This is Biography Tokio Hotel is a German pop rock band, born in 2001 and made up of four German guys: the twins Bill and Tom Kaulitz, the teenage musicians have found an international audience also for their music, obtaining the platinum record in several foreign countries.
Although they initially called themselves diabolical, the quartet adopted a new nickname – Tokio Hotel – in tandem with the chord. Composed mainly by Bill Kaulitz – who, at the time, assumed a futuristic and androgynous image – with the help of a series of high-profile songwriters, Schrei was preceded by the release in August 2005 of Tokyo Hotel’s debut single, “Durch den Monsun”.
The teenagers quickly embraced the band with puppy fervor, and by the end of the month the song was at the top of the German pop charts and its Austrian counterpart. Subsequent singles “Rette Mich” and “Der Letzte Tag” also reached first place, although the first song was later re-recorded to take into account Kaulitz’s post-pubescent vocal changes.
After the singer finished his contribution to director Luc Besson’s animated fantasy, Arthur and the Minimoys, Tokio Hotel returned to the studio to complete work on their next album in 2007, Zimmer 483.
That June, the band also released their first English-language recording, Scream, whose track list included songs by Schrei and Zimmer 483 that had been translated and re-recorded. Scream came out in the US a year later, and Hotel Tokio recorded two versions of their third album, Humanoid, to account for both their German and English-speaking audiences.
Produced by the likes of Matrix, Guy Chambers and Desmond Child, the album was released worldwide in 2009 and was at the top of the German charts, making it the band’s third album to do so. Meanwhile, the band also released a DVD, Tokio Hotel TV: Caught on Camera!, documenting their busy year in 2008. 2010 was followed by the concert album Humanoid City and a best of set.
They continued the tour in support of Humanoid before the Kaulitz brothers moved to Los Angeles. The Tokyo Hotel would not resurface until 2013 with the announcement of their fifth album, Kings of Suburbia.
Their first effort to be recorded entirely in English, Suburbia presented a strongly electronic pop side of the band, influenced by the nightlife of the Kaulitzes’ new hometown. Singles included “Love Who Loves You Back” and “Feel It All”, as well as “Run Run Run Run Run”, which was later covered by Kelly Clarkson and John Legend. The elegant Dream Machine, ready for the dance floor, arrived in 2017.
Discography
Schrei (2005)
Zimmer 483 (2007)
Humanoid (2009)
Kings of Suburbia (2014)
Dream Machine (2017)