Hatching Dance Hits
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
of the Hot Dance Songs chart. “Now we’re in uencing the industry, putting out songs everyone copies.” And with apparent ease. “Closer” co- “We plucked writer Shaun Frank says that in November ourselves from obscurity and 2015, after Taggart made the beat in a then started 30-minute session with Freddy Kennett of delivering Louis the Child, they did the rest on a tour smashes,” says Taggart bus in an hour, peppering in lines about left, onstage Taggart’s experience hooking up with an ex, with Pall in in then “realizing he actually still hates her,” Portland, Ore. as Frank explains. “He wanted to nish the song, and I was like, ‘So why don’t you just sing it?’ Drew’s like, ‘No way, I’ve never management to conrm a session (so did hacking the system? Cinderellas? sung.’ But we set up a mic in the bus, cut it, Dua Lipa); and Weezer circled back after Svengalis? They tag-team another zinger: and that’s the vocal we used.” refusing a cameo in The Chainsmokers’ “It’s like if LMFAO just started making...” The New York native duo oers 2016 Coachella set. says Pall, and Taggart nishes: “...the illest something simultaneously fresh and “They were like, ‘Yo! We should do a track shit and stopped dressing like idiots.” familiar to contemporary dance-pop together,’ and I’m like, ‘Oh, really?’ ” says crossover. The pair isn’t linked to a trendy Pall. “I can’t blame somebody for saying no HE CHAINSMOKERS ARE sound like trop-house. The songs are early on, but it depends on how you said no omnivorous music nerds. They talk o-\ Q 0 ( .. .. stylistically elastic although generally and how you came back to us. If you own about other artists constantly, and not .. midtempo and vaguely sentimental, it, like, ‘I didn’t see the vision, but it’s clear Tjust because they’re name-dropping. .~: featuring autobiographical lyrics and now and it’s super sick,’ I get that. It feels They’re students of everything, from .. ' non-household-name female guest singers good when those people are like...” Taggart Kanye West’s general “dopeness” to "/ r, ... , like Daya and Rozes. Broadly speaking, the nishes the thought: “Thirsty.” Blink-182’s honest lyrics to Twenty One 0 C f I I l .. group is a little like a sanitized Diplo and The respect is a change for two dudes Pilots’ theatrical shows. l'I fl:,,: .. ' Skrillex. (Or a more relatable Kygo. Or a who broke through in 2013 with the wacky, Pall didn’t know what a DJ was growing ,, ,· less turned-up DJ Snake.) satirical electro-house cut “#Sele,” which up in New York’s Westchester County as Whatever it is, The Chainsmokers sold Pall variously refers to as “our stupid the son of an art dealer and a stay-at-home out Red Rocks four months ago, and the novelty song,” “perfect for its time” and mom, but he and his best buds dubbed guys are suering from an abundance of “an annoying-ass record,” and peaked at their own cassette mixtapes constantly. “good problems.” Chief among them is No. 16 on the Hot 100. Its reception was When he was 12 or 13, he saw an ad in the launching this show — the rst in a roving mixed but huge (accounting for a full third back of a music magazine for legit mixing series called Dreaming, in which they of their 1.5 billion YouTube plays), and it’s gear that blew his mind. At the next sweet curate the lineup and play atop a new easy to chalk up any gawkiness to growing 16 he attended, he made a beeline for the multitiered LED setup to rival the nearby pains. As Taggart explains, “We’ve had hired DJ and “grilled him about it all,” says natural monoliths — while also settling people looking at us longer than we’ve Pall. “He was a pedophile for all I know, but into two freshly bought Los Angeles homes known who we are.” I shadowed him, and before long my mom (a move partly inspired by how much Now that The Chainsmokers are sitting was bringing me to my own gigs, helping easier it is to y back there after rocking at the top (a mile high, in fact, at the me carry my records.” Las Vegas). Also: deciding who to work moment), it seems suddenly important He graduated to house parties, then clubs. with next. Pall doesn’t mind sharing that to gure out who they really are. Brilliant In between, college happened — New York Linkin Park unexpectedly called him while underdogs quickly building something University for art history and business — he was on the toilet; Big Sean blew o his from nothing, or savvy shortcut-takers and he began working at a gallery while Hatching Dance Hits: Stars Vs. Singers For Hire Dance acts seeking crossover singles have a proven formula \\\ in tapping a pop star and \\ hitting Hot pay dirt. THE CHAINSMOKERS CALVIN HARRIS ZEDD There’s a reason Major Lazer . /) ..._ // and DJ Snake reportedly first Rozes Halsey Himself Rihanna Foxes Selena Gomez The duo has Building on the The Scottish Harris’ highest- His highest- “I Want You to pitched “Lean On” to Rihanna called the momentum of superstar handled charting hits as charting Hot Know” had the and Nicki Minaj. But “Lean track “Roses” its “Don’t Let Me his own lead vocals either a lead or single to date, makings of a On” eventually reached No. favorite song. Down,” a No. for ’s solo featured artist have “Clarity” No. ¡ blockbuster: a Understandably so: hit, the two called breakthrough “Feel come courtesy of helped elevate rumored romance, featuring the lesser-known — It was the pair’s first on this rising star So Close,” which collaborations with a relatively obscure social media and surely less pricey — singer top hit, peaking to reach the Hot hit No. Despite A-lister Rihanna: indie singer to star power and K Mo. Fame is seemingly just one at No. on the summit with telling Billboard “I her chart- pop prominence, a co-write from Hot , partly on “Closer.” The last don’t want to be topping smash though Foxes OneRepublic factor. “There’s not a singer we the strength of this dance single to the man in the front with him, “We was wary of being hitmaker Ryan TKTKTKTKTKTKT don’t hit up if there’s something virtually unknown achieve the feat: with a microphone,” Found Love,” and typecast. She Tedder. But while HERE ND -year-old vocalist Baauer’s “Harlem he reprised the role his most recent hit, told Billboard in the platinum- A interesting happening there,” RE E — whose own Shake,” fueled by two years later on “This Is What You : “I don’t selling song was says The Chainsmokers’ Pall. single failed a hard-to-replicate ’s “Summer,” Came For,” which want to be that hardly a bust, it only CREDITS H MATT MEDVED to chart. viral video. which hit No. peaked at No. ‘featured’ artist.” reached No. SEPTEMBER 24, 2016 WWW. BILLBOARD.COM 43.