A production duo featuring Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall, the Chainsmokers mix indie, dance, and pop into a chart-topping sound that spawned hits like "Roses" and "Don't Let Me Down." Pall and Taggart first made a name for themselves by creating remixes of their favorite indie bands that garnered tens of millions of streams. The duo released its official debut single "#Selfie," which celebrated and skewered 2010s narcissism, in January 2014. The track's bouncy beats and self-obsessed words hit number one on the Billboard dance chart and sold over ten million copies. Meanwhile, "#Selfie"'s video featured cameos by Snoop Dogg and David Hasselhoff, fueling the song's viral popularity to hundreds of millions of views. More singles, including "Kanye" and "Let You Go," followed.

In 2015, they issued the Bouquet EP on Disruptor Records, a softer and more indie-flavored effort that featured the single "Roses," which was certified double-platinum and hit number one on the Top Dance Songs chart. The song also earned the Chainsmokers nominations for the Billboard Music Awards in the Top Dance/Electronic Artist and Top Dance/Electronic Song categories. After playing over 300 shows in 2015, including dates at festivals like Lollapalooza, Firefly, Tomorrowland, and Ultra, the duo returned in 2016 with the platinum-certified "Don't Let Me Down," a collaboration with Pittsburgh pop singer Daya that topped the Billboard dance chart. That year, the Chainsmokers also performed as part of the Tilt Tour, the first ever fan-sourced tour. In addition, Pall and Taggart host two SiriusXM shows: Nice Hair, a monthly mix; and the weekly YouTube EDM 15.

The follow-up single to "Don't Let Me Down" would carry the duo to new heights. Featuring Halsey on vocals, "Closer" began its slow climb to the top of the singles chart in the summer of 2016. Once it hit number one, it remained in the top spot for over ten weeks, breaking the record previously held by Drake's "One Dance." As their chart dominance continued, they released the Collage EP, which joined their two Top Three singles with new collaborations featuring Phoebe Ryan, XYLØ, and Charlee. Their debut record appeared in 2017, and was preceded by the single "The One."

Heather Phares
AllMusic.com