The Chainsmokers Go Independent After 11 Years, Release First Single Under New Chapter

The Chainsmokers have entered a new chapter in their music career, announcing their departure from Columbia/Disruptor Records after 11 years and releasing their first single of the independent era.

The electronic music duo, comprising Alex Pall and Drew Taggart, announced the decision on October 13, 2026, thanking the teams that supported them throughout their longstanding relationship with the label. Three days later, on October 16, they released “BABY,” marking an early milestone in their new phase.

The announcement signals a significant change for an act that became one of the most commercially successful electronic music acts of the 2010s.

The end of an 11-year partnership

The Chainsmokers’ relationship with Columbia/Disruptor began in 2015, during the period when the duo was expanding its reach beyond dance music audiences and into mainstream pop.

Their catalogue includes international hits such as “Roses,” “Don’t Let Me Down,” “Closer” featuring Halsey and “Something Just Like This” with Coldplay.

In 2017, the duo won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording for “Don’t Let Me Down,” featuring Daya, further establishing its position in electronic music.

In announcing their departure, Pall and Taggart expressed gratitude to the people they had worked with over the past decade while confirming that they would now operate as independent artists.

The duo also indicated that it was looking forward to experimenting with upcoming releases, although it did not publicly disclose all the details of its new business and distribution arrangements.

‘BABY’ opens the next chapter

The release of “BABY” on October 16 gave the duo an immediate musical project around which to begin its independent era.

The single is credited to Secondhand Happiness, Inc., marking a new stage in the way the duo is presenting its music following its departure from Columbia/Disruptor.

The release does not, by itself, establish how the pair will handle every aspect of future projects. Independent artists can still work with outside distributors, marketing companies and other service providers without remaining under a traditional recording contract.

For The Chainsmokers, the coming releases should provide a clearer picture of how the transition will affect their sound, promotional strategy and relationship with their global audience.

What independence means for The Chainsmokers

Leaving a longstanding label partnership can give established artists greater flexibility over their creative decisions, release schedules and commercial arrangements. However, independence can also bring additional responsibility for financing projects, coordinating distribution and sustaining promotional campaigns.

The Chainsmokers enter this phase with advantages that many emerging independent artists are still trying to build: an established international audience, a recognisable catalogue and years of experience releasing music at a global scale.

Their challenge will be to maintain that reach while determining which business arrangements best support their next phase.

The move also follows an earlier change in their professional relationships. Music-industry reports indicated that Pall and Taggart ended their management relationship with Disruptor founder Adam Alpert in 2025.

The label departure should not be confused with a breakup between the two musicians. The announcement concerns their professional arrangement with Columbia/Disruptor, rather than the end of the duo itself.

A new direction for the electronic duo

The Chainsmokers have not publicly outlined every detail of their long-term independent strategy, leaving questions about future distribution, marketing and creative plans unanswered.

What is clear is that the duo intends to continue releasing music. With “BABY” providing an early marker of the transition, its next projects will help show how Pall and Taggart intend to build on their previous success outside their longtime label arrangement.

After 11 years with Columbia/Disruptor, The Chainsmokers are beginning a new phase of their career. Whether independence brings a major creative shift or primarily changes how they manage their releases remains to be seen.