Ed Sheeran's 'No. 6 Collaborations Project' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart

Ed Sheeran scores his third No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart, as his star-studded No. 6 Collaborations Project album enters atop the tally.
The set, which was released on July 12 via Atlantic Records, bows with 173,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending July 18, according to Nielsen Music. It marks the largest week of the year for a pop album by a male artist. Of that starting sum, 70,000 were in album sales.

Sheeran previously led the Billboard 200 with ÷ (Divide) in 2017 and x (Multiply) in 2014.
No. 6 Collaborations Project, true to its title, features Sheeran on each track, partnering up with a galaxy of stars from across many genres of music, including Camila Cabello, Bruno Mars, Travis Scott and Chris Stapleton.
Notably, one of the tracks on the album, “Remember the Name” -- which features Eminem and 50 Cent -- includes a lyric that references topping the Billboard charts. Eminem, who has nine No. 1 Billboard 200 albums to his name, raps on the track: “I climbed the Billboard charts to the top…”
No. 6 tallies the biggest week in total units (173,000) for a pop album by a male soloist in over a year, since Shawn Mendes’ self-titled album started at No. 1 on the June 8, 2018-dated list with 182,000 units.

Credit: Billboard