Taylor Swift has done it again. The pop superstar’s new single “I Knew It, I Knew You”, written for the Toy Story 5 soundtrack, has debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking her 15th career leader on the chart. With this achievement, Taylor Swift surpasses Drake and Rihanna, who each have 14 No. 1 hits, making her the artist with the most Hot 100 chart-toppers this century.
The country-tinged track, inspired by the film’s cowgirl heroine Jessie, now places Swift third on the all-time list behind only The Beatles (20) and Mariah Carey (19). The accomplishment caps a remarkable 14-year run that began with her first No. 1, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” in 2012.
Swift’s record-breaking milestone arrived with a song that connects to one of the world’s most beloved animated franchises. She wrote “I Knew It, I Knew You” after attending an early screening of Toy Story 5 and surprised fans with a live piano performance at the film’s Los Angeles premiere just last week.
The track joins an elite list of Swift songs that have debuted at No. 1, including “Shake It Off,” “Blank Space,” “Anti-Hero,” and “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone. This marks her 11th song to enter the chart at the summit, extending her record for the most No. 1 debuts among women.
Swift’s 15 No. 1 hits represent a complete evolution of pop music over the past decade. From her country-pop crossover era through her folk-inspired albums and synth-pop reinventions, she has consistently dominated the Hot 100 with songs that define generations. The new single also holds the distinction of being only the third animated Disney film theme to top the chart, following “A Whole New World” from Aladdin (1993) and “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from Encanto (2022).
With 15 No. 1 hits and counting, Taylor Swift’s trajectory shows no signs of slowing down. She now stands as the definitive chart performer of the 21st century, having already been crowned Billboard’s Top Artist of the Century based on her unprecedented run of successes. As she continues to add to her catalog, the question is no longer whether she’ll break more records, but how many she’ll leave behind.
