The first time I heard Twenty One Pilots, my best friend had “Car Radio” on while we were driving. All I could think about was “why is this guy screaming about how somebody stole his car radio?” I didn’t know it then, but soon I would be hooked. They would later become my favorite band.

I realized they were singing about things that really hit you on an emotional level. Lead singer Tyler Joseph deeply struggled with depression and thoughts of suicide which is clear in some of the lyrics to the songs. Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun formed a band that creates more than just music. The music and lyrics used in Twenty One Pilots’ songs make you think, they inspire you, and give you hope that you’re not alone.

"Am I the only one I know, waging my wars behind my face and about my throat?"

-“Migraine” , Vessel, 2013

I have never struggled with depression myself, but I do struggle with anxiety. In the early times of my anxiety attacks, I didn’t know what they were. I thought what I was feeling was a singular thing, something that only affected me. When I had an anxiety attack I felt extremely overwhelmed, and often lonely. I felt like a had gotten hit with an unexpected wave of stress and sadness. Most of the time there was nothing significant that triggered the attacks, they just happened, which is why I think I kept it to myself for a while. I didn’t know how to express this seemingly unprovoked pain I was feeling. Since then, I have learned to better understand my anxiety and I no longer hide it. Listening to Twenty One Pilots has helped me become more comfortable with my mental health struggles and helped me see that I am not alone.

"Sometimes you gotta bleed to know that you’re alive and have a soul"

- "Tear In My Heart”, Blurryface, 2015

"Fight it, take the pain, ignite it"

-“Holding On To you”, Vessel, 2013

"Peace will win, and fear will lose"

-“Car Radio”, Vessel, 2013

I think this is a central theme within the band that draws such a loyal fan base. The fans of Twenty One Pilots are a special sort. They have a strong connection because most of them have struggled with mental health, and they find peace in this community of other people who have similar struggles. “The Clique”, as their fans are referred to, have a rally cry: “The few, the proud and the emotional.” Twenty One Pilots teaches their fans that it’s okay to struggle, okay to feel things even if they aren’t always good things, and that it will get better.

"Our brains are sick and that’s OK"

-“Fake You Out”, Vessel, 2013

"The sun will rise and we will try again"

-"Truce, Vessel, 2013

"And I will say that we should take a moment and hold it and keep it frozen and know that life has a hopeful undertone"

-“Migraine”, Vessel, 2013

To most who listen to Twenty One Pilots, they’re not just a band. They represent the darkest and brightest parts of us. They tell us we’re not alone and that we can push through our struggles. That we are “the few, the proud, and the emotional” and that’s OK.

"It ain’t the speakers that bump hearts, it’s our hearts that make the beat"

- “Holding On To you”, Vessel, 2013