A junior is trying to bring the Chainsmokers to UNC

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misstated the booking estimate, which was attributed to a Chainsmokers booking agent. Hussey has not spoken with a booking agent. The story has been updated to reflect that change. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes.

The Jubilee concert is not until the spring, but one UNC Chapel Hill student is already working on who he — and several thousand other students — wants to perform.

JP Hussey is a junior business major from Severna Park, Maryland, and he is trying to bring the Chainsmokers to Chapel Hill.

The Chainsmokers are an American EDM DJ group consisting of Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall. The group, which formed in 2012, have hits including “Closer,” “Don’t Let Me Down” and “Roses.”

Hussey said the idea started when he made a Facebook post about the Chainsmokers and how it would be cool to have them as the Jubilee concert. The post garnered a lot of likes and comments from people who wanted it to happen.

On Thursday, Hussey decided to make an official Facebook event for people to express interest in bringing the Chainsmokers to UNC.

The page started getting attention as soon as it was made, Hussey said. He said he made the page at 2 p.m., and by 7 p.m. the event already had around 1,200 people either going or interested.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the event had 1,400 people listed as interested and 1,100 listed as going.

“I was like, wow, you know maybe it’s worth looking into. I reached out to CUAB’s president and started working my network to find connections to the Chainsmokers,” he said. “I also reached out to Wake Forest because they had a concert with them last April and just started to work any angle I could find.”

Hussey said he has been trying to get the Jubilee date from Carolina Union Activities Board to give to the Chainsmokers’ booking agent. Further, he has been trying to facilitate the partnership, pursuing the Chainsmokers’ availability to give to CUAB.

Hussey said that it was still too early to tell what the outcome would be, but said he thinks it’s possible as the Chainsmokers won’t be touring and will be in America next April.

“I think the biggest thing it comes down to is if CUAB is willing to do it and if the Chainsmokers are willing to come do it," he said. "I don’t think it’s a question of whether Carolina has the infrastructure to do it; I think we are fully capable of doing it.”

As of press time, CUAB President Neil Harwani was not available for an interview.

Student response to having the Chainsmokers for the Jubilee concert was mostly positive.

Silas Anderson, a junior economics major, said he thinks booking the Chainsmokers is a great idea.

“They are wildly popular right now, and they could be the type of artists that would be willing to perform at a university,” he said.

And Sarah Hinson, a senior double majoring in exercise and sports science and political science, said the Chainsmokers aren’t her number one choice — that spot goes to Chance the Rapper — but she would still be excited to see them.

“I hope it works out,” she said. “I really like their music and think it would be an awesome concert.”

While none of the responses were against having the Chainsmokers, some were more in support of having any performer, as long as they were popular, for the Jubilee concert.

Madi Casey, a junior majoring in exercise and sports science said she’d love Beyoncé to perform.

“I think that having any big name performer at UNC would be great, whether you love their music or not,” she said.

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