With the holiday rush in Billboard’s rearview, it came as no surprise that Taylor Swift‘s longtime Hot 100 champion – ‘The Fate of Ophelia‘ – returned to the tally’s perch this week.
And while the feat was accompanied with news of a personal milestone for Swift as ‘Ophelia’ now marks her longest-reigning #1 hit to date, its reclamation of the top spot also quietly pushed the Pop diva into Billboard history books.
‘Ophelia,’ the first single from Taylor’s history-making last album ‘Life of a Showgirl,’ is the current champion of the Hot 100 and – more importantly – is the first chart-topper of 2026.
By claiming the title, the Max Martin-produced bop marks Swift’s 11th non-consecutive career year of having a #1 smash on the hitlist.
In fact, Taylor – since the first time she landed on the Hot 100’s pole position with 2012’s ‘We Are Never Getting Back Together‘ – has occupied the top spot at least one time in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026.
The only other artists who can boast a 10-year run of toppers over the all-genre chart’s 67-year history are Beyonce, King of Pop Michael Jackson, Queen of Pop Madonna, and Paul McCartney.
With her 11-year milestone, Swift joins Mariah Carey as the only artists to have amassed more than 10 years of chart-topping under their belts.
Thanks to her perennial hit ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You,’ Carey reigns as the overall chart-champion with a whopping 22 distinct years of seeing her name printed at #1 on the Hot 100 (1990-2000, 2005-06, 2008, 2019-26).
[photo sources: Getty Images / PAPER Magazine]


FLOP
Exactly
Most successful female artist in music History
1. Taylor
2. Beyonce
3. Madonna
4. Rihanna
5. Mariah
6. Celine
7. Whitney
8. Janet
9. Adele
10. Gaga
11. Shakira
12. Britney
13. Ariana
14. Katy
15. Barbra Streisand
16. Diana ross
17. Pink
18. Nicki
19. Cardi
20. Alicia Keys