If “MR.” is the current representative of Hong Kong’s bands, 4-man-band Tokio Hotel must be the representative of German bands. Tokio Hotel was formed in 2001 and at first they were only popular in Germany and they only sang in German. In recent years, they wanted to be more international so they had released some English songs. All songs in their newest album “Humanoid” are in English so more people can understand. They showed us that Germany is not only well-known Klinsmann and sausages but also bands. You probably will think they are very cool because of their Punk style. However, they can actually be soft and sentimental.

 

 

Tokio Hotel can be considered as the most successful German band in these 20 years, not only have they got 10 platinum awards, 4 number 1 singles and European tours that tickers all being sold out, they were also the Best Newcomer of MTV Music Award 2008. There are many other bands out there, what are the differences between TH and them? Are they only selling the good looks of the twins, Bill and Tom? Bill: “Maybe it is related to our growing up conditions, we have been in one band since we were 10 and we always performed in our hometown Magdeburg in East Germany. Growing up in such a gloomy place, Tom and I were treated like aliens by other people. But we didn’t give up, we knew that the only way for us to become huge was to break into other regions. So we decided to leave our home and rock.” It is hard for a band to survive, and it is even harder for those bands which have to leave their hometowns. Tokio Hotel’s determination should really be appreciated.

 

 

The elder twin Tom always brought his guitar with him since he was 7. When he was 13, he started to make music with his brother Bill who had special styles and looks. They did attract attentions from many European music producers. The band was originally called “Devilish” but later on they didn’t want to be limited by the German language, so they renamed themselves as “Tokio Hotel” which sounds Eastern. The new band name helped them to break into the European teenagers market more easily. From 500 audiences in the pub to 500 thousands fans singing their songs under the Eiffel Tower, the number of their fans has increased by like a thousand time. Moreover, these 500 thousand French fans learn German because of Tokio Hotel. It is the same situation when many people in Hong Kong learn Korean for some Korean stars.

 

 

Being discriminated, having language problems, they have gone through some difficult times. Nothing can stop them! Tom: “We don’t want to only rely on our old stuff so we always try new things out. The funniest thing is, Bill is making us crazy because he always want to add new stuff and instruments into our songs even if we had not finish recording them. Our new song “Automatic” is about our daily lives and emotions and their relationship with automation. Think about it, how many things can work automatically everyday? The doors of lifts, the automatic transmission of cars, the auto focus of cameras…these all sounds convenient. But if we consider human relations, it doesn’t work. Since love comes from our heart, it can’t be generated by cold automation.” They can list a million examples when explaining the meaning of their songs. We can see that Tokio Hotel is just as the same as their songs – They compose their songs by an unrestrained and vigorous style that brims with talent.