Sri Lanka, April 27 -- Taylor Swift topped the British music charts on Friday with "The Tortured Poets Department", outselling the rest of the top ten combined and beating the Beatles for the record of fastest artist to rack up 12 UK number one albums.

"Poets" delivered the biggest opening week for an album in the UK in seven years, and means Swift ties Madonna for female artist with the most UK no. 1 albums in Official Albums Chart history.

"No other artist has notched up 12 no. 1 albums in such a short space of time. Taylor Swift has done it in 11 years and 6 months," the Official Charts Company said. "This surpasses The Beatles, who managed the feat in 14 years and 1 month."

Swift's first single from the album "Fortnight", a collabo...