Photo of The Chainsmokers
Photo: The Come Up Show · CC BY 2.0

Band

The Chainsmokers

Active2012-present
OriginNew York City, New York, USA
Albums5
Tracks53

Most frequent collaborator: Emily Warren  ·  20 tracks

ElectronicEDMElectropopProgressive HousePop
100%
Authorship
Complete Artist

Holds writing credit on 53 of 53 tracks

Did The Chainsmokers write their own songs?

The songwriting sits almost entirely with Drew Taggart, who co-writes nearly every track the duo releases, while both Taggart and Alex Pall are credited as producers under the group name. Across their five studio albums the credits show Taggart working with a rotating set of outside co-writers such as Emily Warren and Ian Kirkpatrick rather than writing alone, so most songs are co-writes rather than sole compositions. Pall appears as a co-writer on a smaller share of tracks and is more consistently credited on production.

By the Numbers

5
Studio Albums
53
Tracks Credited
100%
Self-Written
14
Years Active
194
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 53 / 53 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 53 tracks: how many The Chainsmokers wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

The Chainsmokers has a writing credit100%
6%
94%
Sole author3tracks6%
Co-written50tracks94%
Outside writers0tracks0%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
The Chainsmokers's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 53 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)100%
Composer (music)100%
Producer100%
Performer47%

Member Credit Breakdown share of tracks each member is credited on

Percentage of all 53 tracks, across every album, where each member holds a credit - split by role.

MemberPeriodLyricsMusicProductionPerformance
Alex Pall 2012-present
68%
68%
0%
47%
Andrew Taggart 2012-present
100%
100%
0%
47%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

The Chainsmokers's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
2017Memories...Do Not Open
2018Sick Boy
2019World War Joy
2022So Far So Good
2023Summertime Friends
Early · 100% written
Late · 100% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

100%
2010s
Memories...Do Not Open, Sick Boy +1 more
100%
2020s
So Far So Good, Summertime Friends

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where The Chainsmokers sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

The Chainsmokers
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

BLACKPINK13%
Britney Spears32%
Rihanna44%
Selena Gomez60%
Destiny's Child69%
Kesha77%
Justin Bieber92%
100%The Chainsmokers
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Something Just Like This
Memories...Do Not Open
Written by Andrew Taggart, Chris Martin, Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion
Co-wrote
Paris
Memories...Do Not Open
Written by Andrew Taggart, Kristoffer Eriksson, Fredrik Häggstam, Charlee Nyman
Co-wrote
Honest
Memories...Do Not Open
Written by Andrew Taggart, Audra Mae, Sean Maxwell Douglas
Co-wrote
This Feeling
Sick Boy
Written by Andrew Taggart, Alex Pall, Emily Warren
Co-wrote
Who Do You Love
World War Joy
Written by Andrew Taggart, Alex Pall, Warren Felder, Luke Hemmings, Calum Hood, Ashton Irwin, Michael Clifford, Talay Riley, Sean Douglas, Trevor Brown, William Zaire Simmons
Co-wrote
High
So Far So Good
Written by Andrew Taggart, Alex Pall, Ethan Snorek, Nicholas Long, Natalie Solomon, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Jeff Halavacs
Co-wrote

Discography 5 albums

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

The Chainsmokers53 tracks
EW20 IK12 DS9 W7 ES6 TA3

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. EW Emily Warren · IK Ian Kirkpatrick · DS DJ Swivel · W Whethan · ES Ethan Snorek · TA Tony Ann

The Writers & Producers Behind The Chainsmokers 6 key collaborators

EW
Emily Warren
Songwriter
Memories...Do Not Open / Sick Boy / World War Joy / So Far So Good20 tracks
IK
Ian Kirkpatrick
Songwriter & Producer
World War Joy / So Far So Good / Summertime Friends12 tracks
DS
DJ Swivel
Producer
Memories...Do Not Open9 tracks
W
Whethan
Producer
So Far So Good / Summertime Friends7 tracks
ES
Ethan Snorek
Songwriter
So Far So Good6 tracks
TA
Tony Ann
Songwriter
Sick Boy / World War Joy3 tracks

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

The Chainsmokers present a split authorship story: Andrew Taggart writes nearly every song on every album, often with outside co-writers like Emily Warren, Scott Harris, and Ian Kirkpatrick. Alex Pall receives co-writing credit on a meaningful but selective subset of tracks, notably absent from several lead singles. Both are always credited as producers under the group name. The result is a pattern where the lyricist/composer credit belongs almost entirely to Taggart, while production is attributed to the duo jointly.

Quick Facts

  • MembersAlex Pall and Drew Taggart
  • Breakthrough'#SELFIE' (2014), then pop crossover with 'Roses' and 'Closer'
  • Signature No. 1'Closer' featuring Halsey topped the US and UK charts
  • GrammyBest Dance Recording for 'Don't Let Me Down' (2017)
  • Debut albumMemories...Do Not Open (2017) debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200
  • Studio albumsFive, from Memories...Do Not Open (2017) to Summertime Friends (2023)

Creative Fingerprint

A production duo where Drew Taggart carries the writing: he co-writes nearly every track, usually alongside outside collaborators like Emily Warren and Ian Kirkpatrick, while both members share production credit under the group name.

The Story

The Chainsmokers are an American DJ and production duo consisting of Alex Pall and Andrew Taggart, formed in New York City in 2012. They rose to mainstream prominence with the 2014 single '#SELFIE' before crossing into pop with 'Roses' (2015), 'Don't Let Me Down' featuring Daya (2015), and the record-breaking 'Closer' featuring Halsey (2016). Drew Taggart serves as the primary vocalist and lyricist while both members share production duties. Their five studio albums span pop-inflected EDM, introspective singer-songwriter-adjacent pop (Sick Boy), and high-energy dance music (So Far So Good).

Awards & Recognition

Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording, 'Don't Let Me Down' featuring Daya (2017)
American Music Award for Favorite Artist - Electronic Dance Music (2016, 2017)
Billboard Music Award for Top Dance/Electronic Artist (2017)
iHeartRadio Music Award for Dance Song of the Year, 'Closer' (2017)

Frequently Asked Questions The Chainsmokers

Did The Chainsmokers write their own songs?
The songwriting sits almost entirely with Drew Taggart, who co-writes nearly every track the duo releases, while both Taggart and Alex Pall are credited as producers under the group name. Across their five studio albums the credits show Taggart working with a rotating set of outside co-writers such as Emily Warren and Ian Kirkpatrick rather than writing alone, so most songs are co-writes rather than sole compositions. Pall appears as a co-writer on a smaller share of tracks and is more consistently credited on production.
Who are the members of The Chainsmokers?
The Chainsmokers are an American DJ and production duo made up of Alex Pall and Drew Taggart. They formed in New York City in 2012, and Taggart is the primary vocalist and lyricist while both members share production duties.
Who wrote 'Closer' by The Chainsmokers?
'Closer' was written by Drew Taggart with Halsey, who performs the female vocal, along with a group of additional co-writers. It was released in July 2016 and reached number one in both the United States and the United Kingdom, becoming the duo's signature hit.
Did The Chainsmokers win a Grammy?
Yes. 'Don't Let Me Down,' featuring Daya, won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording at the 59th Grammy Awards in 2017. It remains their only Grammy win to date.
Who wrote 'Something Just Like This'?
'Something Just Like This' is a collaboration between The Chainsmokers and Coldplay, and Coldplay's Chris Martin sings and shares the writing credit alongside Drew Taggart and the rest of Coldplay. It appears on the duo's 2017 debut album Memories...Do Not Open.
How many studio albums have The Chainsmokers released?
The Chainsmokers have released five studio albums: Memories...Do Not Open (2017), Sick Boy (2018), World War Joy (2019), So Far So Good (2022), and Summertime Friends (2023). Their debut, Memories...Do Not Open, entered the Billboard 200 at number one.
Does Drew Taggart sing on The Chainsmokers songs?
Yes. Drew Taggart is the duo's primary vocalist and performs lead vocals on many of their tracks, including 'Paris,' 'Sick Boy,' and 'This Feeling.' Their biggest early hits instead featured guest singers such as Halsey on 'Closer' and Daya on 'Don't Let Me Down.'
What was The Chainsmokers' first big hit?
Their first mainstream hit was the novelty single '#SELFIE' in 2014, which became a viral club track. They then moved toward pop with 'Roses' in 2015 and broke through globally with 'Don't Let Me Down' and 'Closer' in 2016.
Do The Chainsmokers work with a lot of co-writers?
Yes. Rather than writing in isolation, Drew Taggart regularly builds songs with outside collaborators, and Emily Warren and Ian Kirkpatrick appear repeatedly across the catalog. This team-writing approach is why most of the duo's tracks are credited as co-writes involving several names.

Sources

The Chainsmokers - Wikipedia Closer (The Chainsmokers song) - Wikipedia Don't Let Me Down (The Chainsmokers song) - Wikipedia Memories...Do Not Open - Wikipedia