Joshua William Dun (born June 18, 1988) is an American musician. He is best known as the drummer of the musical duo Twenty One Pilots, alongside Tyler Joseph. As part of Twenty One Pilots, he has been nominated for six Grammy Awards, of which he has won one.
Early life Joshua William Dun was born in Columbus, Ohio, on June 18, 1988, 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. His great-great-great-grandparents were the American rancher Edwin Dun, who was the United States Ambassador to Japan, and his second Japanese wife, Yama.
He initially took trumpet lessons at school and then turned his attention to drums, teaching himself how to play. One method Dun references was imitating the beats of the records he would buy on an electronic drum kit.
He worked at Guitar Center for three years, where he met former Twenty One Pilots drummer Chris Salih, who eventually introduced him to his future bandmate Tyler Joseph.
Career 2010: House of Heroes In March 2010, Dun joined House of Heroes as a touring member after the band's drummer, Colin Rigsby, took a break to spend more time with his family. He makes an appearance in the music video for the band's single "God Save the Foolish Kings." He performed on House of Heroes' live tour until October, when Rigsby returned to his duties.
After quitting his job at Guitar Center, Dun planned to leave for Nashville, Tennessee in pursuit of a drum career in the industry; however, he was stopped by Twenty One Pilots drummer Chris Salih, who offered him his role. He went on to play a show with Tyler 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. Dun subsequently became the band's full-time drummer, joining as production on the band's second studio album Regional 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.
2011–present: Twenty One Pilots
In April 2012, Twenty One Pilots signed with record label Fueled by Ramen, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records. Twenty One Pilots' third studio album, Vessel, was released on January 8, 2013, through Fueled by Ramen and reached no. 21 on the Billboard 200. The band's fourth studio album, Blurryface, was released on May 17, 2015, two days ahead of its intended release date. 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 on YouTube.
Their fifth studio album, Trench, was released on October 5, 2018. The album was the first release of the newly revived Elektra Music Group.
On April 9, 2020, the duo released a new single "Level of Concern". The accompanying music video for the track was filmed in both Joseph and Dun's respective homes while they were under lockdown due to the U.S. state and local government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. On December 8, 2020, Twenty One Pilots released a Christmas song, titled "Christmas Saves the Year", during a Twitch livestream hosted by Tyler Joseph. The duo's sixth studio album, Scaled and Icy, was released on May 21, 2021.
The duo's seventh studio album, Clancy, was initially set for release on May 17, 2024, exactly nine years to the release of Blurryface, but was delayed by a week while Dun, Joseph and videographer Mark Eshleman completed music videos for each song. The lead single, "Overcompensate", was released on February 29. In Dun's directorial debut, he directed the music video for the third single, "Backslide", which was released on April 25.
Their eighth studio album, Breach, was released on September 12, 2025, and concluded the conceptual series that began with Blurryface. In "Drum Show", which was released as a single on August 18, Dun contributed his first lead vocals to a song.
Other ventures In 2017, Dun partnered with Hayley Williams of pop punk band Paramore to promote her hair dye line "Good Dye Young" as a brand ambassador. In 2025, Dun created his own YouTube channel, where he has uploaded drum covers of songs from bands such as Rage Against the Machine, Lagwagon and Turnstile.
Influences At the age of 13, Dun developed an interest in punk music, initially seeking "the fastest punk rock that he could find." He mainly listened to punk rock when he was growing up. He cites ...And Out Come the Wolves by Rancid as an early influence due to its combination of different music genres. Some of his earliest purchases were an album by NOFX, and Human Clay by Creed, citing "Higher" as one of his favorite songs. Afterward, he branched into pop punk music, citing Does This Look Infected? by Sum 41, as well as Blink-182. When learning drums, Dun would play along to Metallica. However, his parents set strict rules on what music he could listen to, about which he later said, "I'd hide albums like Green Day's Dookie underneath my bed. Sometimes they'd find them and get real mad. They'd find a Christian alternative, like Relient K, and make me listen to that." Later, Dun transitioned to slower alternative rock, with albums like Daisy by Brand New.
He initially took trumpet lessons at school and then turned his attention to drums, teaching himself how to play. One method Dun references was imitating the beats of the records he'd buy on an electronic drum kit. Since a young age, Dun has ultimately sought to "blend" genres and make diverse music.
Personal life Dun and Twenty One Pilots bandmate Tyler Joseph both have an "X" tattoo on their bodies symbolizing their dedication to their hometown fans in Columbus, Ohio. They received it onstage during their hometown show at the Lifestyle Communities Pavilion on April 26, 2013. 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 the Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 30, 2015. They are both fans of the Ohio State Buckeyes. Dun's favorite film is Fight Club (1999).
Dun dated actress and singer Debby Ryan from May 2013 to September 2014. They resumed their relationship sometime after. They were married in Austin, Texas, on December 31, 2019. The two are longtime fans of the Fast & Furious franchise and went on to make a cameo appearance in Fast X.
Dun and Ryan currently live in Columbus, Ohio. In March 2023, magazine Architectural Digest released a documentary about their home. The pair commissioned Dun's brother's girlfriend to sculpt a bust of Dwayne Johnson. Being an avid boxer, Dun also assembled a boxing ring in his basement. In May 2023, instrument retailer Sweetwater filmed a documentary about the construction of Dun's home studio. The studio was designed by Haverstick Designs, the same firm that designed bandmate Tyler Joseph's home studio.
Dun has proclaimed that he is a supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement.
On September 7, 2025, Dun and Ryan announced that they are expecting their first child. On December 13, 2025, the pair announced the birth of their daughter.
Discography
Studio albums
with Twenty One Pilots
Regional at Best (2011) Vessel (2013) Blurryface (2015) Trench (2018) Scaled and Icy (2021) Clancy (2024) Breach (2025)
with other artists + List of songs Josh Dun is featured in Year Song Album Artist Role Notes 2016 "Midnight Heart" x Infinity George WatskyDrums, music video cameo 2017"Savage""Almost Had Me"Skin and EarthLightsDrums2017"Orthodontist Girl"The KnifeGoldfingerDrums2018"Fake It" "Take Me With You"Ghosts of YouthWingtipWriter/composer, publisher2019"PREY FOR ME/3"Strength in Numb333rsFever 333Writer/composer, publisher2019"Invisible Hearts" "Broken Places"State of Mind (Deluxe)The FaimWriter/composer, publisher2020"Dark Times"I'd Rather Die Than Let You InThe HunnaDrums, writer/composer,2020"Happy Face"33Jagwar TwinDrums, trumpetThe song was released on December 21, 2020.2020"The MegaMix Drum Cover"Josh Dun, Matt McGuireDrums2022"In My Head"PepLightsDrumsThe song was released in March.2023"Great Time to Be Human"TBAJagwar TwinWriter/composer, publisher2023"Life is Good"angelbaby, Jagwar Twin Writer/composer2023"Good Time (1:08)"Jagwar TwinWriter/composer, publisher
Filmography Year Title Role 2013 This is Wavorly. Jaime Web-series by Mississippi rock band Wavorly. Episode 2: "Jaime is Dun"2022 Twenty One Pilots: Cinema Experience Himself 2023 Fast X Himself Cameo 2026 Twenty One Pilots: More Than We Ever Imagined Himself
Awards and nominations
Year Ceremony Award Nominated Result 2014 Alternative Press Music Awards Best Drummer Josh Dun 2025 Drumeo Awards Rock Drummer of the Year Josh Dun
See also Tyler Joseph List of songs recorded by Twenty One Pilots
References
External links
Josh Dun on Twitter