Noah Kahan’s The Great Divide Reigns Supreme on Billboard 200 for a Third Consecutive Week

Noah Kahan’s The Great Divide has cemented its dominance on the Billboard 200 chart, securing a third consecutive week at the pinnacle for the week dated May 23. This remarkable achievement marks a significant milestone, as it is the first rock album to hold the No. 1 position for three weeks in over a decade. The last rock album to achieve such sustained chart success was Mumford & Sons’ Babel, which, albeit non-consecutively, spent five weeks at No. 1 between 2012 and 2013. For solo rock artists, the last to achieve a similar feat was Jack Johnson with Sleep Through the Static in 2008, which also spent three weeks atop the chart. The definition of a "rock album" for charting purposes includes releases that are eligible for or have previously appeared on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums chart, ensuring a consistent classification for these genre-specific metrics.

In the tracking week ending May 14, The Great Divide accumulated 132,000 equivalent album units in the United States, representing a 19% decrease from the previous week. This continued strong performance underscores Kahan’s growing influence and the enduring appeal of his music. The album’s enduring success is a testament to its broad appeal, resonating with a wide demographic of listeners who appreciate its genre-bending sound and introspective lyrical content. The album’s sustained popularity highlights a potential resurgence or continued robust presence of rock-infused music within the mainstream consumption landscape.

New Entrants and Notable Debuts

The latest Billboard 200 rankings also showcase significant debuts, with CORTIS making a powerful entrance into the top 10. Their album GREENGREEN bows at an impressive No. 3, marking the group’s first-ever top 10 placement on the prestigious chart. This debut signifies a breakthrough moment for CORTIS, indicating a substantial increase in their listenership and commercial traction.

Adding to the dynamic top 10 is Chris Brown, whose latest studio effort, BROWN, lands at No. 7. This marks Brown’s 13th appearance in the top 10 of the Billboard 200, a consistent demonstration of his enduring presence and popularity in the music industry. Brown’s ability to consistently chart within the upper echelons of the album rankings over his career speaks to his dedicated fanbase and his continued relevance in contemporary music.

Understanding the Billboard 200 Methodology

The Billboard 200 chart serves as the definitive measure of the most popular albums in the United States, calculated based on multi-metric consumption. This consumption is quantified through equivalent album units, a comprehensive metric compiled by Luminate, an independent data provider. These units are derived from a combination of traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEAs), and streaming equivalent albums (SEAs). One equivalent album unit is equivalent to one album sale, or the sale of ten individual tracks from an album, or 2,500 ad-supported on-demand official audio and video streams, or 1,000 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated from songs within an album. The latest chart, dated May 23, 2026, was scheduled to be fully published on Billboard’s official website on May 19, offering a comprehensive overview of the week’s most consumed albums. For ongoing updates and news regarding chart performance, Billboard encourages followers to engage with their official X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram accounts, @billboard and @billboardcharts.

Deconstructing The Great Divide‘s Performance

Delving deeper into the 132,000 equivalent album units earned by Noah Kahan’s The Great Divide, streaming equivalent album (SEA) units constitute the largest portion, accounting for 109,000 units. This figure represents a 20% decrease from the prior week and translates to approximately 111.46 million on-demand official streams of the album’s tracks. This strong streaming performance also propels The Great Divide to a third consecutive week at No. 1 on the Top Streaming Albums chart, highlighting the album’s immense digital popularity. Album sales contributed 22,000 units, a decrease of 85%, while the album held its position at No. 2 on the Top Album Sales chart. Track equivalent album (TEA) units comprised the remainder, showing a notable increase of 18%. This breakdown illustrates a consumption pattern heavily weighted towards streaming, a common trend in contemporary music consumption, while still maintaining a significant physical and digital sales presence.

Other Top Contenders and Notable Performances

Ella Langley’s Dandelion, which previously held the top spot, remains steady at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, garnering 100,000 equivalent album units, a 3% decrease from the previous week.

CORTIS’s GREENGREEN not only secured a top 10 debut at No. 3 but also achieved a remarkable sales figure of 81,500 units, marking their best sales week to date and propelling them to No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart. The album’s total of 87,000 equivalent album units is a career-high for the group. Streaming equivalent album (SEA) units for GREENGREEN accounted for 5,500 units, equating to 5.91 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs. The group’s marketing strategy, which included over 20 physical variants on CD and vinyl, some featuring randomized collectible items like photocards and stickers, likely contributed significantly to their strong album sales performance, appealing to dedicated fan collectors. Prior to this breakthrough, CORTIS had previously charted one album, COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES, which peaked at No. 15 last year, indicating a steady upward trajectory for the group. Their first Pop Airplay hit, "REDRED," also achieved a new peak of No. 30 on the latest chart, further solidifying their growing presence in the mainstream music scene.

Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem maintains its strong position at No. 4, with 85,000 equivalent album units earned, a slight increase of 2% from the previous week.

The enduring legacy of Michael Jackson continues to be felt on the charts, with two of his classic albums occupying the No. 5 and No. 6 positions. Thriller, a former No. 1, holds steady at No. 5 with 66,000 equivalent album units (up 6%), while Number Ones remains at No. 6 with just over 65,000 units (up 6%). These sustained performances are significantly bolstered by the ongoing success and cultural impact of the recent Michael biopic film, which has reignited interest in his extensive catalog. The film’s box office performance, particularly its recent reclamation of the top spot, has demonstrably translated into renewed engagement with Jackson’s music.

Chris Brown’s BROWN enters the chart at No. 7 with 65,000 equivalent album units. The album’s performance is driven by 60,000 SEA units, translating to 60.31 million on-demand official streams, and it debuts at No. 4 on the Top Streaming Albums chart. Album sales accounted for 5,000 units, with the album debuting at No. 19 on the Top Album Sales chart, and was exclusively available as a digital download during its first week. The BROWN album was preceded by four singles that have charted on the Hot R&B Songs chart: "Holy Blindfold" (No. 8), "It Depends" featuring Bryson Tiller (No. 3), "Obvious" (No. 5), and "Fallin’" featuring Leon Thomas (No. 12). Notably, all four of these tracks also achieved success on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, demonstrating their broad appeal. Looking ahead, Chris Brown is set to embark on a co-headlining stadium tour with Usher, commencing June 26 in Denver and concluding on December 12 in Tampa, a significant undertaking that is expected to further boost his visibility and album consumption.

Rounding out the top 10 are BTS’s ARIRANG, which falls from No. 7 to No. 8 with 44,000 equivalent album units (down 10%); Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time, holding steady at No. 9 with 41,000 units (up 3%); and Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving, moving from No. 8 to No. 10 with nearly 41,000 units (down 3%).

Luminate’s Role in Chart Integrity

Luminate, the independent data provider responsible for compiling the Billboard charts, conducts a rigorous review of all submitted data. This process involves thorough authentication and verification of all data points. In collaboration with Billboard, any data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is meticulously removed, adhering to established criteria, prior to the final calculation and publication of the weekly chart rankings. This commitment to data integrity ensures the accuracy and credibility of the Billboard 200 and other chart methodologies.