Noah Kahan’s The Great Divide has officially turned a breakout era into full-scale chart domination. On the Billboard 200 dated May 9, the Vermont singer-songwriter earns his first-ever No. 1 album in the United States as his fourth studio LP launches with 389,000 equivalent album units, delivering not only the biggest debut of his career but one of 2026’s defining commercial openings.
According to Billboard, the project posts the largest week for a rock album since the Billboard 200 shifted to equivalent units in late 2014, while also securing the third-biggest overall album week of 2026 across all genres.
For Kahan, this is bigger than a standard chart upgrade from Stick Season’s No. 2 peak in 2024. The Great Divide claims the biggest streaming week of any album released this year and sets the modern-era record for the largest vinyl sales week ever for a rock album since 1991.
The momentum has been global. Earlier this week, The Great Divide debuted at No. 1 on both the UK Official Albums Chart and Australia’s ARIA Albums Chart. In the UK, it also delivered the biggest first week for an international artist in 2026 so far.
That previous album is still proving its durability too. Stick Season climbs from No. 11 to No. 10 on this week’s Billboard 200 in its 179th charting week, giving Kahan two simultaneous top 10 albums.
Elsewhere in the chart’s top tier, Kehlani lands her fourth top 10 as her self-titled album opens at No. 4, while Michael Jackson’s Thriller surges back to No. 7 following renewed interest tied to the Michael biopic’s theatrical release.
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