Twenty One Pilots became one of the most talked about bands of 2016, with many of their hit songs topping the charts, the release of the Suicide Squad track “Heathens,” their Emotional Roadshow tour, and so much more bringing them to the top.
The duo –consisting of singer and pianist Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun– had been in the public eye before with some of their 2013 hits such as “Car Radio,” and “Holding On To You,” being played on the radio, but what they experienced in 2016 changed their publicity level for the better.
“They became one of the most well known bands there currently is,” said Ashley, a Perkiomen Valley student and avid fan of Twenty One Pilots. “They were fourth most listened to on Spotify. They made it.”
It started with “Stressed Out” topping the charts. The single was #1 the Billboard rock chart for 23 weeks. Throughout the year, the song “Ride” began to play on the radio, which later took the #2 spot on the chart. The duo also released a track on June 16th, 2016 titled “Heathens,” which would also be featured in Suicide Squad, the DC super villain movie. This single came in on the #3 spot on the same chart. Along with creating songs topping the charts, the twosome also won many awards throughout the year. Tyler Joseph was pronounced the top songwriter of the year on Billboard’s Hot 100 list, and the duo also received two awards at the American Music Awards (AMAs): Favorite Pop/Rock Group and Favorite Alternative Rock Artist. They also received two awards at the Billboard Music Awards: Top Rock Artist and Top Rock Album for Blurryface.
2016 marked the beginning of Twenty One Pilots’ biggest world tour, the Emotional Roadshow. The first show was on May 31st and will continue until April 8th of 2017. Many fans of the band enjoyed the show tremendously, as fans were able to watch the twosome live.
“They came to Europe and I got to see them play in Brussels, Europe,” said Robin (asked to leave out last name), a long time fan of Twenty One Pilots. “It was one of the best times of my life.”
On December 19th of 2016, Twenty One Pilots released an EP with Mutemath, and the two bands collaborated to recreate songs on the Blurryface album, including “Heavydirtysoul,” “Ride,” “Tear In My Heart,” and “Lane Boy.” “Heathens” was also featured on the EP.
“They basically recreated better versions of the songs,” said Sean Matthews. “I still love the originals, but Mutemath pretty much enhanced their songs.”
Most fans are happy for the duo’s success, but some fans are unhappy with the new audience that has entered the fan base known as the “clique.”
“I’m fine with the new fans, but some people are pretending that they’re fans and it’s really annoying,” said Tanya Barker, a fan of Twenty One Pilots.
It was a successful year for Twenty One Pilots, and hopefully there’s more to come for them in 2017.