Article : Making some noise

Rockers Tokio Hotel happy to pump up the volume

The last time German rockers Tokio Hotel were in town, they played an acoustic showcase - a far cry from Humanoid City, the ballsy show they've been touring recently. This time round, when Tokio Hotel return to our shores for Singfest, they promise to rock out - albeit on a smaller scale than Humanoid City.

"We will have a full electric show, but we won't be able to bring the whole set for Humanoid City," said Tokio Hotel singer Bill Kaulitz over the phone. "But it's going to be a great show anyway."



What do you expect this time?

We expect great weather. And great audiences. Well, you know, we'd rather see the fans one-to-one than just read about them or hear about them on the Internet. This time we can see them face-to-face and see their reactions and emotions. That's always a great thing. So we're excited.



Did you see much of Singapore and try the local food last time?

The schedule was really, really tough the last time, so we didn't see the whole city and all our fans, but it was fantastic. We just ate pasta, pizza and things like that. Maybe we'll get to try some this time.



Brothers in a band aren't always a good idea. Look at Oasis. How well do you get along with Tom?

I think because we're identical twins, it's a little different. There's a connection there, it's something special. We're like one person - can't live without each other. I mean, we have fights sometimes, but five minutes later, we'll forget about it. Tommy and me, we've done everything together our whole lives. It's an enormous thing for us to be in the same band and doing all this together.



You guys were teens when you started. Any advice for young bands?

It's hard in the beginning, especially if you are very young, with people talking sh** about you. But when you're doing good music at 15 ... that's a good thing. To be successful, though, it's a lot of luck - you have to be at the right place at the right time. And a lot of hard work. We made the decision and we just wanted to go for it and do music our whole lives. We didn't care what happened. It's important to keep that goal in mind to go professional.



So you didn't think to do anything else after school?

Tom and me, we started to make music when we were seven. After school, we went directly into the rehearsal room. There was never a Plan B. If we weren't picked up by the label, I think we could have been homeless musicians, maybe. We would play anywhere - in front of five or in front of thousands. But it's better to play in front of thousands! We are really lucky to have this life. I feel really blessed.



Tokio Hotel perform at Singfest on Aug 3. Tickets at $175 from Sistic. Packages available. Details at www.sistic.com.sg. 

SOURCE

Article : Teen World No 10.6 (Peru)

BILL KAULITZ

Vocal group "Tokio Hotel" and twin brother of guitarist, Tom Kaulitz was born on 1 September in Leipzig, Germany. It is 10 minutes younger than his brother Tom, despite being twins their appearances are different because of its striking fashion styles: Bill has a rocker style and Tom a hip-hop.

At 5 years, both brothers were part of a film in Germany and only seven years later became percings in the eyebrow and tongue. All this with the consent of their parents, Simone and Jorg Kaulitz, who separated when their children were just a few infants.

At age 12, Bill got a tattoo on the underside of his neck with the logo of Tokio Hotel, l which if I keep it secret, despite having parents with completely open mind and liberal. Thus the conclusion of his eighteenth birthday is an another tattoo with the word "Freihet 89" on the left forearm.

Achievements:

Bill was part of a contest for children German "Kinder-Star-Search", which features children imitate their favorite singers, so as singing "It's Raining Men", the group was discovered in 2003 by the producer Petter Hoffmann.

In 2008 with his tour "1000 Hotel" Bill had surgery for a cyst in the larynx, fortunately the operation was a success and only did a month of rest. In 2009 he changed his "hair" for a black and white dreadlocks, dreadlocks now changed by a ridge punk rocker. Crashing a character has been dedicated to being our star teen, who no doubt will continue harvesting more successes which have already been achieved.

Article : TODAYonline - Tokio Hotel just can't stop the music

TOKIO Hotel have never been to Tokyo.

In fact, when the German rock quartet popped into Singapore three weeks ago, it was their first time visiting the region. However, they were so thrilled by the response of their fans here - and, yes, they do have fans here - they plan to return with a full show.

The band - twin brothers Bill (singer) and Tom Kaulitz (guitarist), bassist George Listing and drummer Gustav Schafer - are still tickled that they have fans halfway across the world. It's something they certainly didn't expect when they started Tokio Hotel as teenagers.

"When we started in Germany we were still in school. If someone told us five years later we'd be in Asia, I'd have said you're crazy," said Bill. "But here we are."

Still, success came at a price. "We don't have a private life any more," said Bill. "It's not possible to say, 'I want to be a superstar' and the next morning go down to the bakery. You can't just go out any more. But that's the decision you have to make."

Part of their international success stems from the fact that they've gone from just recording in German to recording in English as well.

Their new album, Humanoid - a marked departure from the hard rock sound of previous offerings, with an emphasis on electronica instead of distortion guitar - had both English and German versions released simultaneously. They previously released Scream (2007), a compilation of English versions of songs from their German releases Zimmer 483 and Schrei. Of course, detractors said they were selling out.

"The idea of the English versions was simple: We wanted everyone to have a chance to listen and understand the lyrics," said Tom. "But we started out by playing German and English songs, so it's like getting back to our roots."

Such naysayers are just the latest in a string of people the band has had to deal with since the very start. "The biggest challenge was that we were so young," said Bill, who turns 21 this year. "It was really a fight to speak to the record labels. Everyone had their idea of what we had to be, but we didn't really want to hear all that. We wanted to do our own thing."

"Everyone was thinking: They're kids, what do they know?" added Tom.

Well, these "kids" have performed at the Eiffel Tower to 500,000 people, and are taking their biggest show ever around the world. And they can't wait to bring it to Singapore. "It's the next level of our live show," said Tom. "I think it'll be good fun."

Even as the rest of the world is beginning to embrace Tokio Hotel, the band said they're already thinking of what to do next. "We want to get to the next level," said Tom. "For this album, we wanted to have this electronic sound, but maybe for the next record it's completely different."



Tokio Hotel's Humanoid is out in stores now.

SOURCE

Interview : Magazine Interview & Article: Kawanku #73/2010 (Indonesia) - Bill Kaulitz: "I Believe in True Love"

COVER STORY




Bill Kaulitz: "I Believe in True Love"

Beautiful face, cool style, good at singing, and romantic. That's why W melted when meeting him.

When did you start playing music?
Tom and I have been playing music for a long time. We started writing songs when we were 7 years old, and not long after we started to perform in small stages, private parties, weddings, little city parties, and those sort of events. (picture insertion: 16 years old Bill and Tom)

Is there any band or singer who inspires you when writing songs?
It's hard to name one band or singer because I listen to many kinds of music. I never have a role model, but like to listen to David Bowie, Placebo, Coldplay, and Stereophonics. I'd like to be able to make something musically with my idols, David Bowie and Steven Taylor (Aerosmith's vocalist).

Is it hard to sing in English while you were born and stay in Germany?
This is the biggest challenge for me and the others. It was emotionally a big step doing an album in English because we always did music in German. I was always writing lyrics in German, singing in German, so this is a big step for me. I'm a big perfectionist. I often went to studio because I want our song to sound good, I don't want to sound like a German trying to sing in English, I want to sound native.

You have a cool style that people like to talk about. Have you ever thought that Adam lambert's style is close to yours?
People have told me about that. I don't know, I'm not sure. I haven't seen older pictures of him, ha ha ha. I don't know his older style, so I don't know if he copy mine or not. Maybe he just likes to wear make-up all the time like I do.

Do you apply your own make-up on your own everytime you want to perform?
Sometimes I do myself, sometimes I get some help. I started to wear make-up and color my hair when I was 10 years old, so I can do that by myself.

Who inspires you to get that unique hair?
Uhmm... I don't know where the inspiration comes from. I don't have a role model or something, It just came out of me, so I don't know. I don't need much time to style my hair like this, I style my hair, everyday, with a bit of hairspray for around 15 minutes.

How about your tattoos? What inspires them?
I have 3 tattoos. This one in my hand is a writing: Freiheit 89. Freiheit means freedom, and 89 is the year I was born in. I made this tattoo when I was 18 years old, because in Germany, at 18, we're free to do anything. This tattoo on my neck is a Tokio Hotel logo, and I have 1 long tattoo on the side of my stomach, but I can't tell you the meaning, because it's in German language. And it's like a personal thing, I can't explain in English. (picture insertion: Bill's 4th tattoo which meaning has been kept secret; Bill on Star Search; Bill Schrei era; Bill on GQ)

If you're not a band vocalist, what would you become?
I've never want to be anything else besides to become a singer. Can you imagine me behind a counter in a bank? No, me neither. And, actually my gift is only singing and that's my strength. So, there was no other way for me than this one!

If there would be something that you can wear for a lifetime, what would you choose?
I think I would have a long hair like I had for the last record. A hair long enough it can be made-up into various styles. So, I choose a very long hair.

People would be surprised that you are?
I'm a family guy. i think, the best birthday present I ever got was born 10 minutes before I was.

By the way, what type of guy you are?
I'm very romantic. I really believe in true love, a love that you only find once in a lifetime, if you have the chance. Because, I think that many people never find it, which is very sad. But, I'm not a guy who flirts easily with girls. I believe that there's somebody out there for me. I'm still searching.

Would you date a fan?
Why not? I always think that would be great because they live this life with us and really know what we are doing.

MORE FACTS:
- Bill and Tom, his twin, don't have middle names.
- When little, Bill fell in love with a German singer named Nena.
- Bill has tremendous love to jackets. He has hundreds in his closet, most are self-designed.
- Bill likes pepermint tea.
- Bill's mother is a freelance tailor.
- One of Bill's favorite TV series is Prison Break.
- Bill and Tom are vegetarian!


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ON THE SPOT




Tokio Hotel Rocks The Night!

Tokio Hotel succeeded in making thousands of fans from Asia to Australia who all gathered in Kuala Lumpur, and lost their voices after screaming hysterically.

Saturday night, on the 1st of May, hundreds of Tokio Hotel fans from several countries gathered as one at Central Park Avenue, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. No one could wait to see the 4 gorgeous German boys on stage. Even before noon, before the concert, they had the time to meet Bill Kaulitz and friends at a Signing Session, but they still waited faithfully for hours for Tokio hotel’s appearance.

Busy Screaming
From 4 o’clock in the afternoon, fans were already waiting to get into the venue that was behind 1 Utama Shopping Center, even though Tokio Hotel’s appearance would be at 9 PM, even the gates weren’t open till 6 PM. In the middle of waiting in line, it started to rain, but that didn’t make anyone leave the line. All they did was get out their umbrellas and keep waiting, while screaming the names of Tokio Hotel members. What’s funny was that when the people in he front started to scream, the fans at the back started to scream too without even knowing what was going on up front. How compact!

Having Fun
After two local bands played, Pop Shuvit and Bunkface, fans immediately got enthusiastic again calling out the names of the band. For 15 minutes of the Tokio hotel crew checking their instruments, all that was heard was “Ich liebe dich Tokio Hotel!”, “Tokio Hotel, we love you!”, “Bill Kaulitz, I love you!”. Aaaand, finally, at exactly 9.15 PM, suddenly Tom, Georg and Gustav appeared on stage, followed by Bill who went straight into the first song from Humanoid, Noise. It was a win-win deal for Tokio hotel to play their most reliable songs. After the third song, Bill finally acknowledged the audience. “Thank you so much for coming out! Let’s make some noise with us!” that’s what Bill said in his all-black attire.

Love Causing Hysteria
A few times Tokio Hotel went on and off the stage, Bill and Tom loved making the fans go hysteric. They often went to the edge of the stage as close as possible to the fans. Not only is he attractive, Bill is also quite attentive. After singing Automatic, he threw his water bottle into the audience, who were still jumping and singing along the whole duration Tokio Hotel were on stage. After their tenth song, called Forever Now, Bill and friends ended the show while saying “Thank you so much!”. The audience kept screaming “We want more!” over and over. Their screams were proven effective. Not long after that, Tokio hotel were back up on stage singing Monsoon. “See you next time, everyone!” said Bill as he ended he show again. But the fans weren’t sad yet, since after the showcase, there was a meet and greet session for some lucky fans. Wanna know how? Follow W’s story and other fans who met Tokio Hotel.

Translation: Jade Alicia & Chunva | Scan: Chunva for tokiohotelindo.ning.com
Credit: Isma and Abi from kaWanku magazine


SOURCE
Thanks to TH_Indonesia (Twitter)

Article : Bill Kaulitz reveals everything

With painted black eyes and detachablenails perfectly painted of the same color, Bill Kaulitz, always is outstandingby his individual and outlandish style at the time of dressing Bill Kaulitz,leader of Tokio Hotel is, at hardly 20 years, a young person with the veryclear ideas. In one of his interviews to the German magazine “Bild”, the singer reveals his secrets and tastes at the time of choosing the particular styles ofhis androgynous image, that has generated many critics but that also has numerous admirers. With eyes painted blackand the detachable nails perfectly painted of the same color, Bill Kaulitzalways outstanding by his individual and outlandish style at the time of dressing. Not only does his enormous crest in his hair draws attention, butalso a complement that finishes adding so personal his looks: the heels. Unhappy with using platforms and much makeup, the young person also revealsthat much of his clothes must be thanked to Christian Dior and to Rick Owens,the preferred designer of Madonna and one of the favorites of rock stars. In addition he adorns his neck and its wrists with numerous necklaces and silver-plated bracelets, that combine with black leather gloves. Nevertheless,still being so young, the leader of the German group has very clear ideas. Henever wanted a stylist interposed in his way nor that nobody marked to him torule how he had to dress. “For me it wa svery important from the beginning to have the freedom to dress as I wanted. Thegreater territory of freedom is your own body. I want to be who decided the image that I want to project”, explains Bill to the German magazine. “The fact ofhaving a stylist that decides what I must put on, would be a horror. I could not support it. To me it’s important to find myself and not to bore myself withthe clothes”, he adds. For him, the German spends every day along time in front of the mirror, choosing the clothes, the makeup and molding his complicated hairdo… probably more than any girl. “Between theshower, to dress, to do my makeup… I need one hour. Also there are days in which I do not fix myself. There are days in which I put on a cap and stay unnoticeable. In the house I spend days without shaving and in sandals in front of the television, like anyone else”, adds the singer. As far as if he sees a lady's man or no,Bill affirms that he is not of which they watch the mirror and they say: `Hey,you look good'. Even though people think about me likethat, I do not.”. He says he invests part of his money todesigners he prefers, but he also takes jackets sewn by himself and otherthings that don’t go past 10 euros. “Sometimes I also design what I want, and give it to the tailor. The important thing is that I like it”, declares Bill.

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Article : May 14, 2010 - Tokio Hotel guitarist took viagra - The Straight Times

Note : I really dont believe this actually. Bill & Tom are soulmate. Dont let this article let you down or whatever. plus "Bill: My little brother took so ...." are you kidding me?! we all know Tom is the oldest

'I popped a few more pills, probably too many,' said Tom Kaulitz

BERLIN - TOKIO Hotel guitarist Tom Kaulitz told a German newspaper on Friday he fell ill after taking too many Viagra tablets and could not see straight for days.

Kaulitz, 20, told Bild newspaper that someone offered him a Viagra tablet during a concert tour of Asia. After first turning down the offer, Kaulitz said he decided to try one. He said a little later he took a second one and fell ill.

'I first asked the seller 'Do I look like someone who needs help with that?'' said Kaulitz, whose brother Bill is the group's lead singer. 'He said 'no' - but that I should nevertheless try it out. I popped one in.'

Kaulitz, a member of the German rock band that has sold millions of albums around the world, said he took a few more tablets used to treat impotence when he got back to his hotel.

'I popped a few more pills, probably too many,' he said.'The next morning my head was pounding and everything in front of my eyes was blurry. It wasn't fun any more. It was pretty bad.'

Kaulitz said it took two days for the effects to wear off. 'Unfortunately there were situations where it just wasn't appropriate,' Kaulitz said. -- REUTE

SOURCE

Article : Tom Kaulitz in Taiwan - Tokio Hotel rocker's crazy Viagra mishap

Note : I really dont believe this actually. Bill & Tom are soulmate. DOnt let this article let you down or whatever. plus "Bill: My little brother took so ...." are you kidding me?! we all know Tom is the oldest

TOM KAULITZ

TOKIO HOTEL STAR IN VIAGRA MISHAP

Tom Kaulitz had a crazy Viagra mishap in Taiwan! His twin Bill told BILD: "My little brother took so many of the things that he was already seeing the girls in double"

-Tokio Hotel star Tom Kaulitz was having a party in Taiwan with two girls – but the fun was over when he took too much Viagra!

The effects of the drug – which is marketed as helping men perform sexually – lasted nearly two days. He also had headaches and vision problems.

VIAGRA MISHAP!

German rockers Tokio Hotel are on tour in Asia for the first time. They have encountered raucous fans, smash hit concerts and chart topping songs.

So why has Tom Kaulitz got involved in such nonsense?

“In Taiwan someone at the night market gave me the blue pills,” he told BILD. “I asked the salesman: Do I look as if I can’t raise the flag up the flagpole? He said no – and that I should try it anyway. So I popped one.”

Crazy! Doctors have warned against using Viagra as a ‘party drug’.

Back in the hotel, Tom got up close with a couple of girls.

“There I took another few pills. Probably too many. The next morning, my head was pounding and everything in front of my eyes was blurred.”

Tom’s twin brother Bill told BILD: “Why is he taking such sh*t? He is constantly horny anyway…

“My little brother took so many of the things that he was already seeing the girls in double.”

He doesn’t have any sympathy, however: “I was almost ready to call a doctor. But then I thought I should let him suffer."

But Bill said: “It was no longer fun, it was quite hard.”

It could have been a lot worse: Viagra abuse can in the worst case scenario lead to death, and doctor's warn against using it as a party drug.

It's certainly an episode the star will want to forget. Tom told BILD: "It lasted for the next 48 hours. Unfortunately there were situations where it was a bit inconvenient: the 60-year-old masseuse who I visited the next day did wonder a little bit".

SOURCE

Article : No Privacy for Tokio Hotel - NewStraitsTimes

2010/05/06

SYIDA LIZTA AMIRUL IHSAN , BIBI NURSHUHADA RAMLI slizta@nstp.com.my, bibiramli@nst.com.my

It’s all about the band. Members of German group Tokio Hotel tell SYIDA LIZTA AMIRUL IHSAN it’s impossible to have a private life

“SO what’s your favourite hotel in Tokyo?” The current hottest German band Tokio Hotel was asked this at a roundtable interview.

“Actually, we haven’t been to Tokyo,” says its lead singer Bill Kaulitz. “But we hope to go there this year.” The band, made up of Bill, his identical twin Tom (guitar), bassist Georg Listing and drummer Gustav Schafer, would surely fit right in with the stylish young crowd in the Japanese capital.

Here’s why. Tall and skinny, Bill wears his signature spiky hair (“I use a can of hair spray a day”) with skinny jeans and silver jewellery. Tom’s hip-hop look is complemented with dreadlocks and Georg’s mane looks like he just came out of the hair salon after a re-bonding session.

And don’t forget Bill’s liberal use of dark eyeliner and eye shadow that makes Adam Lambert look as conventional as Kris Allen.

“We are on tour 340 days a year and we don’t have much time for anything else,” says Tom. “In fact we’ve given up everything. Now, it’s all about the band.” Tokio Hotel has gone 10 times platinum, scored four No. 1 singles and sold out arenas and stadiums across Europe recently. With the massive popularity the band is enjoying, the members say it’s impossible to keep their lives private.

“We tried to do that but as we became more popular, it became harder,” says Bill. “Thank God we don’t have private lives,” his brother interjects.

Tokio Hotel was in town for a showcase at Park Avenue in 1Utama, Petaling Jaya, its first visit to the country. Its latest album, Humanoid, with hits such as Automatic and World Behind My Wall, was recorded in German and English.

“Humanoid is like the soundtrack of our lives. There are more instruments like keyboards to add to the original Tokio Hotel sound. The stories in the songs may or may not be ours but we sing of real happenings,” says Bill. The song Automatic, for example, talks about automated life — doors opening and closing, shifting gears in a car, a camera lens — but the mechanical qualities should not be part of human emotions like love, which has to be spontaneous and genuine.

“We’ve always felt like humanoids, like aliens on the fourth planet,” reveals Bill, saying that as kids, he and Tom were different from their classmates. They wanted to break out and did it with music, fooling around with guitars at age seven.

Eight years later, their first single was released and their 2008 album, Scream, which had some of their favourite tunes from their two German albums recorded in English, introduced the band to a legion of English-speaking fans.

“The most challenging process was recording in two languages. Our English wasn’t that good to start with and I wanted to sound like a native speaker, not like a German trying very hard to speak English. But it became much easier with Humanoid,” says Bill.

So do the brothers fight? “Yes, we do. All the time!” came the spontaneous answer. And suddenly one cannot help but think of Noel and Liam Gallagher of British outfit Oasis, who were so at loggerheads that it broke the band.

“No, that will never happen with us. We are identical twins and we have had our biggest fights and survived.” Spectacular showcase TOKIO Hotel fans, mostly in their teens, thronged 1Utama’s Central Park Avenue, Petaling Jaya. The rain did not put a damper on the concert. There were a few fans from Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand at the free-stand concert. Before the group came on, a boy had fainted from the pushing and shoving in the crowd, which was packed like sardines. Several could not stand too long and asked for seats.

Hitz.fm deejay Jin warmed up the crowd before introducing the first opening act, rock indie group Pop Shuvit, who performed the songs Oh! Shizuka, Jump and Mara Bahaya. Then there was award-winning band Bunkface with Situasi, Extravaganza, Revolusi, Prom Queen and lastly, the Telekom Malaysia theme song Melalui Tingkapku (Through My Window). After Bunkface came a long wait before Tokio Hotel came on. While the production crew set up the musical instruments, the audience was entertained by a deejay who played several hit songs to which the crowd sang along to. But after one song too many, everyone’s patience was wearing thin. A loud “boo” was heard, followed by two more songs.

The wait for Tokio Hotel was totally worth it because the band gave a spectacular performance with Noise, Human Connect To Human, Pain Of Love and a crowd favourite, World Behind My Wall.

Many rock band vocalists insert a certain raw strain in their voices to emphasise the rock sound. Bill Kaulitz’s tone, however, was devoid of that, even for the high notes, and that always wins the fans’ hearts. The band continued to rock non-stop. The crowd sang along while jumping in the spot.

Tokio Hotel also performed Hey You, Ready Set Go, Dogs Unleashed, Screamin’ and another crowd favourite, Automatic. After the “last” song for the night, Forever Now, the band performed its German song Durch Den Monsun (Through The Monsoon) for an encore. The audience was more familiar with the English version of the song and could only cheer along.

Tokio Hotel promised to come back and hopefully, it would be at a bigger and more comfortable venue.

SOURCE

Article : Tokio blitzkrieg - The Star

German band Tokio Hotel played to thousands of screaming fans last weekend.

TOKIO Hotel has really only had one big hit on Malaysian airwaves, yet the band has already garnered a cult following here – if their screaming and crying fans are anything to go by.

Over 3,500 of them gathered last Saturday at 1-Utama Shopping Centre in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, for the bands debut concert in the country.

For the band members, however, this sort of reaction is not unfamiliar.

Identical twin brothers Bill (vocals) and Tom (guitars) Kaulitz, Georg Listing (bassist) and Gustav Schafer (drummer) form the biggest act to come out of Germany in recent times. They hail from Magdeburg, a medieval German town.

What a scream: Tokio Hotel frontman Bill Kaulitz performing at the band’s concert in Selangor last weekend.

They started off their music career as a band called Devlish, but later changed their name to Tokio Hotel – Tokio being the German spelling of the Japanese city Tokyo, before releasing their first German-language record Schrei (Scream) in 2005.

“We have never been to Tokyo. We were searching for a new name, a completely new life for us as a band where we worked with professionals, producers and studios. It was a completely new era for us and that is why we picked something new to us, like Tokyo.

“It is like a symbol for us ... kind of like a goal for us to go there. We hope we can visit Tokyo this year. It would be cool,” said the frontman of the band, Bill.

The group has four number one singles and two chart-topping albums, selling nearly five million CDs and DVDs to date. They have gone 10 times platinum and clinched the award for Best Group from MTV Europe Music Awards last year and a Best New Artist from MTV Video Music Awards in 2008.

It is no wonder why the band received such a huge reception in Malaysia.

Also playing a part in their popularity is Bill, who with his long, spiky hair, heavy eye-makeup and skinny jeans, is the object of the fans’ adoration.

Throughout the concert, girls were screaming, “I love you, Bill.”

He was the consumate performer, knowing exactly how to react to the audience to get them wanting more, and had perfected all the major gestures of a rock star.

“I never had a role model. I think I just pick things from everything. I never look to other people and say I want to look like that or that. I just feel it. I think it is important to me that I never had rules in fashion,” Bill said at a press conference in Petaling Jaya a day before the concert.

Indeed, Bill’s fashion sense is a major point in conversations about the band, no less because of his androgynous and flamboyant look.

“I wear what I wanna wear. I wear what I feel comfortable in. It has always been that way. I went to school like that and it is the way my personality is,” said Bill, a fan of David Bowie and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler.

“For 10 years I’ve been colouring my hair and I am really quick in putting my make-up. And you know, you need a lot of hair spray (to get my hair to stand). I use nearly one bottle everyday,” he shared.

While Bill goes with the glam rock look, his identical twin prefers to go hip hop with his cornrows hair and baggy pants.

“I think until we were six, we looked the same. We had little sweatshirts with Bill and Tom on it so that the teachers can see who is who. After that, we grew up to be completely different. I don’t know why. We are like one person,’ Bill shared.

Tom added: “We just look different. We are more than soulmates. We are like one person but we have developed in different ways. ”

Of course, the band would rather be known for its music. While they may all be relatively young, they draw from their own experiences when penning their music.

“Of course we write about our lives and we write about our feelings,” Bill shared.

Tom chimed in, saying: “Music is always about emotions,” in response to a question about how emotional and angsty a lot of their music are.

Put these together with their different musical taste, and what you get is the interesting blend of music that Tokio Hotel has become known for.

“Gustav likes the more hardcore stuff like Metallica. Tom listens to hip-hop and he likes all the Jay-Z stuff, while I like Stereophonics and Aerosmith. So it is all very different,” said Bill.

The band’s first language is German, but the bold step it chose to take in making music in English has obviously paid off.

Their first English-language record, which was a translation of Schrei, was released in the US in 2008, followed by Humanoid, their second English-language album, last year.

Their first single from that album, Automatic, is getting a lot of airtime on Malaysian radio currently.

“It was really hard at first to switch from German to English. I think my English is really bad. We learnt English in school but that was it.

“For the first English record, it was really strange for me as I had always sung in German. I am a perfectionist and I wanted to sound natural like a native speaker and so that took some time.

“But now, I can’t decide what I prefer. I like the English record and I also like the German one. So I think in the future, we will always do it this way and we would have a translation for both languages,” Bill explained.

At the concert, Tokio Hotel performed 11 songs in both languages. The haunting ballad Monsoon, was sung in German.

And then, as they left, Bill said in perfect English: “Thank you. See you again!”

Word is that the band will be returning to Malaysia for another concert, so we might just be seeing Bill – with his gravity-defying mohawk – and his bandmates again real soon.

SOURCE

Article : Welcome to Tokio Hotel - Malaysian Today

The pouring rain was no obstacle for die-hard fans of German alt-rock band, Tokio Hotel, as the thousands-strong audience waited - umbrellas up - for the show to begin. And when it did, after a two-hour wait, it was worth it after all.

Sweaty bodies and wet hair may make for an odour to remember, but there was more to remember on the damp evening of May 1 as German alternative-rock-slash-emo-pop band, Tokio Hotel, played their first ever concert in Malaysia, courtesy of TM Streamyx.

If the line outside One Utama Shopping Centre was anything to go by, the quartet of Tom and Bill Kaulitz, Gustav Schafer and Georg Listing has proven that music transcends culture and language. Stretching from the Central Park Avenue until the entrances on the ground floor of the shopping centre, the line resembled nothing less than a mile-long snake of human bodies.

Even though these same bodies would later be drenched from the sudden downpour, nothing dampened their enthusiasm, because the band famous for their flamboyantly pretty, guy-linered frontman and catchy riffs was worth the two-hour wait.

Unfortunately, as the emcee from Hitz.fm warmed up the crowd, it was clear that there were delays in setting up the stage. Fans waited for more than half an hour between the opening acts of Pop Shuvit and Bunkface. Both bands put on a jolly good show - Pop Shuvit with their most recognisable hit, Mara Bahaya, and Bunkface with the ridiculously catchy Situasi, among other songs - but by the time the DJ came on stage for the third time to play yet another remix of Bad Romance, the crowd had begun to grumble.

Still, even though many feet were surely sore from standing still for so long, when lead singer Bill finally ran on stage dressed in black, with a metal-fringe necklace, throats became sore from the screaming. As the rest of the band took their places amidst a creepy, emo-electro riff and blue strobe lights, everyone was clearly awaiting a show to remember.

And Tokio Hotel did not disappoint.

The band went straight to their opening song, Noise, which is also the opening song from their latest English album (and the one that made Tokio Hotel a household name out of their home country),Humanoid.

Stopping between songs only to greet Malaysian fans and to thank them for coming out (no thanks necessary!) the band went on to play 13 more songs, mostly from Humanoid, which spawned their two biggest hits, Automatic and World Behind My Wall. When these two hits were played, the crowd went wild, cheering their hearts (and vocal chords) out and singing along with Bill.

Running off-stage every so often to change his accessories, frontman Bill gyrated, swayed, and tantalised the crowd, sounding and looking exactly how fans have come to love him in the bands' music videos.

Tokio Hotel also played songs from their earlier albums, such as the English version of Ready, Set, Go! and Monsoon, which they sang in their native tongue. The fans knew the lyrics too, and sang along, even if they were not sure what the words meant.

There was no fuss, no muss (though bassist Georg must have had a fan blowing in his face, because his long brown locks was flying out behind him, making him a photographer's delight), just good music that left fans wanting more.

But all too soon, it was over, after just an hour - but the band promised, irrevocably, that they will be back.

Hint: that they will be 'doing something with MTV' and will definitely be seeing Malaysian fans again!

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