that."

For those who are emo, but still want to have a chill summer track to add to their playlist, this track off of Billie's HIT ME HARD AND SOFT ticks off all those boxes. As soon as you hear the lines, "Open up the door, can you open up the door?" you can't help but sing and dance along with the funky bass and keyboards. The track is layered with Billie's voice echoing, as well as the use of a synthesizer and glockenspiel, making it one of those songs we constantly play on repeat.

This Tommy Richman track is about to take over airwaves all summer long. "Million Dollar Baby" hits every time, with Richman's falsetto voice proclaiming, "I ain't never rep a set, baby, I ain't do no wrong. I could clean up good for you, oh, I know right from wrong. 'Cause I wanna make it so badly, I'm a million dollar baby." Just released in April, the funk-tastic track infuses R&B with synths and a bouncy bass line, making it a perfect feel-good song for all ages to enjoy.

Trainor's latest album, Timeless, features her generic-sounding doo-wop/bubble-gum pop sound, but "To The Moon" is a completely different vibe. As the album's opening track, "To The Moon" kicks off with a violin and gives major Amy Winehouse vibes. Trainor sings in a sultry voice, "The girl of your dreams... Baby, that's me. I'm out of this world, no gravity." When the chorus comes in, the beat amps up into a trap beat, which gets you dancing.

Though "Houdini" is our favorite track off the pop icon's Radical Optimism album, "Illusion" has summer written all over it. The song's lyrics, "Ooh, what you doin'? Don't know who you think that you're confusin'. I be like, "Ooh, it's amusin', you think I'm gonna fall for an illusion," includes both a reference to her "Houdini" theme as well as the illusions you see in a desert, like a mirage. The music video completely embodies the type of summer we all wish to have, chilling at a pool with a bunch of hotties surrounding us.

Beyoncé's genre-blending track from her country-pop album features this super-fun track for the summer! Immediately when the song starts, you are hooked to join in on the ad-libs after Bey sings, "This ain't Texas (woo), ain't no hold 'em (hey!). So lay your cards down, down, down, down." You best believe we try to remember the square-dancing moves we learned in elementary school to give "TEXAS HOLD 'EM" the country flair it deserves.