Tokio Hotel flashback: Bill Kaulitz on Star Search Germany
Oh, we have something for you that is priceless, for so many reasons: a clip of Bill Kaulitz, the dreamboat(?) lead singer for German import Tokio Hotel, performing on Star Search Germany at age 13. Yes, it’s true!
The future emo-pop star, looking every bit like a tiny elfin creature out of “Lord of the Rings,” flails his rail-thin arms around like a true diva. And what is he singing? “It’s Raining Men.” Can you get more lost-in-translation than that?? Honestly, there’s a lot to process in a clip that’s under two minutes.
Tokio Hotel Hopes To Expand Already-Rabid Fanbase To Make It Big In The U.S.
According to their (rather rabid) fanbase, Tokio Hotel is: A) "Certainly the most interesting up-and-coming music act in recent years"; B) "The cutest Germans I've ever seen"; C) "F---ing amazing. ... They showed me that music doesn't have to be complex and full of technicalities for it to eat my f---ing heart alive"; D) "An amazingly talented group of young guys. And the twins are amazingly hot!"; or E) "sooooooooo HOTT!"
That's pretty hot(t). Of course, that enthusiasm is not shared by the other 98.9 percent of the planet, who probably only know Tokio Hotel as "that German band with the weird lead-singer chick" (if they know them at all).
And therein lies the problem — or, more specifically, the challenge — facing Germany's hottest pansexual pop-rockers: They are massively popular in their homeland (not to mention pretty much everywhere else in Europe), having sold more than 5 million albums, singles and DVDs in just more than three years, and they lord over a dedicated online army. Yet here in the States, they probably couldn't get arrested, unless frontman (yeah, he's a dude) Bill Kaulitz's epically spiked mane violates some sort of zoning laws or something.
I love Bill!! <333>
In short, Tokio Hotel have a legitimate shot at being the biggest rock act on the planet. All that's standing in their way are the amber waves of grain and purple mountains majesty of the United States.
"It's really hard to get fans in another country, especially here, because America is so, so big, so it's really hard to get known in this country," Kaulitz said in a heavy accent. "We are so excited we have fans here at all. In America, we see a fan and it is like, 'Oh, we are proud! We have a fan in America!' "
So with the hopes of increasing that fanbase here in the States, Tokio Hotel — including Kaulitz and his brother Tom on guitars, bassist Georg Listing and drummer Gustav Schäfer — have just released their first English-language album, Scream, which features re-recorded versions of tracks from their first-two German efforts, Schrei and Zimmer 483. Distributed here by Cherrytree (an Interscope imprint), the album is chock-full of crunchy riffs and self-flagellating lyrics, a cash cow clearly aimed at the Hot Topic set and their chain wallets.
And if it manages to score big, well, then the guys in Tokio Hotel will know that their hard work has paid off. After all, getting to be the biggest band on the planet isn't easy.
"We had some help with [this album], because our English is not so good. For me, it was pretty hard to go into the studio and sing English for the first time, because I always sung in German, and we've been making music for seven years and it's always been in German," Kaulitz laughed. "So that took some time, and hopefully the fans will like it. It's really important to us that everyone can understand our lyrics, so we said we'd try it. But also, the fans in America want to hear German songs ... and last time we played here, we did two German songs [and] they sang the songs with us."
Ah, yes, their fans here in America. They're a small — but loyal (and vocal) — bunch, turning Times Square into a squealing mess Tuesday when the band appeared on "TRL" and packing Hollywood's vaunted Roxy earlier this year for Tokio Hotel's first U.S. show. Clearly, the seeds have been planted. And now, everyone involved with the band is hoping they'll come into bloom.
"We expect great live shows here. We've played a few times here, and it was great. So now we want to play a tour," Kaulitz said. "So we might come back and play a tour. I don't know. We are going back to Europe to start writing a new record, and then we'll do it in English. And then we want to come back."
Tokio Hotel fans say band is "sooooooo hott"
...That's because its true...^_^
This is interesting. We here at MTV News thought we were kind of conducting a fun little experiment when we published an item on Tokio Hotel a couple weeks ago. We were sort of daring the rumored-to-be-rabid fan base to react. But in the words of “GG,” OMFG! Y’all are too much!
Here’s a mere sampling of the massive groundswell of comments we received just overnight when posting about the pint-sized German band’s visit to Times Square yesterday. And if you care this much, maybe we’ll just roll out a video piece on the band. Don’t tempt us…
On Appealing to All Ages Forever & Ever:
Val: I wish you’d stop referring to their fans as 14-year-old hysterical girls or tweens. I am in my 30s and not particularly hysterical and have been a fan of this bad for almost two years now since discovering their music on YouTube.
Melody: Maybe it looks like that TH only has teenie 13-years-old fans, but that’s not real.
Oyoa: I didn’t know I was considered a shrieking 14-year-old tween…seeing as I’m 19.
Maggie: Please, PLEASE, for the love of God stop referring to all of their fans as “tweens” or “little 14-year-old girls” because it isn’t true. Yes, there are younger fans, but the majority of TH fans are 17 or well into their 20’s and even 30’s (and older). Referring to their fan base generally as “tweens” is quite insulting.
Sylvia: I’m 17 and I love this band. Don’t believe me go check out both my Gaias and my MySpace. I’m serious.
Amanda: Yeah, I’m 14 but I barely know ANYONE my age who even knows who Tokio Hotel are. And I’m rly mature and look older than my age and yeah if I ever saw them I would obv scream but still I’m not immature…
Alex: It’s not true that all of there fans are 14 years olds. Like me, I’m 15 and I know others who are older.
TH FanWoman: I know that the teen fans hate being called hysterical but they are. When you go to a Tokio Hotel concert you can barely hear Bill’s voice over the screaming. I am not talking about the singing along with Bill but the random, high-pitched screaming and shrieking. I buy my tickets to hear the boys, not all that teenage horniness coming out in a scream.
On the Experience of Raw Desire:
ecem: Tokio Hotel is appearing very beautiful.
Jeanine: TOM I LOOVEEEE YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!
Alisa: They are f***ing amazing. They showed me that music doesn’t have to be complex and full of technicalities for it to eat my f***ing heart alive.Shiira: I really, really, really, really, really want to injure the writer of this little article. “Anime Porcupine/frontBOY”? Are you kidding me? He’s not 12, he’s an actual adult, so get over the fact that he’s physically attractive (and yes, adorable) and pay attention to the talent he has…I guess “cute” German teenaged boys just isn’t sophisticated enough for MTV, what with the intellectual fare provided there, like “A Shot At Love With Tila Tequila.”
Stephanie: im uber happy they have more and more ppl are learning about Tokio Hotel in the US…but at the same time it really PISSES ME OFF! cuz i don’t want them to start getting fans that just are in to them cuz their looks…i know it sound really selfish..cuz i don’t what them to gee other fans…but their so amazing i wanted to have them all to myself! I LOVE GERMANS!…TOKIO HOTEL I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART AND NEVER STOP ON ROLLING MY WORLD! TOM…U R SO HOTT…CALL ME!
No comments:
Post a Comment