Kraut Rock
It’s like the chicken and egg debate – which came first? Did German emo-pop act Tokio Hotel standout because of their music or did they become huge simply because of their frontman Bill Kaulitz?
Luckily, unlike the chicken and egg scenario, it’s not a terribly difficult question. The unanimous and popular answer is simple: Bill.
With his anime-esque big hair, androgynous look and way-too-skinny trousers, Bill single handedly grabbed the attention of music fans, DJs and journos, who initially at least, couldn’t decide if the frontperson was a guy or girl. Once the question of gender had been established though, Tokio Hotel was all the rage with Bill, the frontman, its star attraction. Strangely, the only person who remains oblivious to the number of heads he turns is Bill himself.
“No, Tokio Hotel is all about the music,” Bill immediately responds when asked if he had anything to do with the band’s fame. As far as he is concerned, Tokio Hotel is a package. And that package includes Bill’s identical twin brother Tom on guitar, drummer Gustav Schafer and bassist Georg Listing. “Tokio Hotel is a visual offering and the only thing I bring to the band is my personality,” he adds during our interview.
Bill states, however, that his flamboyance isn’t integral to the band’s success. He claims, rightly so, that when one hears Tokio Hotel’s music on the radio, how the frontman dresses or what he looks like doesn’t factor in.
For the 20-year-old, Tokio Hotel is not about him. It is about a dream he and brother Tom had when they started writing music at the tender age of seven.
The brothers grew up in a small salt-mining village in Magdeburg, Germany that was so far removed from the bright lights of the big city that few believed they would amount to anything. Yet, despite the odds, Tokio Hotel has gone on the become one of the biggest acts in Germany and, on the strength of their major label English debut Scream and hit single Monsoon, the world!
“We were so ready to make music,” says Bill. “I know it sounds crazy but that was all we ever dreamed of.” The frontman cannot emphasize enough that it is the music, and the band’s passion for it that resulted in success. “It is important to be creative and to come up with fresh ideas,” he adds.
The passion has undoubtedly paid off. Tokio Hotel are a multi-platinum selling act with four No. 1 German singles and sold-out tours to their name. And the icing on the cake, according to Bill, was playing at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2008 where they took home the Best New Artiste accolade.
But while Tokio Hotel did score big with Scream, for their follow-up Humanoid, the band were determined to crank it up even more. The current album, which was tracked in Hamburg, Miami, and L.A., sees the band at its most experimental.
“Monsoon was started 13 years ago and [this time] we knew we wanted to make something that was new because we definitely did not want to recreate or top what we had done previously,” states Bill. “Humanoid is completely different and it was cool to do. But more importantly, it shows the world what Tokio Hotel can sound like. It’s eclectic and versatile and has some cool vocals.”
There are more electronic sounds on Humanoid too, which complement Bill’s dazzling stage persona. When asked, the frontman picks their first single Automatic as a good representation of the theme they were going for on the current album.
“How many things happen automatically everyday?” Bill asks. “The door opens and closes automatically, shifting gears in a car; a camera lens – all those are always positive things, but when the mechanical quality of the automatic meets human things like love, then suddenly it becomes extremely negative. Love has to be spontaneous and genuine, never automatic and cold,” says Bill of the album’s unifying theme.
So a new sound, new subject and new live shows but will fans be able to connect with the band and their new ideas. Bill is 100% positive, “We love our fans because they are the loudest of all and do such crazy things. They always support us, no matter what has happened. And a lot has happened.”
Date of Birth: September 1, 1989.
Zodiac Sign: Virgo.
Place of Birth: Leipzig (Germany).
Place of Residence: Hamburg was their temporary home which is where their studio was. He lives in LA with Tom now.
Height: 1.90cm (6′3″)
Weight: 50kg (110 lbs)
Hair Color: Dirt blond but dyed and styled according to his mood of the day.
Eye Color: Brown.
Siblings: A twin brother named Tom who was born 10 minutes before him.
Parents: Simone and Jörg Kaulitz divorced when the twins were 7. Their mom, Simone Kaulitz is a freelance tailor and an artist. The twins remained in care of their mother and her new husband Gordon Trümper, guitarist in the rock band Fatun who inspired the twins to start doing music. Gordon owns a music school called ‘Rock’s Cool’.
School: He and Tom studied through an internet school course; their fame and packed schedules didn’t allow them to go to a normal high school.
Favorite Subject in School: None.
Hated Subjects in School: All. He hated everything that had to do with school.
Nickname: None; he says he doesn’t need any as his name is short enough. His granny calls him “Macky” because he ate so much McDonalds.
Hobbies: Parties, Singing, Music.
His Idol: He doesn’t have one. He always wanted to be his own idol and not be like someone else. He has people that have inspired him.
Favorite Music: Green Day, Nena, Coldplay, Keane, Placebo and David Bowie.
First album he ever bought: Nena’s.
First concert he’s been to: Nena’s.
Favorite movie: He has a lot. Whenever he sees a movie, it’ll be his favorite till the next time he watches one.
Pets: He’s got about 4 dogs, a black Labrador named Scotty that he got from a shelter years ago, and reportedly a cat named Kasimir.
Distinctive signs: Ten piercings - one on the right eyebrow ( 12), one on his tongue (14), one on his left nipple, three on his left ear, one on his right ear (20), a septum piercing (20) and snakebites (21/22). Four tattoos - one of the band logo on the back of his neck (15), a star on his right hip (since he was almost 17). To celebrate his 18th birthday, he got a tattoo on his left inner forearm which reads Freiheit 89 (Freedom 89) which celebrates the year he was born and the fact that he is now, at 18, an adult. One on the left side of his torso. The tattoo says “Wir hören nie auf zu schreien. Wir kehren zum Ursprung zurück.” which means “We’ll Never Stop Screaming. We’re Going Back To The Roots.” in English. He also tattooed his entire left hand (consisting of a skeleton hand, a bird, and the number 0630, which was his time of birth), a chest tattoo, a mermaid tattoo "Lost In A Dream", a tattoo of a heart on his left upper chest, and a cross tattoo on his right lower arm.
Motto: Leb die Sekunde! (Live every second!) He believes in living every moment as we only have one life.
Favorite drinks: Sodas, Dooley's (a toffee vodka), Strawberry nesquik, Peppermint tea/chamomile tea (he says it's good for his voice). They used to be a fan of a drink called Red Powder. At the moment, he loves ice tea and he hates energy drinks.
Favorite foods: Pizza, spaghetti, hamburgers, waffles, Königsberger Klopse, candies, rice and milk. He is a huge fan of fast food in general. He used to order a Big Mac, 6 nuggets and a vanilla milkshake at McDonald’s. Doesn't like chocolate but likes gummy bears and other gummy treats especially the yellow Maoam. He doesn't like potatoes or broccoli; he once ate a whole plate of broccoli and threw up after wards. He’s been a vegetarian since 2008.
Personality: Open-minded, friendly, egoistical, sensitive, superstitious, very talkative, ambitious, sensitive and romantic. He describes himself as an “insider” (German: “Drinni”), because he’d rather spend time slouching inside the house than go outside and get some fresh air. He’s not a fan of exploring nature. He is afraid of insects especially spiders. He and his band prefer big cities. He says he can be vain sometimes. He’s the creative part of the band and writes most of the songs. He’s also artistic and spends a lot of time drawing and designing clothes. He listens to 'White Flag' when he writes a new song. He's completely non sporty. He admits he’s lazy and could sleep his entire life away if he had the chance. He doesn’t like liars and unreliable people.
Public Image: He’s famous for his androgynous look. He started wearing make-up after he went to a Halloween party dressed as a vampire and realized he quite liked make-up. His favorite eyeliner is Maybelline and a lot of the cosmetics he uses are baby cosmetics. His hairspray brand is “Kyrell”. He uses one bottle of hairspray a week. His fashion sense isn’t fixed; he wears according to what he feels like for the day.
On girls: He thinks that he and Tom are bad at breaking up with girls. He got his first kiss at the age of 9. He’s proud of being a good kisser and that his tongue piercing doesn't get in the way while kissing. He’s been single for 8 years now, and hasn't kissed any girl since then. He’s into true love and love at first sight and wants to fall in love again. He wants a girl that loves him for him and not his money. Falling in love with a fan isn't impossible for him as she could understand him better, and that he has to spend lots of time with the band. He says the "one" is out there for him and only time will tell when he meets her and he’d like her to live in a different city or country. He doesn't want a girl taller than him and he hates it when they bite their nails. He’d prefer a girl with good ass than one with big boobs. He loves girls that scream at concerts. He’d want tattooed wedding rings.
~ He still gets stage fright.
~ He’s closer to Tom than his mom and they shared rooms when they were little.
~ He started writing songs at the age of 7 and sings it to Tom so he can play it for him.
~ Tom is his best friend. They often have the same dreams and both share the same best friend.
~ Went for a surgery to remove a cyst in one of his vocal chords. (March 2008).
~ He and Tom were 5 years old when they took part in a movie called “Verruckt nach dir” (Crazy about you) but neither was credited.
~ One of his favorite television programs is Prison Break.
~ His good friend is Andreas (President of Tokio Hotel’s fanclub) and Natalie Franz (Make-up Artist).
~ Takes 30 minutes to get ready in the morning.
~ He appeared on Star Search when he was 13 and sang 'It’s Raining Men' by the Weather Girls. He lost in the quarter finals.
~ He and Tom have said in interviews that they’d die without the other and he’s afraid that they’ll get into a big fight and never speak to each other again.
~ He thinks that Georg and Tom talks vulgar.
~ Allergic of mosquito/wasps. Because of his mosquito bite allergy he once had to spend time in hospital.
~ He doesn't smoke much, only a little bit and only every now and again.
~ He says he can't dance and is the kind of person who stands around and watch others dance.
~ He’s the voice of “Arthur” in the animation movie “Arthur Und Die Minimoys” which came out on 25th January 2007. He says he was ecstatic about meeting Nena when doing the voice dubbing. He also dubbed “Arthur Und Die Minimoys 2”.
Fans: He hates crying fans. He doesn't like it when they dress like him. If he’s aware that any of his fans are sick, he’d think about it for days.
~ His favorite colors are orange and red. But he loves black the most.
~ His favorite song from Zimmer 483 is Totgeliebt (Love is Dead).
~ His dream holiday? Sun, palms and sea! The best would be to enjoy this and live in little house on the beach.
~ He wears tight black boxer-briefs and only sleeps in his underwear.
~ His favorite deodorant is AXE white.
~ He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth at night.
~ He whistles in the shower.
~ He sleeps in his free time and when he is sad. He'd sleep until 6:00 p.m if he could.
~ He always has a teddy bear with him when he’s on tour with Tokio Hotel.
~ During the Echo Awards 2007, he got stopped when he wanted to go to the men’s room, because the guard thought he was a girl.
~ He doesn't like to sing before 8:00 a.m, because he thinks that his voice has not wakened up yet and thinks that it’s strenuous to reach high notes.
~ He looked after a rabbit when he was 6, but it ran away.
~ When he was a little boy, he wanted to be a wizard.
~ He spends his money very fast. Once he spent € 17.000 in a Diesel store, in 30 minutes.
~ He doesn't do his own laundry.
~ He loves electronic gadgets from Apple. He’s got an iPhone 5S and MacBook.
