DALLAS, TX - At the PPA Finals in San Clemente, spectator and recreational pickleball player, Lucy Martin (@_ilikelucy), was watching the women’s doubles gold medal match at Life Time when she suddenly recognized a familiar song blasting from the speakers.

The song was “Love Life” by party pop band, Con Bro Chill, a group led by Martin’s brothers. She used to be a back-up singer and dancer for the group, too.

 

“It took me a minute, but when I realized it was my brother’s song, I was shocked,” said Martin.

Why so taken aback, you ask? Because Con Bro Chill broke up nearly a decade ago and never achieved the commerical success they'd hoped for.

Simply put, the band wasn't exactly a household name.

“‘Love Life’ was our concert closer when we played live. I used to perform the song on tour every night. I was so shocked hearing the song because Con Bro Chill is kind of dead,” said Martin. “It’s so irrelevant nine years later.”

DJ Selkirk even played the whole track, too, from the moment the match ended to the trophy presentation.

Martin couldn’t believe it, so she asked to be introduced to the PPA Tour's resident music and entertainment expert.

DJ Selkirk was thrilled to meet Martin since he was a fan of the band back in the day.

“I’ve been listening to Con Bro Chill for years. Their music is so upbeat and fun. I’ve made it a bit of a tradition to play three of their songs at the end of every single tournament — ‘Love Life,’ ‘We Came to Party,’ and ‘Partied Out’— because they’re perfectly suited for the end of an amazing Championship Sunday,” he explained.

Martin actually wrote "We Came to Party" so DJ Selkirk was ecstatic to announce that she was in attendance.

“Our band had such a cult following, and it was very niche,” said Martin, baffled that DJ Selkirk was familiar with their work. “We had a very dedicated following that would dress up and come to the shows, but nothing of ours made it to the radio. Nothing ever popped off as we wanted, and we eventually dispersed into our separate lives. My brothers have kids and we’ve all moved on.”

DJ Selkirk shared with Martin that one of his favorite tracks was “In Sie Cloob.”

“It's like the dumbest song in the world. It’s about a Belgian boy who’s trying to be cool, goes to the club, makes Belgian waffles, and then gives them away to people at the club,” said Martin with a chuckle. “When we would perform live, we would throw waffles at the audience.”

While Con Bro Chill has some catchy beats and easy-to-sing-along-to lyrics, it’s their music videos and live performances that really curated their fan base. The band wore eccentric neon outfits, and had choreographed dance numbers with props like massive balloons and hoverboards. It was whacky and zany, and made listeners want to bust a move.

“We were like an entertainment experience. It wasn’t as much about the songs as much as it was about the experience you got to have with us. It was pure joy, love, and laughter,” described Martin. “The live experience was so special because it felt like you were a part of something.”

After hearing “Love Life” on-site, Martin was convinced that Con Bro Chill and America's fastest-growing sport go hand in hand.

“It makes complete sense that Con Bro Chill and pickleball were put together because our band was so accessible, super fun, and anyone could latch on and love it. The music was funny and delightful, and to me, that’s pickleball,” shared Martin. “Pickleball is so diverse, and anyone can play it at any stage of life. That was Con Bro Chill. We had old and young. Anyone could show up and have the best time — it was so magnetically fun. It’s like recess for adults.”

Now, Martin is hoping to group can reunite to perform at a tournament. While nothing is set in stone yet, she remains optimistic.

Now that her brothers are fathers, they'd surely want their children to see them on stage, right? Sam Martin even went on to write chart-topping songs for Maroon 5, Jason Derulo, David Guetta, and many others.

“We could totally write a song for pickleball. It would be a balance to not make it cheesy, but still funny and fun,” said Martin. “It was so amazing to be there with this new sport that gives me so much joy. It was like my worlds colliding. I was laughing so hard because no one should know this band.”

Consider pickleball players their new niche audience... and now I can’t get “Love Life” song out of my head.