In the 2010s, The Chainsmokers were the EDM duo that everyone was talking about. The pair, which consists of Alexander "Alex" Pall and Andrew "Drew" Taggart, made their mark in the industry by remixing popular indie songs. They scored hit after hit, including "Closer" with Halsey, Daya-powered "Don't Let Me Down," Phoebe Ryan-featured "All We Know," "Paris," and more. At one point in their career, they even dethroned Calvin Harris as the highest-paid DJs after six years, according to Forbes 2019 list.
However, things haven't always been smooth for The Chainsmokers. They've found themselves at the center of controversy over plagiarism and their problematic remarks about those who'd come before them in the game. Here's went wrong with The Chainsmokers, and what the future may have in store for them.
6 Did The Chainsmokers Copy Twenty One Pilots
In 2018, the internet had a strong response over The Chainsmokers' then-latest singles, "Sick Boy" and "Everybody Hates Me." Fans noticed that the first single of the duo's second album has some "Heathens" by Twenty One Pilots vibes to it, and that's not the only time. Their 'World War Joy' tour set also, arguably, boasts the same setup as Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun's 'Bandito' tour in 2018: burning cars, pyrotechnics, and overall complex stage works. Alex Pall even has a "Fake You Out" tattoo inked on his lower right forearm, showcasing the lyrics, "Our brains are sick, but that's okay."
5 The Chainsmokers' Questionable Remarks
It's hard to keep a cool head when your songs are playing on almost every corner of the country. The narrative turned upside down for The Chainsmokers after their 2016 cover story for Billboard sparked controversy.
"Only Justin Bieber and Drake can hold a candle to what we’ve done," Drew said, bragging about bagging more top 10 cuts than anyone but the two artists. "Now we’re influencing the industry, putting out songs everyone copies."
A year later, the pair tried to set things straight during another interview, but unfortunately, the damage is done. In their own words, "I hope people can walk away from this article with a deeper sense of our purpose as artists and our true characters. We’re in this gray area where people are like, ‘I don’t get it, are these guys a**holes or not?’ I promise you, we’re not a**holes."
4 When The Chainsmokers Dissed Lady Gaga
If there's an unwritten rule in the music industry, it is to never diss anyone who has been in the game longer than you. In a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone, the two DJs didn't even filter their mouths from dissing Lady Gaga's "Perfect Illusion" single. They also seemingly dropped a subliminal hit at Rihanna, who they asked to collaborate with on "Don't Let Me Down" but she declined, saying, "Young unknown artists have this hunger — they're willing to work really hard."
The Chainsmokers, then, tried to downplay their remarks, stating that the comment was taken out of content. They apologized on the Howard Stern Show, "That was a lesson on my part for a lot of reasons. I’m 32 now, and no one’s given a s**t what I’ve said for 30 years of my life, not a single f**k has been given." But, again, the damage is done, and it seems like the "annoying frat duos" label would stay with the boys forever.
3 The Chainsmokers' Last Two Albums Weren't Doing So Good
The Chainsmokers released their debut album, Memories...Do Not Open, to a positive welcome. It debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart with 221,000 album-equivalent units and had its platinum certification five months later. However, the next two albums, Sick Boy (2018) and World War Joy (2019), didn't do as well as their debut. Despite its star-studded features in the latter from Kygo, Bebe Rexha, Ty Dolla $ign, 5 Seconds of Summer, and more, World War Joy just didn't manage to re-capture the magic they once had.
2 The Chainsmokers' Social Media Break
Drew and Alex took to social media to announce their brief hiatus from the platform, stating that they'd been in album mode and would return when the time was right.
"We are going to be taking some time to create our next chapter in music. We have never been more inspired and are already hard at work on TCS4 but we are going to be taking a break from social media (minus a few obligations) to give it the attention it needs," the full announcement reads.
1 What's Next For The Chainsmokers?
So, what's next for The Chainsmokers? Are they back for good for an upcoming, more self-retrospective album? This year in January, they released their comeback single from their forthcoming TCS4 album, "High," and it managed to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The EDM bros have surely tasted both the bitter and the sweet side of fame and learned from their past rookie mistakes.
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