Thomas contributed guitar to several songs on the album, and collaborated with Joseph on the track 'Trees', which would later become a signature song for the band. In 2007, Joseph released a solo EP, No Phun Intended, in his parents' basement. Joseph began playing music after finding an old keyboard inside his closet, a Christmas gift he received from his mother, and began mimicking radio melodies. Thomas later transferred to Joseph's middle school, and the two would remain friends throughout high school. Tyler Joseph first met future bandmate Nick Thomas at a young age while playing youth basketball in Columbus, Ohio. History 2009–2011: Formation and self-titled album 1 songs on the Alternative Songs chart, making them the artist with the fourth-most number-one songs on the chart, just below Linkin Park. The duo have released six studio albums in total, with the latest being Scaled and Icy, released on May 21, 2021. The release of the single 'Heathens' also made the group the first alternative artist in history to have two concurrent top five singles in the Billboard Hot 100 and the third rock act in history to have two singles simultaneously chart in the top five of the Billboard Hot 100, joining the Beatles and Elvis Presley. The duo achieved breakthrough success with their fourth album, Blurryface (2015), which produced the successful singles 'Stressed Out' and 'Ride' and became the first album on which every track received at least a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America.

Their label debut, Vessel, was released in 2013 and became the second album in history on which every track received at least a gold certification, making Twenty One Pilots the first band in the history of music to see every song on two albums earn gold or platinum awards. The band independently released two albums, Twenty One Pilots (2009) and Regional at Best (2011), before being signed by record label Fueled by Ramen in 2012. The group received a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards for 'Stressed Out'. The duo is best known for their singles ' Stressed Out', ' Ride', and ' Heathens'.

Since their departure, the line-up has consisted of Joseph and drummer Josh Dun. Initially a band, the group was formed in 2009 by lead vocalist Tyler Joseph along with Nick Thomas and Chris Salih, who both left in 2011. Twenty One Pilots (stylized in all lowercase, as twenty øne piløts or twenty | one | pilots) are an American musical duo from Columbus, Ohio.

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