Shawn Mendes Leads Billboard Artist 100 for First Time

A week after Twenty One Pilots completed a then-record 75-week rise to the summit, Mendes reigns at last in his 86th week on the list.

Shawn Mendes is the top musical act in the United States for the first time, jumping 4-1 to take the crowning spot on the Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated Oct. 15). The Artist 100 measures artist activity across Billboard‘s most influential charts, including the Billboard Hot 100, Top Album Sales and the Social 50. The Artist 100 blends data measuring album and track sales, radio airplay, streaming and social media fan interaction to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity.

A week after Twenty One Pilots set the record for longest climb to No. 1 on the Artist 100 (75 weeks), Mendes breaks it, reigning for the first time in his 86th week on the chart. (The chart began on July 19, 2014.) He takes over at the top as his new album, Illuminate, debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, with 145,000 equivalent album units, and Top Album Sales, with 121,000 sold in its first week (ending Sept. 29), according to Nielsen Music.

Mendes sports a 134 percent week-over-week increases in overall activity, with album sales marking 68 percent of his points total. Airplay is his next greatest metric, with Illuminate lead single “Treat You Better” lifting 5-4 on the Radio Songs chart (118 million in audience, up 5 percent) and holding at its No. 6 high on the Hot 100.

Rounding out the Artist 100’s top five, Twenty One Pilots descend to No. 2; Drakedrops 2-3; The Chainsmokers slip a notch to No. 4 from their No. 3 peak; andRihanna holds at No. 5.

Just beyond the Artist 100’s top five, The Weeknd surges 17-6 as his new single “Starboy,” featuring Daft Punk, blasts 40-3 on the Hot 100; Niall Horan debuts at No. 11 on the Artist 100, as his debut solo single “This Town” bows at No. 63 on the Hot 100 (after one day of sales and streaming measurement following its Sept. 29 release); and Bruce Springsteen hits a new Artist 100 high, re-entering at No. 19 as his new set Chapter and Verse launches at No. 1 on Top Rock Albums, No. 3 on Top Album Sales and No. 5 on the Billboard 200.

Check out this week’s entire Artist 100 here.

Source: billboard.com