The slow rise to fame for the band Twenty One Pilots has been nothing short of miraculous for many in the music industry. Starting off as only a grassroots band from Columbus, Ohio only four short years ago. This past year, the band has become easily the biggest breakout group in any musical genre. In January, the band's single "Stressed Out" from their second studio album "Blurryface" bolstered the two man group onto nationwide consecutive radio play. Their album was wedged between Justin Bieber's and One Direction's for most of the first quarter of the year. Riding that wave, the band decided to head out on fifty-eight state tour across America with sold out seats in nearly every city.
The band is signed to Fueled By Ramen which is a pop/punk record label owned by the Warner Music Group. This label has had amazing Billboard success with bands like Fall Out Boy, Paramore, and Panic at the Disco. Yet, Twenty One Pilots is far from one sole genre. Really, this group should be considered a genre of their very own. The incorporation of not only rock music, but reggae, pop, melody, and lastly tied together at the end with beautiful with rap prose is something that has not been seen a lot before. Even with that multiple genre crossovers, band has been classified in categories with artist such as Halsey, Melanie Martinez, and Troye Sivan. And much of their band merchandise is sold in Hot Topic. Giving this idea that no matter how being they get, they still have this alternative vibe that drives many to listen to their album. This group has been regarded as the new music styling of the millennial generation. Less worried about labels, but more about the sound in the end.
The main reason why many find Twenty One Pilots so relateable is the fact that they truly are a band for the underdogs. Just a year ago, they were an unknown band that only had name recognition on the Indie music scene. Now, they are constantly topping the charts and shattering records as they go along. This past week alone, Twenty One Pilots became the first act to top the Pop and Alternative charts with two songs simultaneously. The songs were "Ride" and "Heathens. The latter being their song off the "Suicide Squad" soundtrack. Their current single "Stressed Out" is a song strictly about the painful mental and emotional struggles of the transition from youth to adulthood. With a empathetic chorus wishing we could all turn back time. Retailers have not missed a beat when it comes to the profittization a band that is known for their unique style and unorthodox music with various late night television appearances and festivals.
All in all, Twenty Pilots has all the makings of the new type of band that our generation needs. Capable of relating to different people across multiple genres, the grassroots beginnings and the surprise underdog-esqe rise to fame, and still being humble in the end. I believe that we can expect to see so much more from this band in the future. They are long overdue, but far from out the door.
