The Chainsmokers independent era has begun. Alex Pall and Drew Taggart have ended their 11-year run with Disruptor Records, a Sony subsidiary, and started their own label, Secondhand Happiness. They are marking the move with a new single, 'Baby', which arrived on Friday.
At a glance
- Who: The Chainsmokers, Alex Pall and Drew Taggart
- What: A move to independence and a new label, Secondhand Happiness
- First release: The single 'Baby', with vocals by Ilsey Juber
- Previous label: Disruptor Records, working with Columbia, since 2015
What we know
The duo announced the change with a message thanking their team at Columbia and Disruptor for more than a decade of work. They said they have no idea what to expect from the next chapter, but that they are excited to have fun and experiment with their new music. They also admitted they owe fans some records.
The Chainsmokers signed with Disruptor and their former manager Adam Alpert in 2015. Since then they have gone from internet remix act to global headliners, with hits such as 'Closer', 'Don't Let Me Down' and 'Something Just Like This'. They have also collected billions of streams, Grammy wins and headline festival slots around the world. If you are planning your own festival season, see our guide to the best EDM festivals in Europe.
The split with the old setup appears to have started in 2025, when the pair dissolved their long-standing management relationship with Alpert. Their last official project under the Disruptor and Columbia deal was The Love Is Kind EP, released in May 2026.
Going independent gives them more flexibility over how and when they release music. It also gives them full ownership of their recordings.
The new single
'Baby' is the first release on Secondhand Happiness. It features long-time collaborator Ilsey Juber, who has co-written songs including 'Roses' and 'All The Time'. It is described as an upbeat break-up song with a touch of nostalgia from the duo's early days.
Pall also wrote about the change in a LinkedIn post. He said the team around the group had changed a lot recently, and that bringing in people without years of history in how things are supposed to work had been interesting to watch. He stressed that the people they worked with before were great and that this was not about anyone doing a bad job. Sometimes, he wrote, it is just time to shake things up.
Why it matters
When one of the best-known acts in dance-leaning pop leaves a major-label structure, it shows how much control artists now want over their own catalogues. For fans, the practical result is simple: the duo say they plan to release more music, with less pressure to follow a set formula.
It also marks the end of a long partnership that shaped a big part of the 2010s pop-dance sound. What the Chainsmokers do with that freedom is the question to watch over the coming months.
