<Ul> <Li> Nick Thomas </Li> <Li> Chris Salih </Li> </Ul> <P> Twenty One Pilots (stylized as twenty one pilots, and sometimes as twenty øne piløts) is an American musical duo originating from Columbus, Ohio . The band was formed in 2009 by lead vocalist Tyler Joseph along with former members Nick Thomas and Chris Salih, who left in 2011, and currently consists of Joseph and drummer Josh Dun . The duo rose to fame in the mid-2010s after several years of touring and independent releases . </P> <P> They put out two self - released albums, Twenty One Pilots in 2009 and Regional at Best in 2011, before being signed by Fueled by Ramen in 2012 . Their label debut, Vessel, was released in 2013 . The duo achieved breakthrough success with their fourth album, Blurryface (2015), which produced the successful singles "Stressed Out" and "Ride". In addition, the single "Heathens", recorded for the soundtrack of the film Suicide Squad, made the group the first alternative artist to have two concurrent top ten singles in the U.S. The duo has won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo / Group Performance . </P> <P> The band was formed in 2009 in Columbus, Ohio by college friends Tyler Joseph, Nick Thomas, and Chris Salih . 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 knowingly sending out faulty airplane parts for the good of his business and causing the death of 21 pilots during World War II . Joseph explains that the story's theme of moral dilemma and choosing between the easy and the right decision inspired the name and formation of the band . It was later revealed that "Bicycle Thief" and "Chill Coat" were among some of the rejected band names . </P>

When did twenty one pilots release their first album