Ed Sheeran Returns to No. 1 on Artist 100 Chart Thanks to ‘Subtract’

Ed Sheeran jumps from No. 10 to No. 1 on the latest Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated May 20), returning as the top musical act in the United States for a 15th total week on top, thanks to his new studio album, – (Subtract).

The set debuts at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart with 112,000 equivalent album units earned in the May 5-11 tracking week, according to Luminate, becoming Sheeran’s sixth top 10.

Sheeran has two additional albums on the latest Billboard 200: former No. 1s = (Equals), from 2021, and ÷ (Divide), from 2017, rank at Nos. 91 and 92, respectively.

Sheeran also charts two songs on the Billboard Hot 100, both from Subtract: lead single “Eyes Closed” vaults 38-19 for a new high, marking his 15th top 20 hit, and “Curtains” debuts at No. 97 (becoming his 54th career entry on the chart).

With his 15th week at No. 1, Sheeran ties Ariana Grande for the sixth-most weeks spent at the summit in the survey’s nearly nine-year history.

Most Weeks at No. 1 on Artist 100:

  • 65, Taylor Swift
  • 37, Drake
  • 28, The Weeknd
  • 21, BTS
  • 20, Adele
  • 15, Ariana Grande
  • 15, Ed Sheeran
  • 14, Justin Bieber
  • 14, Post Malone
  • 13, Morgan Wallen

Elsewhere on the Artist 100, LE SSERAFIM re-enters at No. 6, a new best, thanks to the Korean pop group’s new LP Unforgiven. The set arrives at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 (45,000 units), becoming its first top 10.

The Artist 100 measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption, blending album and track sales, radio airplay and streaming to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity.

Xander Zellner

Billboard