The chainsmokers

2012: Formation

The Chainsmokers were initially made up of Pall and former DJ Rhett Bixler.[7][8] The Chainsmokers
were re-formed as an EDM DJ duo in 2012 under the management of Adam Alpert in New York City. Pall
attended New York University for art history and music business[9] while Taggart had been attending
Syracuse University and was an intern at Interscope Records before the two met. Taggart had taken an
interest in being a DJ and released some original songs on the website SoundCloud. Taggart was
informed by someone working for Alpert that a duo, which was being managed by Alpert, had an open
spot after Bixler left, which prompted Taggart to leave Maine in order to go to New York City.[10] Pall,
who had grown up as a DJ and had been working at an art gallery in Chelsea, Manhattan at the time,
was introduced to Taggart by Alpert.[8] In April 2013, The Chainsmokers released a remix of "Medicine"
by Daughter and it reached number 1 on HypeMachine.[11]

The duo started out by making remixes of indie bands.[12] In 2012, they collaborated with Indian actress
and recording artist Priyanka Chopra on the single "Erase" which was followed by "The Rookie" in early
2013.[13]

During an October 2016 television interview, ABC News Nightline reporter Nick Watt asked Pall and
Taggart "What's with the (duo's) name?" Pall replied that, "At the time of conception, it was... it was
totally just like I was in college. You know I enjoyed smoking weed and you know it was just like such a
'yeah the domain's open'. I don't have to have any, like, underscores." Taggart added "It's just a
name."[14]

2013–2014: First live performance and breakthrough

Logo before 2015.

The duo's first live performance was opening for Timeflies at Terminal 5 in September 2014.[9] Their
single "#Selfie", released for free in December 2013, was picked up by Dim Mak Records who re-
released it in January 2014 and eventually streamed it to Republic Records.[15] The duo achieved
breakthrough success as the single charted internationally and peaked on the Dance/Electronic Songs
chart.[16] Pall has described the song as "life-changing" for the pair.[17]