21 pilot

Twenty One Pilots
The band was formed in 2009 in Columbus, Ohio by college friends Tyler Joseph, Nick Thomas and Chris Salih.[13][14] Joseph came up with the band's name while studying All My Sons by Arthur Miller, a play about a man who must decide what is best for his family after causing the death of twenty-one pilots during World War II because he knowingly sent them faulty plane parts for the economic good of his business. Joseph explains that the story's moral dilemma of choosing between the easy and the right decision inspired the name and formation of the band.[15][16] On December 29, 2009, they released their debut, self-titled album, Twenty One Pilots, and began touring Ohio.

In 2010, the band released two officially unreleased tracks to their SoundCloudaccount.[17][better source needed] These included an original spinoff of "Time to Say Goodbye" by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman and a cover of "Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perri. They were originally available for free download, though the option has since been removed.

Salih left on May 8, 2011 and Thomas left about a month later on June 3, 2011, both posting farewell notes on the band's official Facebook page.[18][19] Joseph was then joined by Josh Dun, former live drummer of House of Heroes.[14][20]

2011–12: Regional at Best and Fueled by Ramen record deal
Twenty One Pilots performing in 2012

Their second self-release, Regional at Best, was released July 8, 2011 with the new lineup consisting of only Joseph and Dun. The album was accompanied by a free CD release show on the grounds of New Albany High School. In November 2011, they played a sold out show at Columbus' Newport Music Hall attracting the attention of a dozen record labels.[21] Although many labels fought over the band, it was ultimately decided that they would sign to the Atlantic Records subsidiary label Fueled by Ramen, the same label responsible for the commercial success of bands like Panic! at the Disco, Paramore, Young the Giant, and multiple other alternative acts.

During the same year, the duo also gave fans two free, otherwise unreleased, songs via their email newsletter: the original version of "House of Gold" and a song entitled "Two".

On February 11, 2012, the band released a music video on YouTube for an unreleased song called "Goner".[22] "Goner" was rewritten and re-recorded for its release on Blurryface in 2015.[23]