What originated as a joke is now making millions for the The Chainsmokers, the duo behind the viral hit “#SELFIE.”
“#SELFIE,” was produced by Alex Pall and Andrew Taggart, the members of the NY duo, as a joke to poke fun at the concept of selfies as a way to promote their show at Miami’s Liv. A mutual friend forwarded the track to Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak Records, which led to a three-song contract with the label. The hit took the public by an unexpected storm, reaching #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning over 726,000 iTune downloads and 100 million YouTube views.
The duo have caught the attention of two labels, which just happen to be the world’s largest music publisher and one of the biggest label groups. The Chainsmokers have signed a publishing contract with Sony/ATV and a record deal with Republic Records, with each deal estimated to be around one million dollars. The duo will begin producing with Republic Records once their contract with Dim Mak Records is closed. Sony/ATV have been following The Chainsmokers for several months, but neither they nor Republic Records expected “#SELFIE”‘s meteoric rise in popularity.
In case you can’t get enough, watch the music video below and be sure to check out Scarlett Johansson’s voiceover of the track.
Source: Billboard
Photo Credit: Hollywood Reporter