As Cornell’s student DJ competition came to a close, those in Willard Straight Hall anxiously waited to hear who the next Slope Day headliner would be. With recent artists such as Gunna, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie and COIN, there was much speculation as to who the next artist would be. Rumors of Zara Larsson and Metro Boomin circulated on student forums. However, eagle-eyed fans of The Chainsmokers found that the group’s Higher Education tour conveniently had its location blacked out for May 6, the exact date of Slope Day. As the time ticked down, it was made official that the 2026 lead artist for Slope Day would indeed be the Grammy Award-Winning duo, with fellow Grammy winner Daya as the special guest.
The electronic duo, consisting of Alex Pall and Drew Taggart, make their way to Ithaca as the group The Chainsmokers. Their selection as the Slope Day headliner signifies a shift away from the recent trend of hip hop and rap artists. In addition to the aforementioned performers, Cornell has seen the likes of Ken Carson and Ty Dolla $ign come to campus, both of whom are rappers. Four of the last five Slope Day artists have been in the hip hop and rap genres. The Chainsmokers break this trend as an EDM-pop duo, which is a much-needed change of pace.
While a large portion of the Cornell populace enjoys hip hop and rap, students who are fans of unrepresented musical genres feel that they are not being catered to by the selection committee. Last year, Kehlani offered a different genre of music until her untimely departure from the headlining slot. The selection of The Chainsmokers by the Slope Day Programming Board is a wise choice to appeal to a subset of students who have felt dissatisfied in previous years, especially with a rap concert by Ty Dolla $ign occurring just weeks prior. Even for those who enjoy hip hop and rap, they can also appreciate a change in musical style.
The unfortunate continued trend seen in the committee’s selection of The Chainsmokers is choosing artists who are past their prime. 10 years ago, this would’ve been a huge accomplishment from the committee. However, the year is 2026, not 2016. Furthermore, Cornell is just one more stop on The Chainsmokers' college campus tour. Rarely has it been in the history of Slope Day that the artist chosen was in their prime; however, chances taken on up-and-coming artists have typically worked out in Cornell’s favor. 2013’s Slope Day was headlined by Kendrick Lamar, 2010’s by Drake and 2004’s by Kanye West. Last year, the committee’s selection of Kehlani was in a similar vein, aiming to get a popular artist before they became too mainstream. Rumors of Zara Larsson would’ve offered another opportunity to get an up-and-coming artist at Cornell. Instead, The Chainsmokers fall into the same category as Flo Rida and Ludacris, as established older artists in the field, coming to Cornell to perform decade-old songs. Despite this, the decision to pivot back to the electronic and dance genre does compensate slightly for the older nature of this year's artists.
The choice raises questions about what the main draw of this year's Slope Day is meant to be. The Chainsmokers currently boast nearly 50 million monthly listeners on Spotify; however, a large majority of those are from songs pushing double digits in age. Their most recent album release, So Far So Good, in 2022, failed to crack the Top 100 on the U.S. charts, peaking at 106. The Chainsmokers are not releasing new music that is turning people into fans; they are relying on nostalgia to stay relevant. The intention is to ‘turn back the clock’ 10 years to 2016 with this Slope Day selection. Benefiting from nostalgia is not inherently bad, and when 2016 music is brought up, The Chainsmokers must be among the first names mentioned. However, because timelier options were available, there are still some gripes with the selection of a group that rarely releases new tracks.
Despite this, initial hype appears to be widespread. It is only a matter of weeks now until hit tracks like “Closer” and “Don’t Let Me Down” will be ringing out at the foot of the Slope. Regardless of who the artist was, the atmosphere and freedom of Slope Day are the biggest draws, and it will be as lively as ever this year. Whether people’s hype is generated by nostalgia for a better time or by current listeners of the duo, The Chainsmokers will be the most anticipated event on campus this year. So, as “I've been reading books of old / The legends and the myths” in anticipation of this year's Slope Day, turning back time 10 years with The Chainsmokers leaves me wanting “Something Just Like This.”
Brayden Rogers is a member of the Class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is a columnist for the Arts & Culture department and can be reached at brogers@cornellsun.com.
