Noah Kahan’s ‘The Great Divide’ holds top spot on Billboard 200 for second week

Noah Kahan’s album, “The Great Divide,” has maintained its position at the top of the Billboard 200 for the second consecutive week. Despite a 58% decrease in equivalent album units from its debut week, the album still garnered 163,000 units in the United States for the week ending May 7, according to data from Luminate.

This feat makes “The Great Divide” the first rock album in nearly three years to spend at least two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The last rock album to achieve this was Zach Bryan’s self-titled set in September 2023. The Billboard 200 also sees Kacey Musgraves’ “Middle of Nowhere” debuting at No. 3, marking her sixth top 10 album, while Michael Jackson’s albums continue to enjoy success, with “Thriller” climbing to No. 5 and “Number Ones” reaching No. 6.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks albums based on multi-metric consumption, including album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA), and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). In the latest tracking week, “The Great Divide” earned 163,000 units, with SEA units accounting for 137,000, album sales for 26,000, and TEA units making up the remainder. Ella Langley’s “Dandelion” follows closely behind at No. 2 with 103,000 units.

Kacey Musgraves’ “Middle of Nowhere” marks a milestone for the artist, debuting at No. 3 with 100,000 units, her best week ever by units. The album features collaborations with various artists and was released on May 1. Musgraves’ album sales were boosted by 16 physical variants and a deluxe download edition with bonus tracks. Notably, this album shares its title with Hanson’s 1997 album, which also reached the top 10.

Michael Jackson’s albums, driven by the success of the Michael biopic, see continued chart success, with “Thriller” and “Number Ones” landing in the top 10. With this achievement, Jackson becomes one of just a few acts to have a top 10 album in every decade since the 1970s. “Number Ones” marks his first top 10 album in the ’20s.

Overall, the Billboard 200 showcases a diverse range of music, with artists like BTS, Olivia Dean, Morgan Wallen, and Bad Bunny maintaining their positions in the top 10. Luminate, the data provider for Billboard charts, ensures the accuracy and reliability of data used in compiling the weekly rankings, removing any suspicious or unverifiable information before final calculations are made and published.