The Band
Tokio Hotel is...
Bill Kaulitz: Vocals
Tom Kaulitz: Guitar
Georg Listing: Bass
Gustav Schäfer: Drums
More Info
Germany's finest quirky quartet! Largely popular rock band from Magdeburg, Germany, Bill Kaulitz (vocals), his twin brother Tom Kaulitz (guitar), Georg Listing (bass) and Gustav Schäfer (drums) make up the band that's claiming the hearts of people all over the world. Bill and Tom began writing and composing at an early age under the musical influence of their stepfather, Gordon Trümper. As a duet (Tom on guitar, Bill on vocals and keyboard), the twins met bassist Georg and drummer Gustav at one of the many local clubs they performed at, thus starting the band with their initial name of “Devilish.” In 2003, Bill’s participation in the German version of Star Search landed him second place in the competition and greater recognition in the industry. They were discovered by music producer Peter Hoffman who put together a team of producers including, most notably, David Jost and Pat Benzner. Devilish signed with Sony BMG after recording their demo-CD, but was let go shortly after. The band began working on a fresh album under the new name of “Tokio Hotel” and released their first official record, Schrei. In 2005, Universal Music Group signed Tokio Hotel and began developing a marketing strategy. Their single, Durch den Monsun quickly climbed the charts and rocketed to number #1 on August 26th, 2005. Their fame blew sky-high overnight and now they are hailed the biggest act to come out of Germany in 20 years. Soon after came new singles, variations and remixes of past songs. Their second record, Zimmer 483, was released on February 23rd, 2007 and became equally popular as Schrei. A tidal wave of phenomenal success followed suit. With two highly successful European tours under their belts and their new album release, Tokio Hotel began translating their previous songs into English, bringing forth a new album titled Scream. Their first ever full English concert took place on June 19th, 2007 in the United Kingdom in which they were very well received. Ambitious and never one to let opportunity slip by, Tokio Hotel took on the North American scene and entered the market across the pond in late 2007. They played a handful of small sold-out shows in both Canada and the United States before returning to Europe for their third planned tour, the 1000 Hotels Tour. This latter tour was pulled to a startling halt half-way at Lisbon, Portugal as Bill Kaulitz suffered immense vocal fatigue and underwent surgery to remove a cyst on his vocal cords. Since then, the band has rescheduled their dates and made two other mini-tours in America. Currently, they are working on their third album due to be released in 2009. Modest as always and never forgetting to thank their fans, Tokio Hotel is quoted often saying they don’t expect to win many well-deserved awards, but are happy to simply be nominated. However, their talent and hard work has gained them several awards ranging from their first Comet in 2005 to their most recent achievement at MTV’s EMAs, nabbing Headliner of 2008.Disclaimer
I am not Tokio Hotel or any of the members of Tokio Hotel, nor do I know them or anyone connected with the band. I am mearly a fan. All graphics are Holly's which she kindly allowed me to keep, but any and all images used or information used is © to their respective owners and not me and credited where used.