A long, long time ago there was “#SELFIE” – but we don’t really talk about that anymore. Fast forward two years and then there was “Roses” which marked The Chainsmokers’ first ever top 10 single and now they’ve bested that with “Don’t Let Me Down (feat. Daya)” in #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and have firmly established themselves as the new kings of radio from the EDM world.
In the back of my mind at least I wasn’t particularly impressed about #4 on the Hot 100, which really speaks to my lack of radio knowledge, but I was surprised that “Don’t Let Me Down” actually managed to top “Roses”. On the Billboard Radio Charts, the single is currently behind the A-tier superstars Justin Timberlake and Drake who have been duking it out for the #1 spot for the past three weeks. Again, “Don’t Let Me Down” smashed the peak #7 position of “Roses” with a third consecutive week in #3.
While sitting at #3 on the Radio Charts is obviously very impressive already, it has actually been done before by EDM artists. Avicii topped that chart back in 2013 with “Wake Me Up” while most recently Major Lazer & DJ Snake hit #2 with “Lean On”.
What I really was interested in finding out was whether or not an EDM artist ever actually topped the Billboard Hot 100s?
Calvin Harris, the long recognized EDM radio king, has never had a top 5 Billboard Hot 100 song as a solo artist. His current single with Rihanna, “This Is What You Came For” currently clocks in at #6 on the Hot 100 and #7 on the Radio chart. Zedd last broke into the top 10 with “Clarity” in 2013.
From what it looks like the number four spot has historically been a tricky barrier for most EDM artists with Avicii, David Guetta, DJ Snake (twice), Major Lazer, and The Chainsmokers all peaking in that spot – which already puts the New York-based duo in excellent company though mind you.
In the end, I was wrong. As it turns out there have been two EDM artists who have ever topped the charts with one slight caveat. Baauer did it with “Harlem Shake” and Calvin Harris with “We Found Love” with the slight caveat of being a featured artist on the record.
With that in mind, to answer your question in the headline: no they are not. But, they could very well set themselves up as the EDM radio kings some enough if they keep the hit-making up.
H/T: Headline Planet