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]