Tokio Hotel WW140 (Articles...)

Emo quartet Tokio Hotel emerged as one of the most successful new German acts of their generation, scoring three number one singles via 2005's debut LP, Schrei. Bill and Tom Kaulitz, 12-year-old twins, formed the group in their native Magdeburg in 2001, recruiting drummer Gustav Schäfer and bassist Georg Listing to round out the lineup. Originally dubbed Devilish, the teen foursome toured aggressively before signing to Universal in 2003, adopting the moniker Tokio Hotel in tandem with the deal. Composed primarily by Bill Kaulitz in tandem with a series of high-profile songwriters, Schrei was preceded by the August 2005 release of Tokio Hotel's debut single, "Durch den Monsun." Teenage girls quickly embraced the band with puppy-love fervor, and by the end of the month the single topped the German pop chart and its Austrian counterpart. The follow-ups "Rette Mich" and "Der Letzte Tag" also hit number one, although the former appeared in a re-recorded version dramatically different from its LP version thanks to Kaulitz's post-pubescent vocal changes. After the singer wrapped his contributions to filmmaker Luc Besson's animated fantasy Arthur and the Minimoys, Tokio Hotel returned to the studio to complete work on their 2007 follow-up album, Zimmer 483. In June 2007, Scream, the band's first English language album, was released in Europe. The album's tracks were comprised of songs from Schrei and Zimmer 483 that had been translated and re-recorded. Scream was released in the United States on April 29, 2008


LA article:
Los Angeles, CA (CNS) - Boys bands have often created hysteria among young girl fans, and the group Tokio Hotel is no exception. Now the Kaulitz twins, the 18-year-old members of the German glam pop quartet Tokio Hotel, are causing quite a commotion among the ladies.

In addition to the twins, the band is also made up of bassist Georg Listing, 20, and drummer Gustav Schafer, 19. So far the group has sold close to three million CDs and DVDs in their country, and are hoping to replicate their rabid fan base in the United States.

According to the Associated Press, the look of the Kaulitz twins is just as important as the sound of the band. Bill Kaulitz has adopted an anime look: straightened, teased black hair; heavy eye makeup that accentuates his delicate, androgynous, doll-like features; chain necklaces and vintage rock and roll T-shirts. Bill is so thin that his on-stage appearance becomes almost one dimensional, adding to the cartoon-like appeal. Bill claims that his look is not anime from Japan, but more vampire from Transylvania.

Bill said he dressed as a vampire for Halloween when he was ten-years-old, and after that adopted the style year-round.

"After that, I started to color my hair and polish my nails. I started to wear makeup and stuff. I'd never heard of (anime)," Bill told the Associated Press in an interview at the Avalon Hollywood before going to the group's sold-out show in Los Angeles.

Tom Kaulitz, the older brother by ten minutes, developed his hip-hop/dreads look when he was seven or eight, in part as a way to differentiate himself from his identical twin. "When we were six, we looked the same," Tom said. "We had sweat shirts with (the names) Bill and Tom so that teachers had a chance to know who's who."