The Billboard 200 chart has a familiar face back at the top: Playboi Carti’s MUSIC has reclaimed the No. 1 spot for the third time, proving its staying power in a competitive music landscape. While Carti’s album continues to dominate, new releases from Elton John & Brandi Carlile and Ethel Cain have also made big splashes, shaking up the top 10 in exciting ways.
Let’s break down the latest chart action, including record-breaking stats, surprise debuts, and why this week marks a historic low for No. 1 album numbers.
Playboi Carti’s “MUSIC” Holds Strong
Playboi Carti’s MUSIC is back on top, earning 64,000 equivalent album units in the past week. A whopping 96% of that total comes from streaming, showing just how massive Carti’s digital fanbase is. The album’s songs racked up 84.61 million on-demand streams, keeping it at No. 1 on the Top Streaming Albums chart for a fourth week.
But here’s something wild: 64,000 units is the smallest total for a No. 1 album in over a year. The last time a chart-topper had fewer was in January 2024, when Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time led with just 61,000 units.
What does this mean? It could signal a slow period for blockbuster releases, or it might just show that Carti’s streaming dominance is enough to keep him ahead even with lower overall numbers.
The Rest of the Top 10: Big Names Holding Strong
The rest of the top 10 is packed with heavy hitters, all of whom have previously held the No. 1 spot:
- Ariana Grande – Eternal Sunshine (No. 2, 56,500 units)
- PARTYNEXTDOOR & Drake – omeomeexy $ongs 4 U (No. 3, 56,000 units)
- SZA – SOS (No. 4, 54,000 units)
- Kendrick Lamar – GNX (No. 5, 53,000 units)
- Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet (No. 6, 49,000 units)
- Morgan Wallen – One Thing at a Time (No. 7, 44,500 units)
- Bad Bunny – Debí Tirar Más Fotos (No. 8, 42,500 units)
These albums aren’t going anywhere, proving that fans are still streaming and buying them months (or even years) after their initial release.
Elton John & Brandi Carlile’s Surprise Top 10 Debut
Legendary musician Elton John and Grammy-winning artist Brandi Carlile have teamed up for their first collaborative album, Who Believes in Angels?, and it’s already a hit. The album debuts at No. 9 with 40,000 units, mostly from physical sales (36,500 copies sold).
This marks Elton John’s 22nd top 10 album—a massive milestone that cements his place among the greatest artists of all time. His first top 10 was way back in 1971 with his self-titled album, meaning he’s been charting for over 54 years.
Brandi Carlile, meanwhile, earns her fourth top 10, adding another achievement to her already impressive career.
To promote the album, the duo appeared on CBS Sunday Morning, The Tonight Show, Saturday Night Live, and a special CBS concert event, proving that even after decades in the game, Elton John knows how to make a splash.
Ethel Cain’s Vinyl Success Sends Her to the Top 10
One of the most surprising entries this week comes from indie artist Ethel Cain, whose 2022 album Preacher’s Daughter finally gets a vinyl release—and it sends her straight to No. 10 with 39,000 units.
Before this, the album was only available digitally, but fans rushed to buy the vinyl, leading to 37,000 copies sold (the sixth-biggest vinyl sales week of 2025). The album’s songs also pulled in 2.77 million streams, proving that Cain’s haunting, atmospheric sound has a dedicated following.
This is only Cain’s second time ever on a Billboard chart—her first was a brief appearance on the now-defunct TikTok Billboard Top 50 earlier this year. Not bad for an artist who was completely independent just a few years ago!
Elton John Joins the Elite 20+ Top 10 Club
With Who Believes in Angels? becoming his 22nd top 10 album, Elton John joins an exclusive club of artists who have achieved this feat. Here’s the updated list of legends with 20 or more top 10 albums:
- The Rolling Stones (38)
- Barbra Streisand (34)
- Frank Sinatra (33)
- The Beatles (32)
- Elvis Presley (27)
- Bob Dylan (23)
- Madonna (23)
- Elton John (22)
- Bruce Springsteen (22)
- Paul McCartney / Wings (21)
- George Strait (21)
- Prince (20)
Even after all these years, Elton remains one of the most successful artists in history.
Why This Week’s No. 1 Number Is So Low
As mentioned earlier, 64,000 units is the smallest No. 1 total in over a year. Why is that?
- No Major New Releases – The past week didn’t see any huge album drops, so existing hits like Carti’s MUSIC and Grande’s Eternal Sunshine stayed strong with lower numbers.
- Streaming Slowdown? – While Carti’s streams are still huge, they dropped 27% from last week, which could mean fans are moving on to newer music.
- Physical Sales Dip – Only 2,500 copies of MUSIC were sold this week, down 59% from the previous week.
This could change soon, especially with summer around the corner and bigger releases likely on the way.
Final Thoughts: A Quiet Week with Big Surprises
While Playboi Carti’s MUSIC holding No. 1 isn’t shocking, the real stories this week are:
- Elton John & Brandi Carlile proving that collaborations between legends and modern stars still work.
- Ethel Cain’s vinyl success showing that even older albums can find new life with physical releases.
- The overall low No. 1 numbers hinting at a possible shift in how fans consume music.
What’s next? Will Carti hold on for another week, or will a surprise release shake things up? One thing’s for sure: the Billboard 200 never stays predictable for long.
Want More Chart News?
Stay tuned for next week’s update, where we’ll see if Carti can keep his streak alive or if a new challenger will take the throne.
What do you think? Should vinyl releases count more toward the charts? Is streaming making it harder for albums to have huge sales weeks? Let us know in the comments!
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