The Chainsmokers initially formed in 2012. They were nominated for a Teen Choice award in 2014 and 2016, though the latter has yet to be decided.
By Nicolas Jozefczyk | Staff Writer
The Chainsmokers might be ruling the Billboard Hot 100 chart with their song “Closer,” but recent comments might leave them closer to digging a musical grave.
In an interview with “Rolling Stone” on Oct. 11, Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall talked about Lady Gaga and Rihanna in a not-so-friendly way.
When the duo was asked about how they felt about Gaga’s new song, “Perfect Illusion,” Pall said that it “sucks.” In order to try to bring back some common courtesy, Taggart then made the comment, “She’s a great artist.”
Pall’s comment outraged fans of Gaga, leading to the hashtag #TheChainsmokersAreOverParty trending on Twitter. One of Gaga’s fans found a previous tweet of Taggart’s which said, “I’ve got nothing but respect and admiration for gaga n would love to work w her just to pick the brain of a genius.”
As if the comment about Gaga did not satisfy their egos, The Chainsmokers went on to talk about Rihanna later in the interview. Rihanna was originally asked to be the vocals on The Chainsmokers’ song “Don’t Let me Down.” When the interviewer brought up the fact that Daya was now the vocalist on the track, Pall said it was okay, “because young, unknown artists have this hunger — they’re willing to work really hard.” This comment implies that Rihanna is neither hard working nor has a drive. This is contradicted not only by the fact that she just received the “MTV Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award” at the 2016 VMAs, but also from the countless awards before that.
The Chainsmokers are acting very arrogant, and they are taking their success of “Closer” and letting it make them big-headed. Even with their new status, the group does not have the experience or prestige to make such rude comments to two more experienced and decorated singers.
Based on awards alone, The Chainsmokers cannot match up to neither Lady Gaga or Rihanna. The duo have been nominated for zero Grammy awards, two Billboard Music Awards and one MTV Video Music Award.
Gaga has amassed six Grammy awards out of 17 nominations, seven Billboard Music Awards out of 34 nominations and 13 MTV Video Music Awards out of 26 nominations. Rihanna also has a very impressive repertoire: eight Grammy awards out of 24 nominations, 12 Billboard Music Awards out of 53 nominations and four MTV Video Music Awards out of 21 nominations.
The Chainsmokers also trail Lady Gaga and Rihanna in albums and singles released. The duo has only released one Extended Play and 16 singles. Lady Gaga has released five studio albums, four Extended Plays and 24 singles. Rihanna leads with eight studio albums and 64 singles.
Lady Gaga and Rihanna have nothing to worry about over the comments made from two egotistical new artists in the industry. If anything, The Chainsmokers might want to apologize for their rude comments.
They are obviously allowed to feel how they want about Gaga’s song “Perfect Illusion.” However, they did not have to be so rude and blunt while explaining their opinion. It was also unnecessary for Pall and Taggart to take a swipe at Rihanna for not wanting to be the vocals for “Don’t Let me Down.” One could only imagine that she has enough to do, and turning down a song should not have been taken personally.
Whether or not The Chainsmokers are over, as declared by the hashtag, is to be seen. They are doing well in the charts, but their next album will most likely determine their fate in the music industry. Until then, the duo may want to rethink how they approach the music industry and whether or not bashing other artists is necessary.
