Ed Sheeran's '= (Equals)' debuts at number one following 'SNL' performance

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Will Heath/NBC

Ed Sheeran had a pretty eventful weekend following his bout with COVID-19.

The singer not only was able to perform as planned on SNL, but his album = (Equals) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart.

The album becomes his fourth consecutive number one to top the chart, after 2019’s No. 6 Collaborations Project, 2017’s ÷ (Divide) and 2014’s x (Multiply). It has also hit number one in 14 other countries and counting, including Ed’s native U.K.

On SNL, Ed performed two songs off the album:  “Shivers” and “Overpass Graffiti.” He also participated in a sketch, playing himself as a guest on The Dionne Warwick Talk Show. Ego Nwodim as Dionne asks him a series of hilarious questions, starting with the first one: “You did a song called ‘South of the Border.’ My question is, are you nasty?”

“Yeah, a little bit,” Ed replies with a grin.

The sketch also featured Chloe Fineman as Miley Cyrus, Pete Davidson as Post Malone, SNL host and Succession star Kieran Culkin as Jason Mraz and a surprise appearance from the real Dionne Warwick herself.

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