Shy Away

"Shy Away" is a song written and recorded by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots. It was released through Fueled by Ramen on April 7, 2021, as the lead single of their sixth studio album, Scaled and Icy (2021). A music video was released alongside the single, directed by Miles Cable and AJ Favicchio.

"Shy Away"
Livestream version cover
Single by Twenty One Pilots
from the album Scaled and Icy
ReleasedApril 7, 2021 (2021-04-07)
Recorded2020–2021
Genre
Length
  • 2:55 (album version)
  • 6:01 (MTV Unplugged version)
LabelFueled by Ramen
Songwriter(s)Tyler Joseph
Producer(s)Tyler Joseph
Twenty One Pilots singles chronology
"Christmas Saves the Year"
(2020)		 "Shy Away"
(2021)		 "Choker"
(2021)
Music video
"Shy Away" on YouTube

Background
Official logo used for "Shy Away"

Tyler Joseph, the frontman of the duo, wrote "Shy Away" for his younger brother, Jay Joseph, as a tutorial on how to operate a recording studio.[1] During the recording, Joseph's daughter made a cooing noise which Joseph decided to keep in the song.[1]

The song was created while communicating virtually as the COVID-19 pandemic limited interaction between the members of the band.[2] It was released two days after the announcement of Scaled and Icy, the band's sixth studio album.

Composition

"Shy Away" is a "propulsive" synth-pop,[3] alternative rock,[3] indie rock,[4] and pop rock[5] song that runs for a duration of two minutes and fifty-five seconds. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Alfred Music, it is written in the time signature of common time at a tempo of 196 beats per minute.[6] "Shy Away" is composed in the key of C major, while Joseph's vocal range spans one octave and four notes, from a low E3 to a high of A4.[6]

The track includes a "brief but tasteful" half-time breakdown for the "hardcore kids", and has been compared to the likes of artists such as the Strokes and Phoenix. It's considered to be one of the band's upbeat songs, and is synth-heavy, with elements of electronic, pop and indie music.[3][4][7]

Music video

The music video for the song, directed by Miles Cable and AJ Favicchio, was released concurrently with the song. The video showcases the duo's new "era", and a new color scheme which changes during each album cycle. The video features the new colors prominently: vibrant shades of light blue, pink and occasional yellow.[8] In the video, a few background musicians portrayed by Joseph and Dun wear torn and burnt ski masks, a reference to the stylings of their earlier albums, Vessel and Blurryface.[8] As of May 2023, the video has surpassed 50 million views on YouTube.

Commercial performance

Within only two days of tracking, "Shy Away" made its debut at No. 20 on the US Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, and reached a peak of No. 7.[9] On the Alternative Airplay chart, the song peaked at No. 1, and remained at the peak position for 8 weeks. On the Rock Airplay chart, the track also reached No. 1. In its first full week of tracking, it reached No. 56 in both the United Kingdom and Ireland,[10][11] and peaked at No. 36 in Lithuania.[12] On the chart dated April 24, 2021, the song made its debut on the US Billboard Hot 100 at No. 87, also being the only track from the album to chart there, before falling out the week after.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Scaled and Icy.[13]

  • Tyler Joseph – vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, synthesizers, programming, production
  • Josh Dun – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Charts

Certifications
Certifications and sales for "Shy Away"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[31] Platinum 40,000‡
United States (RIAA)[32] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Savage, Mark (April 7, 2021). "Twenty One Pilots' new single Shy Away 'started out as a tutorial'". BBC. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  2. Carter, Emily (April 7, 2021). "twenty one pilots drop new single Shy Away, announce upcoming album Scaled And Icy". Kerrang. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  3. Shaffer, Claire (April 7, 2021). "Twenty One Pilots Preview New Album 'Scaled and Icy' With First Single 'Shy Away'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  4. Aiex, Tony (April 7, 2021). "Twenty One Pilots mergulha no indie, lança a inédita "Shy Away" e anuncia novo disco". Tenho Mais Discos Que Amigos!. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  5. Meyers, Mason (May 22, 2021). "Album Review: Twenty One Pilots - Scaled and Icy". Gigwise. Archived from the original on May 22, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  6. "Shy Away". Musicnotes.com. April 9, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  7. "The Crimson". Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  8. Campbell, Rachel (April 7, 2021). "Twenty One Pilots Kick off 'Scaled and Icy' Era With "Shy Away"—Watch". AlternativePress. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  9. "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  10. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  11. "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  12. "2021 15-os SAVAITĖS (balandžio 9-15 d.) SINGLŲ TOP100" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. April 16, 2021. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  13. "TWENTY ONE PILOTS ' SCALED AND ICY' (TNSN DVSN)". TNSN_DVSN. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  14. "Twenty One Pilots – Shy Away" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  15. "Twenty One Pilots – Shy Away" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  16. "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  17. "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  18. "Croatia ARC TOP 100". HRT. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  19. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 202123 into search. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  20. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 202115 into search.
  21. "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  22. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Stream Top 40 slágerlista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
  23. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. May 3, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  24. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 202115 into search. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  25. "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 15". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  26. "Twenty One Pilots – Shy Away". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  27. "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  28. "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  29. "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  30. "Rock Airplay Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  31. "Brazilian single certifications – Twenty One Pilots – Shy Away" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  32. "American single certifications – Twenty One Pilots – Shy Away". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
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