Ed Sheeran Divide: You won’t BELIEVE how many copies the new album sold in ONE DAY
ED SHEERAN’S Divide has sold an astronomical number of copies in just 24 hours, it has been revealed.
Ed Sheeran's new album Divide is a huge hit
The British star’s third album, which was released yesterday, has already 232,000 units with six days of sales still to go until next week’s chart.
That number includes physical sales and download sales, but is not inclusive of streaming data - which will also be enormous, given that the album accounts for the entirety of Spotify’s current Top 10 tracks.
To put that staggering 232k figure into context, the current fastest-selling record of 2017 so far - Human by Rag’n’Bone Man - sold 117,101 in a week, and the UK’s incumbent chart-topper - Stormzy’s Gang Signs & Prayer - shifted 68,594 in a week.
Even Ed’s last album, X [Multiply], sold less in a week than Divide did a day.
Ed sold upwards of 200,000 copies in just a day
The album has been well received by fans
It's great to see so many people across the world respond to this brilliant new work
The number marks the highest single-day total for any album since Adele’s 25 in November 2015, which flogged upwards of 300,000 in its first 24 hours.
Ben Cook, President of Atlantic Records UK, told OfficialCharts.com: "Ed is an artist that inspires a generation, and the release of Divide is a global event.
“It's great to see so many people across the world respond to this brilliant new work in such an unprecedented manner. As the way we release music changes, Ed continues to shape culture and how it evolves.
“It’s early days, but we’re really excited to see what we can achieve alongside Ed and his management on what is an outstanding landmark record."
The artist is off on tour later this year
Stormzy on his Ed Sheeran collaboration at the Brits
Divide has been received with general warmth from critics, and has also got off to a strong start around the world.
It comes off the back of the 26-year-old’s huge two hit singles Castle On The Hill and Shape Of You, which were released in January.
He’ll also be heading off on tour later this year.