For our midterm experience, Celebrity Interviewing, our class got to Skype with Drew Taggart of The Chainsmokers. Drew has been nominated for multiple Grammy’s and we asked him if he has prepared an acceptance speech yet. “I usually just wing it and tell Alex (Pall, the other half of the Chainsmokers) not to say anything.” Before concerts, he warms up with his drummer Matt (McGuire) and rehearses as many songs as he can for fifteen minutes. “It gets my heart pumping and my blood flowing.” The Chainsmokers have gone to many places on tour, but his favorite stop is Singapore. “I really want to go to Iceland.” When we asked him if he gets homesick he said that’s really just a rumor. “I like to go back to Maine once a year to make my mom think that I miss it.”
If he weren’t a musician, Drew said he would want to become an entrepreneur. “This comes from the fact that we run The Chainsmokers as if it were a business.” When we asked his advice on college, Drew, who went to Syracuse University, said that “college is a place where you communicate and bond with other people.” When we asked him to give us some college do’s and don’ts, he said, “Don’t go to an expensive school.” His recommendation was to pick a school based on their programs.
Even though it was really early in Los Angeles, when we talked to him, he still had a very vibrant personality. He told us his celebrity crush was Meryl Streep, “She’s the greatest actress in the world.” He also told us the paparazzi isn’t really a problem for him. “I guess because I’m not (Justin) Bieber getting back together with Selena (Gomez), I’m not the main topic of conversation with the paparazzi.” We were really touched when he told us his grandfather had Alzheimer’s and many of his family members died from cancer. “If I could donate millions to any cause it would be Alzheimer’s research because of that.” The highlight of our interview was when he sang The Killer’s “Mr. Brightside” with us although his favorite song he created was “Don’t Let Me Down”. “It’s the only song I wouldn’t have changed anything about after listening to it.” Overall, it was a great experience and we would like to thank Drew, Jen Calonita and Mrs. Roberts for making this happen.
