Twenty One Pilots want to try the 'good, local coffee' in S'pore

Twenty One Pilots is probably one of the few bands you've never heard of even though it has topped the charts.

The US indie pop duo rocked the music world in May when their latest album Blurryface debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard Top 200 chart, selling over 140,000 copies.

It beat Taylor Swift’s 1989 and the Pitch Perfect 2 soundtrack.

Formed in 2009 in Columbus, Ohio, the group consists of lead vocalist Tyler Joseph, 26, and drummer Josh Dun, 27.

"I think when we found out it was No. 1 on Billboard, honestly we never knew exactly what that meant," Dun told M over the phone from Los Angeles. 

He said they weren’t paying attention to the numbers or charts. He only realised "it was a big deal" when more people started approaching him about it.

"I think we live in a culture where people buy singles or songs, but for this album in its entirety to be No. 1, that’s a big deal for me," he said. "I feel honoured to be a part of it with so many people."

PHOTO: WARNER MUSIC SINGAPORE

The self-taught musicians had been on their own for years, releasing albums such as Twenty One Pilots (2009), Regional At Best (2011) and Vessel (2013) and performing at small venues, till they signed on with record label Fueled by Ramen in 2012.

"We’d just try and play in front of new people and make new fans. And then what happens is slowly, they start telling more and more people and when we go back to these places, there would be more people (at our gigs)," he said.

 

 

 

Dun said he "personally remembers plenty" of loyal fans.

"There were quite a few people who got on board right away and some of them I still talk to today. I think I just added this one girl on Facebook," he said.

He had messaged her through the social media site, telling her Twenty One Pilots still think about her and her sister when they make decisions.

Dun explained it was "because (they) helped us create something bigger than ourselves" and knowing she was "still kind of the anchor of the whole thing has kept us grounded".

He added: "(It’s) really encouraging to me, to have those people who have been there since the very beginning and have loved what we do even though nobody else did.

"They’ll always be close to my heart."

 

 

 

Twenty One Pilots recently embarked on their Blurryface Tour 2015 and are "excited" for their concert in Singapore on July 16.

It will be their first time on our shores and Dun is already keen to "try the good, local coffee or the cool areas to hang out in".

He said: "I can’t wait to come over... My personal goal – and I haven’t really said this out loud too much – is I would love to play in every city before I die. 

"I think that’s impossible but I’m going to try and make it possible.”