How Noah Kahan Scored His First No. 1 With The Great Divide — the Biggest Rock Week Since 2014

Noah Kahan’s The Great Divide opened like a declaration: the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 389,000 equivalent album units, marking his first chart-topper and the biggest week for a rock album since 2014. The numbers read like milestones — the third-biggest week for any artist this year, the largest streaming week for an album in 2024, and a modern-era high for vinyl rock sales with 118,000 units moved.

These are not accidental fireworks. The Great Divide arrived April 30 after a rollout that folded in a Netflix documentary, a Grammys-premiere video moment, a carefully curated set of vinyl variants and a fan-first approach that Noah Kahan’s manager, Drew Simmons of Foundations, says was central to every decision.

“Expectations were otherworldly, and pressure was palpable,” Simmons says, adding that the team always asked: “What makes for the best fan experience?”

Behind the rollout

What the public heard was a record that connected — but what built the demand was strategic, patient work. The campaign revealed its first single just before the Grammys and debuted the video during the broadcast through a partnership with Mastercard. On a broader narrative level, Noah Kahan: Out of Body, the Netflix documentary directed by Nick Sweeney, premiered 11 days before the album and chronicled the end of the Stick Season touring cycle and the transition into making this new record.

Simmons credits years of intentional team work — from creative directors to operations — and giving Kahan space to live and write. “We set out to chronicle that journey and it resulted in an honest look at Noah’s relationships with family, friends and his community,” Simmons says. The doc came together over three years with Radical Films producers Dave Sirulnick, Samantha Mustari and Stacey Reiss, and was driven on the management side by operations manager Ryan Langlois.

The campaign’s visuals, live teasers and social strategy were designed as extensions of the record’s introspective lyrics and sense of place. The creative roster attached to the project reads like a who’s-who of collaborators who helped translate that world: producers Gabe Simon and Aaron Dessner; contributors Carrie K, Sam Westhoff, Noah Levine, Dylan Jones, Nina Devitri, Todd Clark and Amy Allen; mixer Ryan Hewitt; and creative director Mikey Laviolette at Without Contrast.

Numbers that matter

Beyond the No. 1, there are more granular victories to parse. The album’s title track climbed to No. 6 on the Hot 100, topping Kahan’s previous peak: “Stick Season” reached No. 9 last year after becoming a breakout moment. All 21 tracks from The Great Divide landed on the Hot 100, making Kahan the 13th artist in history to chart that many songs simultaneously.

Physical strategy played its part. With eight vinyl variants available, the 118,000 vinyl sales were framed less as a marketing trick and more as a reflection of a devoted audience. “It’s mostly a reflection of how invested fans are in Noah’s music and him as a meaningful artist,” Simmons says. Variants were presented as intentional extensions of the album, and early access was given to longtime supporters.

The record also represents a new chapter in business home base: after almost a decade with Republic Records, Kahan is now on REPUBLIC’s Mercury Records, and this is the first project to land since his breakout momentum crystallized in 2024.

From development to stadiums

There is a chronology here worth noting. Simmons has worked with Kahan for 12 years, shepherding his development through eight years of stage experience and tours as an opener. Three years after those opening slots, Kahan is preparing to headline stadiums — a run Simmons says has already sold out — and the transition has required building a supportive, experienced community around the artist.

“Artists can be the best versions of themselves when they have trusting, caring and empathetic support around them,” Simmons says. When the team encountered issues beyond their experience, they brought in people who had navigated similar growth before.

Mental health work that’s more than PR

Kahan has been vocal about his mental health struggles and has channeled that attention into The Busyhead Project, which he and Simmons launched together. It began as an effort to turn platform into purpose — an attempt to raise $1 million for mental health that has, over three years, grown into $6.6 million and counting.

The project includes an annual golf tournament and concert, with 100 percent of proceeds going to mental health providers. Busyhead is woven into ticketing, tour experiences and partnerships, and operates with help from Jeb Gutelius and Lindsay Rosenberg at Sailworks and Hilary Gleason at Backline to provide access to care within the music community.

Simmons frames Busyhead as a career-long commitment rather than a campaign add-on. The ambition is to scale the work alongside Kahan’s growing platform, and the team is already thinking about future years.

So where does Kahan go from here? The immediate plan is to bring The Great Divide into venues around the world, grow The Busyhead Project and find new ways to expand his community. For a musician who has spent years building a relational bond with his fans, the record’s chart math and the sold-out stadiums feel like the logical next page — not the final chapter.