From their first show back in 2011 with an audience of twelve to now headlining tours
and playing festivals around the world, Twenty One Pilots is a band that you definitely want to
be aware of.
The Ohio-based Indie pop duo, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun boasts an impressively large
fan base, quickly gaining worldwide fame since their formation in 2011. While typically
classified as Indie pop with the use of drums and piano, the band also mixes in synthesizer and
occasionally ukulele.
Lead singer, Joseph, is also the band’s lyricist writing songs that he classifies as poetry.
Because sometimes his lyrics are too long, he often incorporates rapping with his singing. All of
this layered over an electric beat from 2014 AP Music Award Nominated drummer Dun, gives
the music a dance vibe.
The music of Twenty One Pilots is so popular because they send a positive message to
listeners promoting suicide awareness and overall happiness, telling fans to “stay alive” in
repeated songs and posts online. The topics discussed in the metaphor-ridden lyrics of Twenty
One Pilots captivate audiences around the globe and keep them coming back for more. The
interaction between the band and their fans is truly incredible considering their size. Joseph and
Dun make it a point to stick around after shows to meet fans, free of charge. Fan involvement is
so important that Twenty One Pilots’ biography on their website does not give information about
the band itself, but about the fan instead.
Basically, we are all responsible for the preservation of our personal joy; but happiness is
different. Joy is not circumstantial, happiness is. You can be depressed and still have
joy. You can be suicidal and still have joy. We all stop thinking and we all stop talking
and we all stop sharing and we all stop creating, because by doing any of these things we
quickly find out just how unhappy we are. But that’s okay. That’s normal. Don’t let the
fear of unhappiness cripple your pursuit of finding what it is you believe. Since joy is
found in belief, we all have to push through unhappiness to find joy.
Their rise in popularity truly came after the band played Lollapalooza in 2013. Fall 2013
Joseph and Dun began traveling around the country headlining a tour aptly called “trip for
concerts” where they gained a stronger fan base. They then proceeded to go back on tour around
America on “trip for concerts 2014.” There was a noticeable increase in popularity between
these two tours because I attended both and personally saw how well known Twenty One Pilots
had become. The first trip for concerts in Indianapolis was held in a venue that only a few
hundred people were at while the second was held where a few thousand people were present.
Since then, Twenty One Pilots have performed at Bonnaroo and Firefly music festivals
and just announced that they will be performing at Bunbury Music Festival this summer in their
home state, Ohio.
On Friday, February 27, Tyler Joseph announced through his Twitter and Instagram
accounts that the band has finished recording their next album. Surely this is a sign that release
dates are soon to follow!
Written by Fusion Alternative Blogger:Elizabeth Morales
