Chainsmokers to perform at edge of space in 2024 flight
NEW YORK — One of The Chainsmokers’ latest hits is High, and they’re hoping to live up to their lyrics.
The hit-making duo of Drew Taggart and Alex Pall have signed up to get into a pressurized capsule tethered to a stratospheric balloon in a few years and perform about 35 kilometres above the Earth.
The feat would make Taggart and Pall the first musical artists to perform at the edge of space, said Ryan Hartman, chief executive officer at fledgling space tourism company World View, to the Associated Press.
World View says The Chainsmokers will be on one of the company’s inaugural flights slated for 2024 and will record a performance from inside the capsule, giving viewers the ability to experience the music and the trip firsthand.
“We have always dreamed of going to space and are stoked to collaborate with World View to have this adventure and experience,” said The Chainsmokers in a statement. “We know the views of both Earth and space are going to be incredible and inspiring and we hope to leverage this flight for creativity on future projects.”
The Chainsmokers have had five Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hits, including Closer, Paris, Don’t Let Me Down and Something Just Like This with Coldplay in 2017.
Hartman said while most of the people who have made space flights are scientists and engineers, World View hopes sending up artists might “inspire them to do something different than they would have otherwise done.”
“We think about inspiring new perspectives and how those new perspectives can lead to a radically improved future for our Earth,” said Hartman. “To be able to reach the audience of The Chainsmokers through Alex and Drew’s work contributes to our mission as well. It’s something that I’m personally inspired by and excited about.”
World View is part of a new wave of private space exploration firms offering seats to the public, a list that includes Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic and SpaceX.