I was sitting in my high school's band room, like every other weekday morning, when my best friend walked into the band room with his headphones on, and, like every other weekday morning, flashed a peace sign to everyone in the room. This time though, after he put his books in his locker, he plopped down next to me and asked, "Have you ever heard of the band Twenty One Pilots?" I had, from my boyfriend at the time, but had never paid much attention.
So, on the bus home that day, I searched Twenty One Pilots on Spotify and started listening. Everything changed for me. I had never heard anything like this sort of music before. The actual music was alternative, which I liked, but Tyler Joseph, the lead singer, sometimes rapped and sometimes sang. It wasn't normal rapping. The lyrics were absolutely beautiful. He talked about his struggles, fear, depression and anxiety, in ways that I had never heard before. Even as someone who hasn't personally experienced depression, the lyrics touched me.
What Tyler and Josh try to convey through their music is that though everything looks good on the outside, there can be problems lying beneath the surface. There are certain songs that are upbeat and make you want to dance, but the lyrics are about struggling to live in a world without darkness. In one of my favorite songs by them, "Not Today," Tyler sings, "Listen, I know this one's a contradiction because of how happy it sounds / But the lyrics are so down / It's OK though, because it represents, better yet, it is, / Who I feel I am right now."
I started listening to Twenty One Pilots every day on the bus to and from school. They were there for everything. They were my connection to my boyfriend when we were having problems. They helped me through those problems. They brought me closer to my friends. We would sit in the band room every morning listening to "Vessel" on repeat and talking about what Tyler and Josh had tweeted the night before.
I was never allowed to go to general admission concerts, but when I found out they were coming to my area, my parents let me go because they knew how much Twenty One Pilots meant to me. I went with my two best friends, and I had some of the most fun I'd ever had. I felt such a connection to everyone at the concert. It honestly felt magical, feeling the music running through my body. I cried.
Two years later, Twenty One Pilots came to Boston. I had just moved here and had planned on going to the concert with my boyfriend, but we ended up breaking up around a week before the concert. The pain was still fresh. I had always associated him with their music, and I was afraid to go. I ended up taking a new friend that I made at my college, and the night was amazing. While Tyler was singing, I felt invincible. I realized that Twenty One Pilots was something that I, myself, liked. Though I had formed connections through them, at the end of the day, the only connection that mattered was the one between me and them.
I've met so many amazing people through this band. When I walked into my dorm room for the first time, I was met with my roommate unpacking her stuff to "Tear in My Heart." She became close to the guy that would soon become her boyfriend because I freaked out over his Twenty One Pilots shirt the day we met him and wouldn't let him go. I'm friendly with a guy who works in the dining hall because I realized we had the same tour T-shirt.
No matter what has happened in my life, Twenty One Pilots has been there for me, pushing me through and reminding me that I'm never alone. They give me hope and inspire me every day. They show me just how beautiful music can be. They've helped me make connections and remind me that these connections aren't the only thing my life is based upon. I will forever be a Skeleton.
