Since they entered the scene back in 2009, Twenty One Pilots found a string of success. What was their first ever song?
The first song released by Twenty One Pilots was Implicit Demand for Proof. This track featured at the number one slot on their debut, self-titled album in 2009.
Read on to learn more about Twenty One Pilots’ musical history.
Early Inspiration
The name for Twenty One Pilots was reportedly derived from an old play, All My Sons. In this play, twenty one pilots are killed – thus the name. While relatively new to the scene when compared to similar artists, Twenty One Pilots has seen great success during their time.
In the earlier days, the group (which has mostly been a duo over time) allegedly struggled to find their ‘sound’. They transitioned from genre to genre, playing at various venues around their hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
This led to some disparate lyrics and unbalanced songs, in turn giving the band a need to work harder for their fans. In December of 2009, the original band released their first album, Twenty One Pilots. This debut experienced minor local – or ‘grassroots’ – success, and the band began to tour.
The band experimented with social media, deciding to upload music to a Soundcloud account. At the time, the band consisted of Tyler Joseph, Nick Thomas and Chris Salih. However, by 2011, Twenty One Pilots would be reduced to the format it would come to be recognized as: a duo.
From 2011 onwards, Tyler Joseph would be joined by Josh Dun, a drummer. While the previous members would retain their loyalty to the band through other means – mostly production – the music was left to the new duo.
Later Success
Their first album may have been self-titled, produced and released, but by 2020 Twenty One Pilots would have a further four studio albums. They found substantial success in the industry, being nominated for and winning many awards. In 2017, they won a Grammy for Best Pop Duo Performance.
The pair were even working fervently during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, while under lockdown. The musical duo were shaping out a new song, experimenting with fresh instruments and a different sound.
Apparently, the main inspiration behind the desire to release the track was philanthropic. The pair stated they wished to donate portions of the money raised from the sale of the track to charity. More specifically, a charity that was supporting out of work crews at the time, those who would usually work with musicians behind the scenes.
In April, Tyler Joseph uploaded a Tweet, stating that the song “should just come out now”, and explained that it was the first song he’d ever written on electric guitar.
By 2020, the duo would have almost three billion views on YouTube alone. This figure came in alongside massive streaming numbers on platforms such as Spotify and Apple. They had a strong and dedicated fanbase, and were always reaching out and relating to them. You can see their most popular video here.
However, there was a chance that it might never have been. Arguably the lead of the duo, Tyler Joseph may not have got into music at all if not for chance itself. When Tyler was growing up, he reportedly had quite strict parents.
They wanted him to succeed in sports, and coached him relentlessly in basketball. He explained in interviews that he’d need to make hundreds of basketball shots every night – before he could even eat dinner.
Ultimately, he was offered a scholarship at a university, but dropped out and decided to follow music for good. His parents initially disapproved, never having liked their son’s taste in music. Although, everything worked out for the better, considering Twenty One Pilots’ subsequent success.