Twenty One Pilots

twenty one pilots (also stylized as twenty øne piløts, TWENTY ØNE PILØTS, twenty | one | pilots, and TØP) is a musical duo consisting of American musician Tyler Joseph and his best friend Josh Dun, who plays the drums and trumpet. The band's genre is hard to pin down, but it can best be described as indie pop with elements of rap, hip hop, and rock. Fans have coined their own genre for the band's music, calling it "Schizoid Pop."

The name "twenty one pilots" was inspired by Arthur Miller's 1947 play, *All My Sons*, which is about a man whose decision to send out defective airplane parts for the benefit of his business and family leads to the death of twenty-one pilots during World War II. The band's interest lies in the moral choices and consequences depicted in the play. They are dedicated to exploring the ongoing struggle between man and mental illness. Their official website previously stated: "Basically, we are all responsible for the preservation of our personal joy; but happiness is different. Joy is not circumstantial, happiness is."

twenty one pilots' lyrics often reference the theme of overcoming depression and finding one's own purpose, something the lead singer famously said is achieved by 'creating something only you understand.'

The group was originally formed in 2009 and initially had three members: current frontman Tyler Joseph, drummer Chris Salih, and guitarist Nick Thomas. In 2011, both Nick and Chris left the band, making way for traveling band member Josh Dun from House of Heroes. Later that year, they signed with Fueled By Ramen, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records.

Before forming twenty one pilots, Joseph released a solo album titled *No Phun Intended*. Some of twenty one pilots' lyrics are drawn from Tyler's earlier work on this project. Their lyrics also allude to and include aspects of their Christian faith, which is significant to both members of the band.

So far, twenty one pilots has released six albums: *twenty one pilots*, *Regional at Best*, *Vessel*, *Blurryface*, *Trench*, and *Scaled And Icy*, along with a single for the 2016 film *Suicide Squad* titled “Heathens,” “Level of Concern,” holiday single “Christmas Saves the Year,” and a cover of the My Chemical Romance song “Cancer.” In addition to these, there are several songs and covers attributed to the band that are not part of any officially released album.

In March 2018, *Blurryface* became the first full-length album where every track achieved at least gold status when “Hometown” went gold. In July 2019, the group achieved another milestone by becoming the first band to have every song on two albums go gold or platinum when *Vessel’s* “Truce” was certified gold.

On February 22, 2024, the duo released a video titled “I Am Clancy,” followed by a music video for the song “Overcompensate” from their fifth studio album *Clancy*, which is expected to release on May 24.