Masterminding hits like “Don’t Let Me Down” and “Closer”, The Chainsmokers have set the world alight with their electro-pop tunes. But before their successes on the music charts, did you know that they got their start from making remixes of indie bands? It is a humble beginning for the EDM-pop duo, one which they are paying homage to with their new collaboration with the beer brand Heineken.
The two are partnering to deliver the “Refresh Your Music, Refresh Your Nights” campaign in Asia. The campaign is intended to give fans of different cultures and tribes a platform to come together to expand their music tastes.
As part of the collaboration, the campaign will feature four artists from Southeast Asia — Thu Minh and Karik from Vietnam and Yunohoo and NYK from Malaysia. The artists will do their own remixes of The Chainsmokers’ hit songs, incorporating their distinctive style to refresh the duo’s iconic music.
Thu Minh, Vietnam’s “Queen of Dance Pop”, will bring her Soprano C singing voice to the table alongside hip-hop artist Karik, credited with bringing underground rap to mainstream Vietnamese pop culture. Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Yunohoo and NYK will inject touches of hip-hop and R&B into the songs with their roots in hip-hop and experimental music.
We had the opportunity to talk with The Chainsmokers about the campaign with Heineken and how the crossing of cultures may help influence their work.
What does ‘refreshing’ music mean to you? And in what ways do you think The Chainsmokers try to keep their songs’ refreshing’?
Music has and will always be our passion; it inspires us in so many different ways. We really
identified with the message of the campaign and knew straight away that we had to partner with Heineken. Through this campaign, Heineken wants to unite people of different tastes and cultures together through their shared love for music, and that life tastes better with an open mind, whether in daily life or music preferences, and we love that! Music really does unite everyone!
Given that the campaign is centred around cross-genre collaborations, are there any other genres of music you’d be interested in venturing into other than electro-pop?
We are always interested in drawing inspiration from different genres.
Music transcends all boundaries; that’s why together with Heineken, we aspire to celebrate diversity and bring people from multiple cultures and backgrounds closer together and inspire everyone to be more open-minded. We want to introduce fans to new genres of music and new artists too!
What are some of the songs which we can look forward to being ‘refreshed’ by the local artists?
Locally renowned artists from across the region have been ‘refreshing’ some of our hit songs, and we look forward to fans hearing them for the first time in full at the Heineken’s Refresh events on the 9th and 10th of December.
Plus, we can’t wait to hear what fans think about the refreshed tracks.
Have you come across any renditions of your songs online that you personally love?
We’ve really enjoyed working with up-and-coming artists in Malaysia and Vietnam, and we’re so impressed with their takes on the tracks. For us, what we love about music has always been how it can transcend languages, borders and cultures to bring people together. We’ve really enjoyed being able to collaborate with local artists from different parts of the world.
How does it feel like to be performing in Asia again after the pandemic?
Andrew Taggart: Where do I start? I am so stoked to come back after so many years. I am impressed by the ever-growing Asian music scene and can’t wait to perform here again.
Alex Pall: Well firstly, I love the food here, especially the Pho! The audiences are awesome; the energy of the music fans is beyond amazing and authentic. It’s fantastic to witness the enthusiasm for dance music across the region, and we’re expecting amazing crowds.
Could this cross-genre collaboration inspire more cross-genre work from The Chainsmokers as well?
We just recently released the lo-fi remix version of our album “So Far So Good”, and we are big fans of reimagining our songs and other artists’ songs, so keep an eye out! We never stop touring, so we will be playing all over the world as usual again in 2023.
The campaign’s grand finale will see The Chainsmokers headline concerts in Genting Highlands, Malaysia, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on 9 December and 10 December, respectively. The shows will also see the featured local artists perform their refreshed renditions alongside The Chainsmokers for fans to savour.
Fans in Malaysia and Vietnam can also participate in the campaign their own way! Malaysians can co-create a playlist on Spotify with a friend to discover and enjoy what they listen to, while those in Vietnam can take the opportunity to experience a playlist that will refresh and add more genres of music for them to discover.
Speaking of new genres, be sure to check out the lo-fi remix version of their latest album, “So Far So Good”, to experience their music differently!
Visuals courtesy of Heineken.
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