How Noah Kahan Landed His Best Chart Week Yet With New Album ‘The Great Divide’
Categoria: Musica
"Patience was key, and our belief in Noah's ability never wavered," says manager Drew Simmons.
Por Billboard | 08/05/2026
When gearing up for the follow-up to his breakout album Stick Season , Noah Kahan and his team knew there was a lot riding on the project. “Expectations were otherworldly, and pressure was palpable,” says his manager, Drew Simmons at Foundations. But that new album, The Great Divide , has met and exceeded those expectations: Following its release on April 30, the set flew to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 389,000 equivalent album units, making it Kahan’s first chart-topper and best week ever. What’s more, The Great Divide ’s debut marked the third-biggest week for any artist of the year, the biggest week for a rock album since 2014, the largest streaming week for any album this year and, at 118,000 vinyl units, the biggest vinyl sales week for a rock album in the modern era, dating to 1991. Related Five Burning Questions About Noah Kahan’s Record-Setting ‘Great Divide’ Debut Week Backline Launches Mental Health Toolkit for Dance Music Community: 'Seeking Help Is Not Something to Be Ashamed Of' Fugees' Pras Michel Surrenders to Authorities to Begin 14-Year Prison Sentence, Vows to Appeal The album, which was preceded by a Netflix documentary and will be followed by a stadium headlining tour, is a big moment for Kahan. After nearly a decade signed to Republic Records (he is now on REPUBLIC’s Mercury Records), his breakout moment finally arrived in 2024, when the single “Stick Season” climbed all the way to the Billboard Hot 100’s top 10, peaking at No. 9. With this new project, Kahan bested that mark — the title track has reached No. 6 — on the way to landing all of the album’s 21 tracks on the chart, making him just the 13th artist to chart that many tracks there simultaneously. And now, it helps Simmons earn the title of Billboard ’s Executive of the Week. Here, he talks about the album’s massive debut, the work that went into the rollout and how the team came through amid the massive expectations and pressure that existed following Kahan’s big break. “Everything we do as a team filters through the question: What makes for the best fan experience?” Simmons says. “Noah and his team care deeply about their fans, treating them like friends and bringing them along with genuine, consistent attention throughout the rollout.” This week, Noah Kahan’s The Great Divide debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 389,000 equivalent album units, the biggest week for an album classified as rock since 2014 and the biggest streaming week for any album of this year. What key decisions did you make to help make that happen? Noah made a brilliant record — everything starts with the music. The demand we built throughout the rollout was driven by the strength of what was teased and Noah’s ability to connect with his audience. Behind it were years of thoughtful decisions from the core team, from assembling the creative team to giving Noah the space to step back and live life. Key moments of the campaign included revealing the fir