Twenty One Pilots

Background information

Origin Columbus, Ohio, U.S.

Genres       

Alternative hip hop electropop indie pop pop rock rap rock alternative rock

Year started              2009–present

Labels                   Fueled by Ramen DCD2 WEA International Atlantic

Website                twentyonepilots.com

Members                Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun

Past members           Nick Thomas and Chris Salih

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Twenty One Pilots (stylized as twenty one pilots, and sometimes as twenty øne piløts) is an American musical duo originating from Columbus, Ohio. The band was formed in 2009 by lead vocalist Tyler Joseph along with former members Nick Thomas and Chris Salih, who left in 2011, and currently consists of Joseph and drummer Josh Dun. The duo rose to fame in the mid-2010s after several years of touring and independent releases.

They put out two self-released albums, Twenty One Pilots in 2009 and Regional at Best in 2011, before being signed by Fueled by Ramen in 2012. Their label debut, Vessel, was released in 2013. The duo achieved breakthrough success with their fourth album, Blurryface (2015), which produced the successful singles "Stressed Out" and "Ride". In addition, the single "Heathens", recorded for the soundtrack of the film Suicide Squad, made the group the first alternative artist to have two concurrent top ten singles in the U.S. The duo has won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.[

Tyler Joseph first met future bandmate Nicholas "Nick" Thomas at a young age in little league basketball. The two remained friends as Thomas transferred into Joseph's school for eighth grade and throughout the duration of high school as well.

Joseph began playing music after finding an old keyboard in his closet, a Christmas gift from his mother, and mimicking radio melodies.  After seeing a songwriter perform at a High Street club, Joseph rejected an opportunity to play basketball at Otterbein University, along with a scholarship to the university. From around 2007 to 2008, Joseph recorded a solo album entitled No Phun Intended in his basement. Nick Thomas contributed guitar to several songs on the album, and collaborated on the song "Trees", which was to become a signature Twenty One Pilots song.

While attending Ohio State University, Joseph met future bandmate Christopher Mark "Chris" Salih at a party. Salih came from a musical background and consulted Joseph about making music. Impressed by the homemade studio Salih had built into his basement, Joseph agreed and began sharing his ideas. Just before their first performance, Joseph invited childhood friend Thomas, who had never played the bass before, to join them as bassist.

In 2009, the group moved into a house of their own, where the first album was conceptualized and recorded in the basement. The band played local shows at clubs and venues around the area for a variety of audiences. Playing at metal, hardcore, and electronic venues influenced Joseph to experiment with these disparate styles with his songwriting, while playing for unfamiliar audiences pushed the band to experiment with costumes and acrobatics to capture their attention.

 

Now going by "Twenty One Pilots", the group released their debut, self-titled album, Twenty One Pilots, on December 29, 2009, and began touring the rest of Ohio. Their initial marketing was very grassroots; Joseph's mother would stand outside of Ohio State University giving away tickets to his shows. During this time, the band participated in "Battle of the Band" contests at The Alrosa Villa and The Basement,