The Chainsmokers: ‘We’re so blessed to be living this life’

There was a time when Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall, a.k.a. The Chainsmokers, were known, quite derisively, as those guys who did that “#Selfie” song. While the track exploded in 2014, hitting the Top 20 in the Billboard singles charts, it threatened to box the duo as mediocre one-hit wonders.

Thankfully, that didn’t happen. Two years on and The Chainsmokers are one of the hottest names in EDM. They have yet to release a proper album, but many of their singles have become modern-day pop anthems. “Roses” was a worldwide hit in 2015, “Don’t Let Me Down” reached number 3 on Billboard, and newest single “Closer” is fast-becoming the definitive feel-good song of the year.

Which is why, in a year that has already seen some pretty terrific live acts swinging by our shores, the Chainsmokers live in Manila, which happened at the MOA Arena last Friday night, was undoubtedly one of the biggest and most eagerly anticipated. The duo themselves felt the love.

“When we played Republiq two years ago, it was a super fun night,” Pall said to a select group of journalists a couple of hours before they faced the MOA Arena crowd. “I barely remember any of it, cos I had a lot to drink, but it was such a great time, I remember everyone being so cool. To come back after seeing how well our singles have all done here, it’s a really exciting feeling. Sometimes you go play shows in places and you don’t hear anything from anyone about it, and the show can be great, but you don’t feel any anticipation, but here, the anticipation is like, this is probably the most anticipated show we’ve ever played. Ever probably. I’m almost positive about that.”

Andrew Taggart (left) and Alex Pall, a.k.a. The Chainsmokers, during their press meet in Manila on Friday. Photos: Paul John Caña

Pall and Taggart, who met in 2012, started out with remixes of songs by famous artists, including Phoenix, Two Door Cinema Club, Jonsi and The Killers. They eventually came up with original tracks, often in collaboration with up-and-coming vocalists like Priyanka Chopra (on “Erase”), Rozes (on “Roses”), Daya (on “Don’t Let Me Down”) and Halsey (on “Closer”).

“We just want to work with people who are cool, authentic artists,” Pall said. “It’s not really about how successful you are.”

“We got really lucky with Daya and now with Halsey,” Taggart added “If you look at our interviews with people from a year ago, everytime they asked who we wanted to work with, we always said Halsey. She’s so unique and empowering and I think she’s one of the biggest pop stars in the world and she’s doing it in a really down-to-earth, grassroots way.”

“Closer,” an indictment against what the duo feels are undesirable girls disguised as a sunny, irresistible bop, has already climbed to number 6 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and is sure to become one of the defining songs of 2016.

But while The Chainsmokers are already being mentioned in the same breath as other superstars of the EDM genre such as Calvin Harris and Martin Garrix, the duo are already thinking ahead and laying the groundwork for the eventual transition to mainstream pop music. They mentioned this in a previous interview and I press them about it during the roundtable interview.

“It’s not like it’s a mission that we’re setting out to do,” Pall explains. “ We’re just experimenting with new things and new genres and styles. You find yourself getting inspired by different new things so it’s always interesting. We’re not just focusing on what’s a popular trend on EDM, we’re pulling from influences from hiphop, dance music and punk rock. For us it’s just about making real authentic music. And if it ends up being a huge dance record that’s fun, it’s just about making real music. But yeah, in general dance music right now is very homogenous and lame, kind of.”

“There’s some people who are doing really boring stuff and people who are doing really cool stuff,” Taggart added. “Like Calvin [Harris] is always killing it. Major Lazer, Skrillex and Kygo, are all doing very different kinds of things.”

At the show a couple of hours later, an Arena-full of fans welcomed the weekend and the Chainsmokers with a roar so loud and forceful it was almost solid. While Pall took his place behind the massive booth with gigantic LED screens above and below him, Taggart was more energetic and playful, running around the stage and addressing the crowd every chance he got.

“I think we’re more popular here than in the US,” he said. “Manila, you’ve got our back, and we’ve got yours.”

The author (left) with The Chainsmokers.

The duo’s set consisted of their remixes of familiar songs, including those by Smallpools, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Drowning Pool, The Killers and Lukas Graham. But the loudest cheers were reserved, of course, for their own hits, particularly “Roses” and “Closer.”

“I think that the was the most awesome version of ‘Closer’ ever,” Taggart said after a goosebups-inducing singalong of the hit with almost everyone inside the venue. “And we played that song with Halsey last week in Madison Square Garden in New York.”

If the bursting-at-the-seams MOA Arena was any indication, Filipinos are EDM fanatics and The Chainsmokers are the latest recipient of that infatuation. Taggart and Pall acknowledged this and expressed gratitude for their astronomical rise in the music scene in just a few short years.

“What hasn’t changed is our ambition and drive,” Taggart said. “We recognize and are very grateful about what we’ve accomplished, but we still feel like we have so far to go and we wake up everyday trying to make The Chainsmokers experience better for everybody. [We want to] put on better shows, write better music, and be as interactive as we can with our fans, because we’re so grateful to have them. We’re so blessed to be able to live this life.” — BM, GMA News

Paul John Caña is a magazine writer and live music geek. Check out his blog manontheotherside.blogspot.com. Email him at pjcana@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter and Instagram @pauljohncana.