Tyler Joseph

Tyler Robert Joseph is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and rapper. He is the lead vocalist for the musical duo Twenty One Pilots, alongside drummer Josh Dun. Joseph was born in Columbus, Ohio, and grew up with two brothers, Zachary Philip "Zack" Joseph (also a singer) and Jay Thomas Joseph, and one sister, Madison Grace Brett. His mother, Kelly Joseph (neé Stryker), was a math teacher in the Olentangy school district before being named Olentangy Orange High School's basketball coach in 2013. His father, Christopher Anthony "Chris" Joseph, was also a coach at Worthington Christian High School from 1996 to 2005, and is a school principal. Joseph played basketball from a very young age and went on to play point guard for Worthington Christian. In 2008, the varsity basketball team placed second in the Division IV state tournament. Thomas also played on the team with Joseph, the pair having performed the National Anthem at one of their games. From 2007 to 2013, Joseph uploaded short comedic skits to a YouTube channel called "slushieguys". After seeing a songwriter perform at a High Street club, he rejected an opportunity to play basketball at Otterbein University, along with a scholarship to the university and began playing music after finding an old keyboard in his closet, a Christmas gift from his mother, and mimicking radio melodies. From around 2007 to 2008, Joseph recorded a solo album entitled No Phun Intended in his basement. It was later revealed that Thomas contributed guitar to a couple songs on the album. Among Joseph's first performances with Twenty One Pilots, he recounts that his mother would stand outside of Ohio State University giving away tickets to his shows. "She'd be like, 'Come see my son play music,'" Joseph says.