In front of an audience of 50,000, Twenty One Pilots (stylized twentyøne piløts) lead singer and songwriter Tyler Joseph nightly spits lyrical fire, rapping “The start of a day when we put on our face, A mask that portrays that we don’t need grace... /I’m afraid to tell you who I adore, won’t tell you who I’m singing towards” from the song “Ode To Sleep” from their third album, "Vessel."
The hip-hop/rock/pop/electro (subgenered as “schizopop”) duo of Tyler Joseph and drummer Joshua Dun have been asked the question by so many fans and reporters, “Is Twenty One Pilots a 'Christian' band?” While many of the lyrics by Twenty One Pilots are theologically based, the band is not a Christian band. Dun has ties as a touring drummer to the inactive Christian rock act “House of Heroes” and Joseph has contributed to a few tracks for Five14 Church's worship albums as a writer/producer.
The name Twenty One Pilots is drawn from a moral debate in Arthur Millers "All My Sons," a book Tyler Joseph studied in high school. Twenty One Pilots is one of the most popular acts signed to the secular record label “Fueled by Ramen” which produces many modern artists including fun., Paramore and Panic! At The Disco. They aren’t booked Christian events and don’t draw a primarily religious crowd, yet it is easily noticeable the genius in their refusal to call Twenty One Pilots a “Christian” act.
Joseph and Dun can be considered preachers. The genius in their approach to their shows is that the tens of thousands of kids who are unsuspectingly being lead to the beauty of the Gospel as a tool to find comfort against the darker subjects in Twenty One Pilots' music, such as suicidal thoughts, insecurities and depression. In the penultimate album closer of Vessel, Joseph puts himself in Adam’s shoes in the Garden of Eden,
“Why won't you speak
Where I happen to be?
Silent
In the trees
Standing cowardly”
—"Trees" from "Vessel"
Joseph and Dun, both practicing Christians, were raised Christian and grew up in a culture that force fed religion to adolescents in the 90s. The difference in their approach is that Joseph’s lyrics urge their audience to think about larger subjects.
“Lyrics that mean nothing we were gifted with thought
Is it time to move our feet to an introspective beat?
It ain't the speakers that bump hearts,
It's our hearts that make the beat.”
—"Holding Onto" You from "Vessel"
Their “closet Christian” approach is not new to the music industry, as other bands such as Skillet, Switchfoot and Reliant K have also gained a large secular fan base while being theologically based in their music. Twenty One Pilots makes parables of their songs, going to the level of their audience, meeting them where they are, to guide them to the comfort of Christianity. Neither Joseph nor Dun are publicly extravagant about their faith, and will rarely bring their beliefs up until encouraged by fans or asked by an unsuspecting reporter. Despite being strangely deleted, an Instagram post from singer Tyler Joseph is a rare glimpse into the inspiration of faith in Twenty One Pilots.
Twenty One Pilots' unique sound, relatable subject matter and overall performance style appeals to a large audience, being guided to a deeper meaning behind the lyrics that Tyler Joseph raps each night. The revolutionary style of Twenty One Pilots has opened the door for a changing enviornment of both pop and religious music.
