(Dec, 2012)

Germany

Why did you decide to join the DSDS-Jury?
Bill: We decided to join this show, because it’s the most successful casting show. In addition to that the winner is going to have the perfect start into the music business. A #1-single and a successful first album are almost guaranteed, plus the winner will also get 500,000 €. That’s a lot of money, which you can still work with as a musician after DSDS.

Would you have wanted such an entry into the music business for Tokio Hotel?
Bill: Yes, our story is a Cinderella story which barely happens in the music business nowadays. We were discovered in a live-club in our hometown. Nowadays, the record labels don’t want to spend money on anything. There aren’t a lot of talent scouts left who look for bands and invest in them, as there were ten years ago.
Tom: The music business changed so drastically, that this is the only way to have some kind of success. In the US some of the greatest artists have been sitting in the Jury of the casting shows for a long time, to give aspiring artists some type of input.
Bill: Mariah Carey and Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears sit there in the Jury’s to find new talents.

Do you like being a part of the DSDS-Jury?
Bill: It’s a lot of fun. But when the people are standing in front of you with a hopeful look in their eyes…all of them have big dreams – there are also some older candidates who’ve been making music for a long time, and you’re basically deciding someones fate.

How do you get along with DSDS-“Headman” Dieter Bohlen?
Bill: Good! We’re all of different ages and make different types of music. We also have some candidates who sing Schlager music, which Tom and I can’t say much about. They fall into Dieter’s field of competence. Everyone of us basically has their “area of responsibility”.

How do the candidates respond to you?
Tom: I think Bill and I are pretty fair in our decisions. But there are certainly going to be candidates who are going to be upset about our decision in retrospect.
Bill: Yes, we had one or two of those candidates…
Tom: There was one girl, we had to tell her that it just wasn’t enough and she looked at us in such a way that you got the feeling that you have to spiritually cleanse yourself.

Are you going to watch the castings on TV?
Bill: I don’t like watching myself on TV…
Tom: I don’t like hearing myself talk and I don’t like seeing myself on TV. I had my first experience of this kind in primary school at a film studio for kids. I had to play “The gallant tailor”. Watching it with my family afterwards was horrible…

translation by: Icey

(25.12.2012)

“Our story is a Cinderella story”

Bill and Tom Kaulitz are the new members of this years Jury at the casting show “Deutschland such den Superstar”, which will start airing on RTL on January 5th at 8.15 p.m. The twins got famous and known with their band “Tokio Hotel“, with which they’ve sold countless records and toured all over the world with. When meeting the “Superstars” Bill and Tom you’ll be pleasently surprised: both are polite, courteous, taller than you’d think but they still clearly differ from one another. But they agree on one point – the show is a lot of fun, and they want it to be fun for the viewers and their fans as well…

TVdirekt: Why did you decide to join the DSDS-Jury?
Bill Kaulitz: We decided to join this show, because it’s the most successful casting show. In addition to that the winner is going to have the perfect start into the music business. A #1-single and a successful first album are almost guaranteed, plus the winner will also get 500,000 €. That’s a lot of money, which you can still work with as a musician after DSDS.
Tom Kaulitz: It was also very well timed – if we didn’t do it now, we would have never done it.
Bill Kaulitz: DSDS is the show we believe in most. A casting show with a great foundation for the winner.

TVdirekt: Would you have wanted such an entry into the music business for Tokio Hotel?
Tom Kaulitz: We had an incredible amount of luck!
Bill Kaulitz: Yes, our story is a Cinderella story which barely happens in the music business nowadays. We were discovered in a live-club in our hometown. When I look back it seems impossible to me, how it all worked out, that someone actually discovered us in our hometown.
Tom Kaulitz: We were newcomers, got our first record deal with a really small budget for a music video and marketing. We were just incredibly lucky that it worked out so well without such a platform like DSDS.
Bill Kaulitz: Nowadays, the record labels don’t want to spend money on anything. There aren’t a lot of talent scouts left who look for bands and invest in them, as there were ten years ago. As a young musician, especially when you’re from the countryside, you have no opportunity to show that you’ve got talent. How do you want to make it to a big city from a little village with only your talent? Back then we also didn’t know how we should do it and if we should send a Demo to a record label. The show gives the winner a good start into the business and when they’re in, it’s their responsibility to make something out of themselves.
Tom Kaulitz: I think this is exactly what the people are becoming more aware of! Through that, casting shows little by little get a whole other kind of reputation, than they had in the past. Back then the people said, casting – is this really necessary? Meanwhile casting shows are more accepted and respected. The music business changed so drastically, that this is the only way to have some kind of success. We were one of the last bands in Germany, that were able to do it “the natural way”. Today it’s different…in the US some of the greatest artists have been sitting in the Jury of the casting shows for a long time, to give aspiring artists some type of input.
Bill Kaulitz: Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj are on American Idol. Furthermore rock legend Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears also make up Jury’s and look at people, because it’s a great way to find new talent.
Tom Kaulitz: We want to give the people tips for a career behind the scenes and help and support them with their start into the music business.

TVdirekt: How did the castings go? Did you discover any new talents?
Bill Kaulitz: We have a lot of hope. We started casting in Berlin for nine days and saw hundreds of people. That was really strenuous, I have to admit – but it was also fun. 71 of those talents made it to the recall. Later we learned that normally about 120 people make it to the recall, so we were really strict.
Tom Kaulitz: But we were a nice kind of strict!
Bill Kaulitz: We sent some great candidates into the next round and chose 36 people in the Recall who will go on the rest of the journey with us. We’re happy and have some good singers and personalities in there.
Tom Kaulitz: At the recall there were some people, where you expected a lot from them based on the impression they left at their casting, but then they suddenly completely screwed up. This is really the first test, where you can find out who will be able to handle the pressure and who just isn’t cut out for it. We had a great location, the coaches where already doing their work and the candidates had 24 hours to rehearse and learn the song. Some people disappointed and some people surprised us.

TVdirekt: How do the candidates react to you?
Bill Kaulitz: We don’t know what happens behind the camera, but there are certainly people who leave the room and vent about what we told them. We had one or two candidates of this sort.
Tom Kaulitz: There was one girl, we had to tell her that it just wasn’t enough and she looked at us in such a way that you got the feeling that you have to spiritually cleanse yourself.
Bill Kaulitz: There was one guy that stepped into the room, and just really blew me away. There was a moment where I just thought “wow”! I really didn’t expect that. After he sang he started getting really unfair and made a huge scene. He said that he thinks it’s a shitty move from our us that we’re parading him around and making a fool out of him. I stopped him in his tirade and explained that this was not in our interest. Everyone gets their fair chance and we want to have great singers. Some just aren’t good enough during the casting, but they know this beforehand!
Tom Kaulitz: We’ll see what they said backstage when the show airs.

TVdirekt: How hard is being a “Superstar” (winner of the show)?
Bill Kaulitz: A lot of people aren’t aware of what it means to lead this kind of life. During our decision making process it’s not just about good voices and awesome singers. It’s also about who can handle everything that comes with it. For this, the show is a good start, because the candidates get a kind of “crash course”. They’re on TV and around cameras 24/7. They have to give interviews from the start and with the live shows also comes a lot of pressure from the media. If you make it, you’ll also be able to handle everything that comes afterwards. During the casting it’s important to watch who will be able to handle such a life. We had to tell some candidates that they’re too young and fragile to survive in this business – that they’re never gonna lead such a life, that it would be the wrong thing for them.

TVdirekt: Is this your strength in the jury? To estimate the people regarding that?
Tom Kaulitz: I wouldn’t say that it’s our only strength…(laughs) But the experience we have is, of course, a huge advantage. We had to handle a lot of pressure from the media at the beginning of our career, so we can comprehend what kind of phases those people are going through.

TVdirekt: You are now mainly living in Los Angeles. Do you just meet celebrities on the street and go and grab a coffee with them?
Tom Kaulitz: Of course we meet other artists in L.A., but its not the rule that you meet celebrities on the street – I think that’s more of a myth. But I think you’re asking that the wrong people…(laughs)

– original article

translation by: Icey

(21.12.2012)

Germany

“DSDS is the original”

New candidates, new presenters – and real Superstars in the Jury. The 10th season of “DSDS” (starts on 5th January, 8.15 PM on RTL) kicks off the new TV Season. There are 32,078 candidates competing over a record deal with universal and 500,000 €. “DSDS” starts with 7 casting shows, followed by the Recalls in Bad Driburg and Curaçao which will then lead into the Live Shows. The Tokio-Hotel-Twins Bill and Tom Kaulitz reveal why they are convinced of the success of “DSDS” in their exclusive interview with TV-Digital.

Why do you support “DSDS” in its anniversary year?
Bill: Because “DSDS” is the most successful casting show, that offers a realistic start into the music business. It’s the original!
Tom: All the other shows try to breathe new life into their formats by coming up with new ideas. But “DSDS” is the most successful format, especially when it comes to the artists success after “DSDS”. The success of winners of oter shows is never that big. Where else can you win 500,000 € and – practically – get a guarantee for a No. 1 Hit?

What is working, with Dieter Bohlen, like?
Bill: Very good! This time the “DSDS”-Jury is made up of 4 active musicians. We’ll give the candidates some good advice.

What’s your favorite “Modern Talking” song?
Tom: I don’t have one. And to be honest, I also don’t know that many.
Bill: “Cheri, Cheri Lady” was a song of theirs. But that wasn’t really a hit during “our time”.

Which song would describe your attitude towards life best?
Tom: “It’s my life” of course. (Bill & Tom laugh)
Bill: No, there’s no specific song from other artists. Our own songs definitely describe our attitude towards life best.

In Germany, the feeling arose that you went into hiding in Los Angeles for the past two years. Why were you really there?
Bill: We were in L.A. to work on our new Album, because we have a good foundation there – meaning: studios, producers and people we’ve been working with for a long time.
Tom: Most people, when they think of L.A., think of glamour and Hollywood. Both of those things weren’t crucial for our decision to work there. The working conditions were simply perfect and suited us the most. But theoretically we could have also ended up going to Chicago or San Francisco. Whoever connects my work in L.A. with the glamour life of Hollywood is reading too much into our move.

Where are you going to live in the near future?
Bill: We get bored pretty fast when we live in one place for a long time. And we like getting around. We feel comfortable living in L.A., but we could also imagine living somewhere else. It’s absolutely possible that we’ll be working from a different country by next year.
Tom: I, for example, can very much imagine to live in India! It’s a big wish of mine: to emigrate to India for some time. It’s a country we haven’t been to yet. Our wish of going to India was actually sparked by hearing so many positive things about that country. I will definitely go on a motorbike trip across India.

Do you think that Casting Shows have a future?
Bill: A lot of artists currently decide to join the Jury of a casting show, for example: Britney Spears, Steven Tyler or Mariah Carey. Insofar a new show-era is starting.
Tom: The condemned live longer. I’m convinced that casting shows are currently reinventing themselves. Storybook careers are not the custom anymore, because there are fewer talent scouts around that offer unknown bands a record deal. That changed since we were discovered, we were incredibly lucky. The way out of this dilemma are casting shows. Where else can you get a No.-1-Hit and every now and then also global popularity? The Americans have known that for a long time!

Apparently you’re fans of Angela Merkel…
Bill: The policies of our federal chancellor are comprehensible. For me, Merkel is a popular figure. She conveys a kind of “Mother”-Syndrome – at least a little bit. With her, you have the feeling that you’re in good hands.

On which outstanding artists do you orient yourselves, who – would you say – is a role model?
Bill: We’ve always liked Aerosmith. A band that started incredibly early and that’s still performing on stage – a legend that shaped generations with their sound.

When will your new Album be released?
Tom: Not this year.
Bill: There’s no specific point in time. We’ll release it when we feel that everything is perfect. One of these days someone will have to pry it out of our hands and say: “Okay, that’s enough!” But at the moment we’re still in the writing and producing process.

So the last question that’s left: How satisfied/happy are you with your life?
Bill: Very happy. We fill our life with our passion for music. It’s very important to live in the here and now, without being “hunted” by new goals to achieve. When I look back to the things I did in the past, I can only say that I’m happy with everything.
Tom: Happiness doesn’t depend on how the things go, but on your own attitude.

translation by: Icey

(21.10.2012)

Bad Driburg, Germany

The Comeback of the Year

Tokio Hotel is one of the most popular German pop band. From January on, Bill and Tom Kaulitz will be sitting in the Jury of DSDS next to Dieter Bohlen. The brothers told BUNTE, why they took two years off.

Only a few minutes separate them: Tom Kaulitz was born in 1989 at 6.20 a.m., his twin brother Bill ten minutes later. Dieter Bohlen, 58, calls the younger one “gift of god”. Not from this world. And indeed, Bill Kaulitz looks like a being of another planet with his feminine facial features and fancy clothes. Tom however looks boisterous, like a womanizer.

The 23-year-old brothers do everything together. From January 5th on they will make up one half of the Jury at “DSDS”. A small sensation, because despite the success with their band Tokio Hotel (more than 8 million sold records) the two of them went into hiding for the past two years.

In 2010 you moved to Los Angeles to take some time off. Why did you leave Germany?
Bill: We were longing for a home and a private life, which just wasn’t possible in Germany anymore.

Why?
Tom: We couldn’t step out of the house without being photographed or getting mobbed by crazies. It was horrible.
Bill: We had security around us 24/7 and lived like in jail with a 2 meter high opaque fence around our property.

Tom, in an interview you said that “it’s crass what sick and dangerous people are out there”.
Tom: There are people who gave up their whole life for Tokio Hotel. It’s a kind of hate-love. For them it’s about controlling our whole life. All of our employees who stepped into our house were tracked by them – it didn’t matter if it was the cleaning lady or the craftsman.
Bill: A 24-hour psycho-terror!
Tom: It felt like there was a spy watching your every move. They were organized in an unbelievably good way. We only thought: How do they always know where we are? And this despite the fact that we were working together with the police.

Can you understand/comprehend their obsession with you?
Tom: They’re that dangerous because they don’t have anything to lose. They project all their problems on us.

How far did those stalkers go?
Bill: They didn’t have any boundaries. They tried any and everything just to get a reaction out of us.

No human being can take that. When did you reach the point where you had enough?
Tom: When they forced our car off the road.

What?
Bill: Some family members were sitting with us in the car. We are protective towards our family and friends, just like anyone else is. When those people come near your family you instinctively take action.

You compared your life with that of Britney Spears. Were you able to sympathize with her when she shaved her hair off?
Bill: I can understand the situation she was in 100%. A certain kind of want for freedom lies behind that. You don’t want other people to tell you what to do your whole life. And if you feel like shaving your hair off, then you just do it.

How much of your youth was lost because of Tokio Hotel?
Tom: We, of course, had a good time that we wouldn’t have wanted to miss. What was taken from us early on was the ease.

What do you mean by that?
Bill: We were the leaders of a company at the age of 15 with Lawyers, Tax Advisers and Managers around us, all on our payroll. A huge chunk of responsibility rested on our shoulders, which at the same time was a good thing since we hate superiors.

Bill, you haven’t been able to fall in love with someone since you turned 14 – also because you have a problem with trusting people. How much do you miss this form of love?
Bill: In this “fast life” that I’m living, I miss the reliability. I always longed to have someone who would just be there for me. Of course I have Tom. I’m extremely happy that we’re brothers. I wouldn’t be able to work as a solo artist.

Why did you choose to move to Los Angeles, why not any other city?
Tom: We didn’t move there to lead a glamour life. We have some recording studios we work in there and we were able to take some time off.
Bill: We are definitely more free! We especially enjoy working on our new Album every day.

How long are you planning to stay in the US for?
Tom: We get bored pretty fast. It’s possible that we’ll come back to Germany soon.

Pictures:
• DSDS: “The new DSDS-Jury: Dieter Bohlen, Bill Kaulitz, Tom Kaulitz, Meteo from Culcha Candela”
• Echo 2007: “Celebrated: Tom Kaulitz, Gustav Schäfer, Georg Listing, Bill Kaulitz after their performance at the Echo Awards in 2007”
• Interview: “Interview: Bill and Tom Kaulitz with BUNTE-reporter Kirsten Reineke”
• Bill & Tom: “Bill & Tom Kaulitz celebrate their comeback in Dieter Bohlen’s DSDS-Show”

translation by: Icey