DJ-producer tandem the Chainsmokers have had a remarkable rise to the top of the millennial music food chain.
Along the way, the powerhouse duo of Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall have successfully created a new, revamped blueprint to success, marrying mainstream music and the eclectic eccentricities of EDM.
Their electro-pop sound contains the core elements of EDM’s vast sonic spectrum (harmonic, synthesized grooves, quick tempos, well-timed breakdowns and deep bass drops) and draws in listeners with the use of a dynamic female vocalist (and more recently the gruff-toned vocals of Taggert himself) and serenades of vulnerability and triumph.
Reflecting their current major-league status, the Chainsmokers will headline a special concert event at Aloha Stadium tomorrow afternoon, as part of an expanded lineup for the eighth annual New Year’s Eve Party of the Year — which this year spans two nights.
Year-end festivities shift back to Aloha Tower Marketplace on Sunday. There the shindig will include food trucks, an hourly fireworks show and entertainment from over 30 artists and bands on multiple stages headlined by Walshy Fire of electronic music trio Major Lazer.
THE CHAINSMOKERS were originally booked to play at Kakaako Waterfront Park. The move to Aloha Stadium, the state’s largest outdoor venue, will enhance the performance, promoters said, with live-experience upgrades that include pyrotechnics and bigger sound.
Expanding the show — and the potential audience — took the DJs by surprise, but they took it as positive news.
“Can we be completely honest? We had no idea,” said Taggert, laughing. “But hey, the more the merrier! We can’t think of anything worse than playing somewhere and our fans not being able to attend because of potential capacity issues, so we are thinking this is a good thing.”
The multiplatinum duo is indisputably hot. The Chainsmokers took track “Closer” to No. 1 on the Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart in September 2016, paired with singer Halsey.
In 2017, the track “Don’t Let Me Down” earned the Chainsmokers a Grammy Award for best dance recording.
Their collab with Coldplay, “Something Just Like This,” hit No. 1 on the dance/electronic chart in March. Based on 2017 chart action, Billboard rated “Something” No. 1 and “Closer” No. 2 in the dance/electronic year, while a third track, “Paris,” finished at No. 7.
The Chainsmokers were ranked No. 1 in the year’s Dance/Electronic Artists of the Year category by Billboard in 2017 for the second consecutive year (placing them above Calvin Harris and Lady Gaga) and ranked sixth in DJ Mag’s annual popularity poll.
Their debut album, “Memories…Do Not Open” went platinum in September.
According to statistics from the music-streaming service Spotify, The Chainsmokers were the top-streamed EDM act (fifth overall) in 2017, with a listenership of 101 million fans spanning 61 countries. Those listens have paid off: The Chainsmokers ranked third on Forbes World’s Highest-Paid DJs list, earning an estimated $38 million in 2017.
Chances are you’ve heard a Chainsmokers tune even if you aren’t familiar with the group.
PALL, A New York native, and Taggert, who originally hails from Maine, have exceeded their own expectations. They said they know they are fortunate to live out their creative passions in music.
“There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t thank my lucky stars for this opportunity to do what I love,” said Pall, 32, who worked as a receptionist at an art gallery for five years before breaking out as a musician. The two were calling before a show in Indianapolis last week.
Taggert, 27, said, “It’s hard to imagine doing anything else now, but we constantly remind ourselves how lucky we are.
“We are married to our work though; it’s 24/7 365 days a year,” Taggert added. “And while we are doing what we love, we don’t take advantage of it. We want to see how far we can take this, push ourselves and give our fans great experiences and music … so while we aren’t stuck behind a desk, we aren’t forgetting what we could be and used to be.”
Taggert and Pall, who met through a mutual friend in 2012, clicked instantly, they said, because they had similar musical tastes and aspirations.
Taggert describes their songwriting process as being “like a therapy session.”
“A lot of our songs start with a sound we find that really inspires the rest of the song, but as we have turned into songwriters, it’s really turned into a lyric or phrase or something we think up that dictates that,” he said.
“The percussive element is super-important,” he also notes. “Look at Skrillex — his tunes have such a swagginess to them, and then the melody, of course.”
Where, when and how long a moment of inspiration strikes varies, according to Taggert, but the process itself and the rewards of a finished song are both important.
“One hand sort of feeds the other,” he said. “We really put our blood, sweat and tears into our music. Some songs really come together very naturally, and other songs you really have struggle with for a long time to get to a place you’re satisfied with.”
While they appear as grounded as a pair of talented, wealthy and famous artists can be, they said their circle of friends and recalling their pre-fame struggles keep things in perspective.
“Yeah, we always laugh thinking back to some of the gigs we had to play for the first couple years, the desperate emails we sent, the stupid videos and things we did just trying to garner some attention for our music,” said Pall. “And those times were some of the best times in our lives, so while we may have achieved some really exciting things, we love being nostalgic.”
Taggert chimes in, “We have the same friends we always did, and they are very good at reminding us how big of losers we were before this all got going — and we love that. We don’t think of ourselves as superstars or anything close; it’s about remembering how lucky we are to make music we want to make and share it with everyone.”
CRITICS FAULT the Chainsmokers for moving away from their grittier, more aggressive-sounding underground roots to a more filtered, lighthearted style, but there’s no denying that the duo’s approach is setting trends for the genre. Taggert and Pall say they are aware of the criticism but have their own approach for dealing with it.
“Just because you don’t like what someone is saying doesn’t mean there isn’t some truth in it,” Taggert said. “Obviously, everyone would love to only be adored, but that’s ridiculous.
“The things we read about ourselves sometimes shock us,” he admitted. “Maybe it’s a just a tweet from someone random, but you kinda just have to take it on the chin and move on with life. It’s a bizarre thing and a topic we touch on in some of our upcoming music.”
Saturday’s end-of-the-year megaconcert will be the Chainsmokers’ third time performing in Honolulu, following sold-out shows in 2014 and 2016. This stay in the islands will be brief. They will actually ring in 2018 in Las Vegas at XS Nightclub, where they recently signed an exclusive three-year residency with Wynn Resort.
“We are going a day early, which isn’t a lot of time, but it’s better than nothing! We just want to surf, maybe hike a little and chill out because show night is going to be crazy! We are open to suggestions, so if anyone has any ideas, Tweet at us,” said Pall.
When it comes to the idea of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s resolutions, Pall said he doesn’t take the ritual too seriously.
“New Year’s Eve is just a day; it comes and it goes,” he said. “I don’t have a problem with anyone having resolutions, but to me it’s silly to wait all year to make a change for the better. … It is a fun party day, though, I will say that!”
With a European tour set to kick off in February and tons of new music on the way, there is no reason for the dynamic duo of dance music to temper expectations heading into 2018.
“It’s not about levels of success; it’s about innovating and evolving as artists and continuing to make music that feels special to us,” Taggert said. “We play as a band now sometimes, so that’s a new, really exciting thing we look forward to working on more — bringing the energy of a DJ set but the intimacy of a live band to our future shows. … We have a really clear idea now of what’s next for us, and we are excited to share it!”
