10/10: Who is Blurryface?

Blurryface is the newest studio album by Twenty One Pilots. Moving away from the typical red, white and blue symbol, the band traded it for a stark red, white and black--representing the new character “Blurryface” we see throughout the album. In an interview with Alternative Press, Tyler Jospeh, the lead singer of the band, said the more he got to know Blurryface, the more he realized that blue was not a part of who he was and so red is used to represent him. Brandon Rike, the creator of the album’s art claims that Blurryface can be seen as angry, sad, evil or deceptive.

So who is Blurryface?

In an interview MTV did with Tyler and Josh, Tyler explains that Blurryface is a representative character of everything he is insecure about. “When I think about insecurities and my insecurities getting the best of me, the things that I think of are kind of a feeling of suffocation and then also the things that I create with my hands.” (Tyler, MTV Interview). Tyler goes on to explain that he is insecure about the music he creates, saying things like “this song will never be on the radio” or “Blurry’s the one I’m not.” Throughout the album we hear glimpses of Blurryface. “Fairly Local”, the first single to drop from the album is the first time we actually see and hear him. Each time Blurryface makes an appearance Tyler’s entire demeanor changes, his voice becomes distorted and his eyes become red. The first time I saw and heard this I thought, “This is a little demonic.” But that is the point the band is trying to make. Blurryface represents all of Tyler’s inner demons. Although we hear a lot of Blurryface, he is only directly addressed in two of the 14 songs on the album. He’s addressed in “Stressed Out” when Joseph sings, “My name’s Blurryface and I care what you think” and in “Goner” when he says, “Blurry’s the one I’m not, I need your help to take him out.”

In every music video and live performance after Blurryface was released, Tyler paints his hands and neck black to get into character. The entire costume is red and black—wearing all black except for a red beanie. Even Josh Dun, the band’s drummer, paints his eyes red. In the MTV interview Tyler says, “I’m very insecure about what I create so my hands and my neck are kind of representing who this Blurryface character is in the album and it’s manifested on stage with the greasy black look on the neck and my hands.”

In the 14 track album Blurryface makes an appearance in the first four songs. It’s important to note that “Fairly Local” is the last song Blurryface makes an appearance in before listeners get to the song “Tear in my Heart.” The song was written for Tyler’s new wife Jenna. “Tear in my Heart” is the most upbeat song written by Twenty One Pilots and the first time Blurryface listeners don’t hear him. He doesn’t make an appearance in the song because its representative of the fact that Jenna makes Tyler’s demons disappear. Listeners get a break from the demonic presence in the album until the last song, Goner. Just when we finally think he’s gone for good, Joseph brings him back. In the haunting song we can assume it’s not Tyler, but Blurryface and that in the end, Tyler has won. The red and black theme is apparent throughout the album in representing Blurryface, Tyler’s, and the rest of the Skeleton Clique’s insecurities.

1.      Erlich, Brenna. "Um, Why Is The Dude From Twenty One Pilots Covered In Black Goo?" MTV.com. MTV, 28 Apr. 2015. Web. http://www.mtv.com/news/2145391/twenty-one-pilots-blurry-face-stressed-out-video/.

2.      Chatterjee, Kika. "The Untold Story behind Twenty One Pilots’ ‘Blurryface’ Art." Alternative Press 2 June 2015. Print.