Noah Kahan hits first No 1 with ‘The Great Divide’ as Billboard chart shifts again

Noah Kahan has achieved his first No 1 on the Billboard 200 as The Great Divide opens at the top of the chart dated May 9, marking a major milestone in his career and a standout week in 2026 music performance data.

The album earned 389,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending April 30, according to Luminate, making it Kahan’s strongest weekly performance to date. The figure also represents the biggest week for a rock album since Billboard began measuring consumption through equivalent album units in 2014.

Of the total, streaming equivalent album units accounted for 212,000, driven by 215.37 million on demand streams of the album’s tracks. Album sales contributed 175,000 units, marking Kahan’s best sales week, while track equivalent albums made up the remaining 2,000 units. The performance also delivered the biggest vinyl sales week for a rock album in the modern tracking era, with 118,000 vinyl copies sold.

The success of The Great Divide follows strong anticipation after its announcement earlier in the year and continues momentum built by its title track, which previously topped Adult Alternative Airplay for multiple weeks. The album also includes a deluxe edition with additional tracks and multiple physical variants that boosted its commercial performance.

Elsewhere on the chart, Kehlani enters at No 4 with her self titled album Kehlani, earning 69,000 equivalent album units. It becomes the biggest debut for an R&B album by a female artist in 2026 so far. The project includes 45,000 streaming equivalent units and 24,000 album sales, supported by multiple vinyl and CD editions as well as a deluxe digital release featuring bonus material.

Meanwhile, Michael Jackson’s Thriller re enters the top 10 at No 7 following renewed interest linked to the release of the Michael biopic. The album earns 45,000 equivalent album units, reflecting a significant increase in consumption. Originally released in the 1980s, Thriller remains one of the most influential and best selling albums in music history and previously spent 37 weeks at No 1 on the Billboard 200.

The rest of the top 10 sees shifts from established artists, with several albums experiencing modest declines while maintaining strong chart positions. The overall week highlights continued crossover between streaming momentum, physical sales strength and renewed legacy interest across major catalogue releases.

The Billboard 200 continues to rank albums based on multi metric consumption including sales, streaming and track equivalents, offering a snapshot of evolving listening habits across the United States music market.