Shawn Mendes Earns Second No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 With ‘Illuminate’

Pop singer/songwriter Shawn Mendesnotches his second No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart with the arrival ofIlluminate. The set, which was released on Sept. 23 through Island Records, earned 145,000 equivalent album units in the week ending Sept. 29, according to Nielsen Music. It also launches with 121,000 in traditional album sales – Mendes’ best sales week yet.

Illuminate is Mendes’ second full-length album, following Handwritten, which debuted at No. 1 in 2015.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The new Oct. 15-dated chart (where Illuminate bows at No. 1) will be posted in full to Billboard’s websites on Tuesday, Oct. 4.

As Illuminate arrives atop the Oct. 15-dated list, that gives Mendes two No. 1 albums at just 18 years of age. More precisely, based on the new chart’s date, Mendes achieves his second No. 1 at only 18 years, two months and seven days old. He was born on Aug. 8, 1998.

Only five artists scored their first two No. 1 albums at such a young age: Justin Bieber claimed his second leader, Never Say Never: The Remixes, at 17 years and four days old in 2011. Miley Cyrus was just 14 years, seven months and 21 days old when Hannah Montana 2/Meet Miley Cyrus debuted at No. 1 in 2007. Hilary Duffwas 17 years, 11 months and six days old when Most Wanted launched at No. 1 in 2005. And, LeAnn Rimes was a sprightly 15 years and 30 days old when You Light Up My Life – Inspirational Songs hit No. 1 in 1997.

In addition, Mendes is the first artist to have their first two full-length studio albums hit No. 1 since nearly a year ago, when 5 Seconds of Summer bowed at No. 1 with Sounds Good Feels Good. (It followed the band’s self-titled debut the previous year.)

Mendes is the first male artist to claim the distinction since 2015, when A$AP Rocky bowed atop the list with At.Long.Last.A$AP, following 2013’s Long.Live.A$AP.

Meanwhile, Drake’s Views slips from No. 1 to No. 2 on the new Billboard 200 with 50,000 units (down 5 percent) and the Suicide Squad soundtrack holds at No. 3 with 42,000 units (down 9 percent).

The second debut in the new top 10 is Luke Bryan’s Farm Tour… Here’s to the Farmer EP, which bows at No. 4 with 34,000 units (32,000 in traditional album sales). The digital-exclusive set marks Bryan’s ninth top 10 album, and eighth top 10 in a row.

All eight of Bryan’s charting albums from 2011’s Tailgates & Tanlines to 2016’s Here’s to the Farmer have debuted in the top 10. He charted one additional top 10, 2009’sDoin’ My Thing (which peaked at No. 6).

Bruce Springsteen’s new Chapter and Verse is the third and final debut in the new top 10, as it launches at No. 5 with 29,000 units (27,000 in traditional album sales). It is Springsteen’s 19^th top 10 album. The compilation effort is a companion piece to Springsteen’s new memoir, Born to Run. The 18-track album features five previously unreleased songs, along with familiar hits like “The River,” “Born to Run” and “Born in the U.S.A.”

Travis Scott’s former No. 1, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight rises one rung to No. 6 with 27,000 units (down 15 percent), while Twenty One Pilots’ Blurryface is also up one position to No. 7 with 26,000 units (down 6 percent). Jason Aldean’s They Don’t Know falls two spots to No. 8 with 24,000 units (down 36 percent), Rihanna’s Antijumps 12-9 with 23,000 units (down 4 percent) and Ariana Grande’s Dangerous Woman ascends a slot to No. 10 with almost 23,000 units (down 7 percent).