Each song of the legendary band Tokio Hotel has its own little story. To date, the group is rightfully considered the most important German discovery.
Tokio Hotel first became known in 2001. The musicians created a group on the territory of Magdeburg. This is perhaps one of the youngest boy bands ever to exist in the world. At the time of the creation of the group, the musicians were from 12 to 14 years old.
The guys from Tokio Hotel were one of the most popular pop-rock bands in the CIS in 2007-2008. The musicians were distinguished not only by a powerful repertoire, but also by their bright appearance. Bill and Tom posters hung over the desk of every third teenage girl.
The history of the creation and composition of the Tokio Hotel group
The group was created in 2001 in East Germany by Bill and Tom Kaulitz. A little later, Georg Listing and drummer Gustav Schaefer joined the twin brothers.
It is noteworthy that initially the quartet performed under the creative name Devilish. The guys were so passionate about music that they really wanted to go out to the public. The first concerts of the new band took place at the Gröninger Bad club.
During the existence of the Devilish group, the musicians even managed to release their debut album. The boys worked on their own. They copied 300 copies of their debut compilation and sold it to fans at their concerts. Today the debut album is very valuable among collectors.
Soon Bill Kaulitz as a soloist took part in the popular television show Star Search, where he reached the quarterfinals with the musical composition It's Raining Man by The Weather Girls. The guys could not perform in full force, since this was not provided for by the rules of the show. Bill's participation in the project helped to make his face more recognizable.
Collaboration with Peter Hoffman
In 2003, fortune smiled on the musicians. At a performance in Gröninger Bad, the young band was noticed by popular producer Peter Hoffman. Hoffman has produced such bands as: The Doors, Motley Crue, Falco, The Corrs, Faith Hill, Lollipops, as well as Sarah Brightman, Patrick Nuo, Marianne Rosenberg. Peter Hoffman said about the band's performance:
"When I heard Tokio Hotel playing and singing, I thought, 'Gosh, these guys are going to be a huge success.' Despite the fact that they still did not feel their game, I realized that in front of me were real nuggets ... ".
Hoffman invited the team to his own studio. The producer presented the musicians with a future production group with which they would work for all subsequent years. After collaborating with Hoffman, the guys started calling themselves Tokio Hotel.
The production team started creating the first professional tracks. Soon the guys recorded 15 songs. In August 2005, the presentation of the debut single Durchden Monsun took place. In addition, the musicians recorded a Japanese version of the song Monsun o Koete.
Contract with Sony BMG label
Soon the team signed a contract with the prestigious label Sony BMG. The video for the debut single Durchden Monsun hit the German TV channels. The broadcast of the band's video clip provided an increase in the number of fans. The single started its journey on the German charts on August 20 from the 15th position and has already taken the 26st position on the 1th.
From the beginning of the creative path, the team enlisted the support of the youth magazine "Bravo". Even before the presentation of the first single, the group in full force flaunted on the cover of a glossy magazine. Editor-in-chief Alex Gernandt provided great support to the musicians: “The compositions of the quartet are amazing. I consider it my duty to open this amazing four to music lovers ... ".
Soon the musicians presented the second video clip for the track Schrei. The second job was also successful. For a long time, the video clip occupied a leading position in all European charts. And already in September, the group's discography was replenished with the Schrei album.
In 2006, the presentation of the third video clip Rettemich took place. This version of the musical composition differed from the original version from the debut album. The main difference was Bill's "breaking" voice. The video for this track quickly took the 1st position.
Zimmer 483 European Tour
In 2007, the Zimmer 483 tour began. In 90 days, the musicians managed to visit Europe with their concerts. In particular, the band's performances were in Germany, France, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Switzerland.
In the same year, the musicians came to Russia. They were awarded the prestigious Muz-TV award. In honor of receiving the award, the band played several concerts in St. Petersburg and Moscow.
2007 has been an incredibly productive year for the band. This year they presented another Scream album. In addition to the presentation of the collection, the musicians released several singles for it. With this record, the musicians began to conquer: England, Italy, Spain and the United States of America.
In the same year, the group organized the biggest concert of its existence. More than 17 thousand spectators attended the performance of the musicians. And in October of the same 2007, the band played over 10 concerts for their French fans. Tickets for the concert were sold out in a few days.
The whole of 2008 was scheduled. However, in January, Billy announced that he could not appear on stage. The musician fell ill with laryngitis. The performances had to be postponed indefinitely. In March, a surgical intervention was successfully performed to remove the cyst from the vocal cords. Billy felt great.
Presentation of the new album
In 2009, the band's discography was replenished with the fourth studio album Humanoid. Music critics have noted that Tokio Hotel's sound has shifted towards synthpop. There was a little more electronica in the tracks now.
In support of the release of their fourth studio album, the musicians embarked on the tour Welcome to the Humanoid City. The guys toured until 2011.
In 2011, the Tokio Hotel group arrived in the very heart of Russia - Moscow. The musicians were called to once again present the Muz-TV 2011 award. Not without performances of the legendary team.
In 2014, the presentation of the new studio album Kings of Suburbia took place. The musicians decided not to change the good tradition and after the presentation of the album went on tour.
The first team visited London, and the last - Warsaw. The musicians decided not to spare themselves. The tour lasted until 2015, during which the musicians visited the countries of Asia, Latin America, Europe, and also gave concerts in the United States of America and Russia.
The band has a powerful and dedicated fan base behind them. Fans of the team year after year won in such nominations as: "The Best Fans" and "The Biggest Fan Army".
By 2006, the band had sold over 400 albums, over 100 DVDs, and at least 200 concert tickets. By this time, the Tokio Hotel group appeared on the cover of Bravo magazine more than 10 times.
The musicians decided to re-record the second studio album Schrei So Laut Du Kannst. The album was released in March 2006. Billy insisted on re-recording the compilation as he thought his voice changes would benefit some of the tracks. In addition to old works, the disc includes new compositions: Schwarz, Beichte, Thema Nr. 1.
In September of the same year, the band released the fourth single from the album Schrei Derletzte Tag ("The Last Day"). The presented musical composition managed to consolidate the status of "best". She topped the music charts.
In 2006, the group went to Russia. Interestingly, this is the first time the musicians have decided to start a tour outside of their native Germany. This feature indicates that the work of the team is relevant in any corner of the planet.
Interesting facts about the Tokio Hotel group
- Initially, the band, created by the Kaulitz brothers, was called Devilish ("Devil"), because one of the critics called Tom's guitar playing "diabolically good".
- In Magdeburg, where the brothers moved with their family, their unusual style was not appreciated. The boys were no more than 9 years old, and Bill already then summed up his eyes with a black pencil, dyed his hair and dressed in all black; Tom wore dreadlocks and baggy T-shirts.
- Bill and Tom have twice participated in social actions for the protection of animals. They encouraged mercy and their fans.
- Bill changed his image from time to time, while Tom made drastic changes in his appearance only once.
- Most of the songs on the band's compilation were written by Bill.
Tokio Hotel group today
In 2016, the Kaulitz twin brothers presented something special to fans. The musicians released their first solo album I'm Not OK. The brothers did not deviate from the usual manner of presenting compositions, which was very flattering to the fans.
And for those who want to feel the history of Tokio Hotel, you should definitely watch the documentary film Tokio Hotel: Hinter die Welt. In the movie, you can find answers to exciting questions: "How did the musicians start their journey?", "What did they have to face?", "What is the side effect of popularity?".
In 2017, the band's discography was replenished with the Dream Machine compilation. In the same year, the group went on a tour of the same name in Europe and Russian cities.
Soon the musicians said that in 2018 they intend to visit the United States and Canada. However, in 2018 it became clear that the tour was cancelled. This year, Tokio Hotel completed their eponymous tour in support of the Dream Machine compilation with concerts in Berlin and Moscow.
In 2019, Tokio Hotel delighted fans with the release of Chateau (Remixes) and Chateau. In addition, the single Melancholic Paradise was released the same year. In 2019, the team celebrated its 15th anniversary.
In honor of the anniversary, the band presented a new concept show Melancholic Paradise in the city, which took listeners on a journey into the depths of their incredible discography, as well as new music from their new collection.
The musicians announced that in 2020 the presentation of the new album, which will be called Melancholic Paradise, will take place. With this statement, the Kaulitz brothers addressed their fans through social networks.
