Joshua William Dun (born June 18, 1988) is an American musician. He is best known as the drummer of the musical duoTwenty One Pilots, alongsideTyler Joseph,[1][2][3] but he has collaborated with other artists as well. His band has been nominated for sixGrammy Awards, of which he has won one.
Joshua William Dun was born inColumbus, Ohio, on June 18, 1988,[4][5] the son of hospice social worker Laura Lee Dun (née McCollum) and physical therapy assistant William Earl "Bill" Dun. He has two sisters and a brother.[6] His great-great-great-grandparents were the American rancherEdwin Dun, who was theUnited States Ambassador to Japan, and his second Japanese wife, Yama.[7]
He initially tooktrumpet lessons at school and then turned his attention to drums, teaching himself how to play.[8] One method Dun references was imitating the beats of the records he'd buy on an electronic drum kit.[9]
In March 2010, Dun joinedHouse of Heroes as a touring member after the band's drummer, Colin Rigsby, took a break to spend more time with his family.[12] He makes an appearance in the music video for the band's single "God Save the Foolish Kings."[13] He performed on House of Heroes' live tour until October, when Rigsby returned to his duties.[14]
After quitting his job at Guitar Center, Dun planned to leave forNashville, Tennessee in pursuit of a drum career in the industry; however, he was stopped byTwenty One Pilots drummer Chris Salih, who offered him his role.[15] He went on to play a show withTyler Joseph after Salih and bassist Nick Thomas left the group due to other commitments. They played one song before police officers showed up and cancelled the show.[11] Dun subsequently became the band's full-time drummer,[5] joining as production on the band's second studio albumRegional at Best drew to a close. The album was released on July 8, 2011, shortly after Dun's recruitment. Although he does not perform on the album, he is credited in the liner notes.
In April 2012, Twenty One Pilots signed with record labelFueled by Ramen, a subsidiary ofAtlantic Records.[5] Twenty One Pilots' third studio album,Vessel, was released on January 8, 2013, through Fueled by Ramen and reached no. 21 on theBillboard 200.[16]
The band's fourth studio album,Blurryface, was released on May 17, 2015, two days ahead of its intended release date.[17] At this point in Twenty One Pilots' career, the band had topped the charts with their hit single "Stressed Out"–the song's music video being filmed at Dun's childhood home—and has since received over 3 billion views onYouTube.[18]
Their fifth studio album,Trench, was released on October 5, 2018. The album was the first release of the newly revived Elektra Music Group.[19]
The duo's seventh studio album,Clancy, was set to release on May 17, 2024, nine years after the release of their breakthrough albumBlurryface,[25][29] but was delayed for one week to May 24 while Dun, Joseph and videographer Mark Eshleman completed music videos for each song.[30] The lead single for the album, "Overcompensate", released on February 29, 2024. In Dun's directorial debut, he directed the music video for the album's third single, "Backslide", which was released on April 25, 2024.[31][32]
Twenty One Pilots had announced an eighth studio album,Breach, on May 21, 2025, which was released on September 12 of the same year.[33][34] The first single, "The Contract", was released on June 12. This record was the conclusion to the storyline beginning withBlurryface.[35][36] In "Drum Show", which was released as a single on August 18, Dun contributed his first lead vocals to a song.[37]
In 2017, Dun partnered withHayley Williams of pop punk bandParamore to promote her hair dye line "Good Dye Young" as a brand ambassador.[38] In 2025, Dun created his own YouTube channel, where he has uploaded drum covers of songs from bands such asRage Against the Machine,Lagwagon andTurnstile.[39]
At the age of 13, Dun developed an interest inpunk music, initially seeking "the fastestpunk rock that he could find."[40] He mainly listened to punk rock when he was growing up.[41] He cites...And Out Come the Wolves byRancid as an early influence due to its combination of different music genres.[40] Some of his earliest purchases were an album byNOFX, andHuman Clay byCreed, citing "Higher" as one of his favorite songs.[42] Afterward, he branched intopop punk music, citingDoes This Look Infected? bySum 41, as well asBlink-182.[42] When learning drums, Dun would play along toMetallica.[40] However, his parents set strict rules on what music he could listen to, about which he later said, "I'd hide albums likeGreen Day'sDookie underneath my bed. Sometimes they'd find them and get real mad. They'd find a Christian alternative, likeRelient K, and make me listen to that."[43] Later, Dun transitioned to sloweralternative rock, with albums likeDaisy byBrand New.[40]
He initially tooktrumpet lessons at school and then turned his attention to drums, teaching himself how to play.[8] One method Dun references was imitating the beats of the records he'd buy on an electronic drum kit.[9] Since a young age, Dun has ultimately sought to "blend" genres and make diverse music.[44]
Dun andTwenty One Pilots bandmateTyler Joseph both have an "X" tattoo on their bodies symbolizing their dedication to their hometown fans inColumbus, Ohio. They received it onstage during their hometown show at theLifestyle Communities Pavilion on April 26, 2013.[45] Joseph's is placed on his right bicep, and Dun's is located on his neck just behind his right ear. Dun also sports the name "Tyler" above his left knee, which he received from Joseph onstage during a show at theEagles Ballroom inMilwaukee, Wisconsin on October 30, 2015.[46] They are both fans of theOhio State Buckeyes.[47] Dun's favorite film isFight Club (1999).[48]
On September 7, 2025, Dun and Ryan announced that they are expecting their first child.[64] On December 13, 2025, the pair announced the birth of their daughter.[65]
^ab"Interview: Twenty One Pilots, part 1". columbusalive.com. Archived fromthe original on July 14, 2014. RetrievedJune 26, 2014.I worked at Guitar Center for three years, and the old drummer, I worked with him.
^abcd"Record Shopping With Twenty One Pilots' Josh Dun".YouTube. Rock Sound. August 19, 2013.[Rancid was] one of the first records I listened to that was such a mixture of music between punk and hip-hop and different genres crossing that I had never heard before. ... One of the first albums that I was introduced to was NOFX, which is—as far as I listen to—as punk as you can get. ... That would branch to pop-punk music.[Does This Look Infected?], I would listen to all the time, when it came out.
^"Record Shopping With Twenty One Pilots' Josh Dun".YouTube. Rock Sound. August 19, 2013.I always wanted my music that I listen to to be really diverse, so that when I play, hopefully it'd be diverse. But starting out, for some reason, I was really attracted to the fastestpunk rock that I could find. ... I've always, ever since I was a kid, wanted to take all different genres of music and kind of put them in blender. And, that's kind of what it is that I wanted to be a part of. So, listening to some bands that started to take different genres and mash them up—and then mashthose bands up—is kind of what I envision doing.
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