Twenty One Pilots

Josh Dun: Drums. (s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com (Unknown))

Have you heard of the famous up and coming band Twenty One Pilots? Twenty One Pilots originally consisted of three members Tyler Joseph, Nick Thomas, and Chris Salih. Tyler, Nick, and Chris decided to form the band in 2009, when they were still in high school. The band is from Columbus, Ohio, and had built a massive following across Ohio, and some of the Midwest. In December of 2009 they released their first official album titled Twenty One Pilots which shows their style of "Schizophrenic Pop." Then in 2011 Nick Thomas and Chris Salih decided to leave the band because they felt that they needed to pursue more important matters in their personal lives. Soon after that Nick and Chris were replaced by Josh Dun. The band now has four official albums, which are Twenty One Pilots (2009), Regional at Best (2011), Vessel (2013), and Blurryface (2015). In addition they have several EP's, and a single titled "Heathens" in the new 2016 movie Suicide Squad. In the band, Josh plays the drums, and Tyler sings, raps, plays piano, ukulele, bass, keytar, and tambourine. Now the band has a large fan base worldwide. They have been signed with their record label Fueled by Ramen since 2012. Twenty One Pilots was officially the first alternative band to have two concurrent Top Ten singles. The band Twenty One Pilots has relatable music that helps their fans, have a hit song titled "Stressed Out" that tackles a generations insecurities, and their faith influences their music.

Twenty One Pilots use their relatable music to help their struggling fans. Music in general gives us hope, meaning, comfort, and saves us from ourselves in our darkest times. Music shows us that we are truly not the only ones who are struggling, and when we listen and hear our stories being told back to us it helps us to deal with our fears. Twenty One Pilots "fuse mental torment with upbeat electronics to produce something everyone can enjoy, whether they understand the underlying messages or not" (Connolly). An example of how music can help those who are struggling is the song "Oh Miss Believer," because the lyrics hold strong emotion behind them. Also, the lyrics tell a story about personal battle, and according to fans the lyrics are easy to relate to their personal struggles that they have in life. "This is what Twenty One Pilots do: they take heavy stories and pin them against a colorful backdrop to appeal to both individuals and radio" (Connolly). In life we fear rejection, so we do not share our mental issues, but Twenty One Pilots is breaking this stigma through their music. In his music Tyler sings, screams, and writes about depression, anxiety, and death to show his pain. He does this to help his fans who struggle with mental illness, so that they do not feel alone. "Tyler writes music not only for himself, but for those who are drowning as well" (Connolly). This is how Twenty One Pilots, by their music, help fans who struggle with mental illness, and in the next paragraph it will talk about how "Stressed Out" tackles a generations insecurities.

Tyler Joseph: Lead singer, ukulele, piano. (-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com (Unknown ))

The hit song "Stressed Out" by Twenty One pilots tackles a generations insecurities. "Would you trade the ups-and-downs of adult life for a soothing lullaby in your childhood bedroom? That's the comforting fantasy that Twenty One Pilots conjure in "Stressed Out" (Friedersdorf). This song is considered to be the millennial anthem. "Stressed Out" is the millennial anthem, because in the song it talks about how fears, stress, insecurities, student loans, and adult responsibilities are causes of anxiety for many. A big component of the song "Stressed Out" is the character named Blurryface. As explained by Tyler Joseph Blurryface "represents all the things that I as an individual, but also everyone around me, are insecure about." The main theme throughout "Stressed Out" is that most wish that they could go back to simple easy times when our moms would sing us to sleep, and when we just played in our tree house homes. Instead of now being stressed out and worrying about what others say and think about our insecurities, and also dealing with our adult responsibilities like making money, paying off debt, and dealing with or fears or anxieties. This paragraph, talks about how "Stressed Out" serves as the voice of many millennials who would rather go back to their childhood than deal with adult life, and the next paragraph will share how faith influences Twenty One Pilots music.

A main influence in Twenty One Pilots music is their Christian faith. According to Tyler Joseph, although their faith is very important to them it has never been their "goal to stand up on a stage with a microphone and tell people what to believe." With that being said Tyler Joseph also states that "for me and my faith, it will always be a big part of my music, whether it's directly or indirectly." An example of their faith in their music is a quote from the song "Taxi Cab," which is "We're driving toward the morning sun where all your blood is washed away and all you did will be undone." This quote from their song is an example of their faith in their music because "driving toward the morning sun" symbolizes going to heaven, and "where all your blood is washed away and all you did will be undone" means Josh and Tyler believe that all of their sins will be forgiven if they ask, because Jesus died for us to be set free. Tyler's lyrics have hidden meaning for fans to relate to or feel connected to. Another example of faith in their music is a quote from their song "Doubt," which is "Repeating simple phrases, someone holy insisted, I want the markings made on my skin, to mean something to me again, hope you haven't left without me. Hope you haven't left without me, please." "Repeating simple phrases, someone holy insisted" is referencing bible verses shared by a pastor, God, a Disciple, etc., and "I want the markings made on my skin, to mean something to me again" is talking about Tyler's symbolic tattoos that sometimes lose their meaning when Tyler struggles with his depression. The lyrics "hope you haven't left without me. Hope you haven't left without me, please." is Tyler crying out to God when he feels that he may have lost focus on God or when he is struggling with hard times, and he doesn't want God to leave him. Twenty One Pilots faith is very important to them and is always present in whatever they create, and now the conclusion will summarize the main points.

Twenty One Pilots help struggling fans through their music, because they give comfort to those who struggle with mental illness with their relatable lyrics. Tyler uses his pain to help others in pain through his music. The hit song "Stressed Out" gives comfort and a voice to those that feel like they would rather go back to childhood, instead of dealing with all of their adult fears, worries, and anxieties. Twenty One Pilots use their Christian faith to give their lyrics meaning and use symbolism in their lyrics, because their faith is important to them and their work. The band Twenty One Pilots has relatable music that helps their fans, have a hit song titled "Stressed Out" that tackles a generations insecurities, and their faith influences their music. This research shows that the band Twenty One Pilots uses relatable lyrics to help those tormented by mental illness; they use the song "Stressed Out" to share about how we all want to be older until we actually are, and that their faith is the basis of many meaningful lyrics in their work.