Though we know them for the Billboard-topping, international mega-hit “Selfie,” Alex Pall and Andrew Taggart of The Chainsmokers have come from very humble beginnings. Pall had been DJ for Sweet 16s and Bah Mitzahs since he was 12 and Taggart was a music business major turned producer who didn’t believe his hobby could merit a career until he won a contest that gave him the opportunity to open for Steve Aoki – little did he know Aoki would be the one to sign his future hit.
The inspiration behind “#Selfie” was fairly simple, “Alex had the idea of making a song like ‘Eat Sleep Rave Repeat,’ where this guy is ranting and seems like he is on an acid trip,” says Taggart. “We thought, let’s do something like that but make it a girl saying incoherent stupid things while in the bathroom of a nightclub, then she will say, ‘let me take a selfie,’ and it’ll drop.” Finishing the song in 30-minutes, after the two posted the track on SoundCloud, their friend Oliver Luckett, head of social media start-up theAudience, passed it along to Steve Aoki and subsequently, The Chainsmokers made their debut on Dim Mak Records.
“‘#Selfie’ has opened a lot of doors for us,” says Pall. “It has set up collaborations that I can’t mention yet but I’m really excited about. The best is yet to come, so buckle up!” Buckle up we shall! Having just signed a record deal with Republic Records, The Chainsmokers are in the middle of a U.S. tour and will later be releasing an album in the near future.
Join us for a #Selfie this Summer as Disco Donnie Presents brings The Chainsmokers to a city near you:
