The Chainsmokers have been riding high on recent singles like “Closer” and “Don’t Let Me Down,” but success comes with its own downsides. The duo have found themselves under fire following their new interview with Rolling Stone over some somewhat disparaging comments they made regarding pop stars Rihanna and Lady Gaga.
The controversy arose from something Alex Pall said regarding Lady Gaga’s new music, which he succinctly summed up by saying, “it sucks.” His partner in crime, Andrew Taggart, chimed in as well, adding that “She’s a great artist – like, Jeff Koons made a sculpture of her…”
That wasn’t the only part of the interview causing trouble for The Chainsmokers, however. While discussing their hit single “Don’t Let Me Down,” they reveal that they originally contacted Rihanna to sing the tune, who promptly declined. Daya would eventually pick up the mantle and provide vocals for the song, and Pall commented that “young unknown artists have this hunger — they’re willing to work really hard,” which many have interpreted as an insult towards RiRi.
A firestorm of comments and social media posts have taken the internet by storm in the wake of the interview, with the hashtag #TheChainsmokersAreOverParty taking off on Twitter. While The Chainsmokers‘ comments seem less malicious than they’ve been made out to be, the backlash doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
Despite their rude remarks towards Lady Gaga, she has 6 Grammys, 190 million record sales, sold out tours, etc. #TheChainsmokersAreOverParty
— Pop Media Network (@PopMediaNet) October 12, 2016
Me when I saw The Chainsmokers tried to drag Gaga as if they have ever made a song as good as Perfect Illusion #TheChainsmokersAreOverParty pic.twitter.com/z0cOMXt8w6
— •NICK• | Lady Gaga (@JoanneTheNight) October 12, 2016
#TheChainsmokersAreOverParty When washed up DJs think that because they have like two mediocre songs they can throw shade at an icon pic.twitter.com/eHQMdY9qjf
— spooky arielle ♡ (@arielleferarra) October 11, 2016
Why gaga why !! ?#thechainsmokersareoverparty #sorrynotsorry @ladygaga @TheChainsmokers pic.twitter.com/a1bq19GAOl
— Sa!f Alhussa!n (@saif_alhussain) September 24, 2016