Tokio Hotel, Our True Great Love
“We have this crazy, deep connection between the band, which a lot of people like and it keeps us from straying or wanting to do something else, like when a band breaks up. For us it is having grown up together more than friends or colleagues, it is that we have such an incredible bond and our greatest love has always been the Tokio Hotel.”
Tom
читать дальшеRSK: Has it ever happened to you that the way you dreamed of meeting your favorite artist from your adolescence was as perfect as you imagined? What will exceed your expectations? And did you feel like the most special person on the planet when it happened?
This finally happened!
Generally when I have a guest artist for an interview I'm the one who usually opens that space including and involving them in this experience of sharing their world with Rolling Stone Korea, but this time the roles crossed and the four members of the immortal German band TOKIO HOTEL , Bill, Tom, Georg and Gustav were the ones who, with their charisma involved me in what may be my most emotional interview so far.
From their pre-concert rehearsal, the boys turned on their camera backstage at their venue in Berlin. I have been dreaming for 17 years of having the chance to at least share with them how much I have enjoyed their music in the two university degrees I studied, In my medical career they were the soundtrack of complete nights without sleep studying internal medicine and practical surgeries that I did for the first time where they were my anesthetic against the nerves of being a neophyte doctor. In journalism we had already grown together and it was the electro stage of TOKIO HOTEL, it could be said that we never abandoned each other and everything aligned perfectly to bring us today this exclusive space in our RSK.
This band has built a legend of almost 25 years in force, successful and innovative, characteristics that make them immortal for three different generations that since 2001 have enjoyed the evolution that the band has directed without losing their trademark, that seal allows everybody recognize their identity in any musical genre with which they have ventured to experiment, which has also been unleashed in the phenomenon of feeling that the band evolves alongside the growth and taste of its fans.
This band became massively international in the early 2000s, becoming the most important rock-punk phenomenon of the 21st century and almost a quarter of a century later they are still at the top, filling stadiums around the world, sold out in minutes and receiving the most important awards. of global music.
Clearly they are not the same, they have grown, matured and fluctuated with the unstoppable change of the music industry but the jovial essence, creativity, originality and gentleness continue to be the constant of these musicians from heart.
I hope that all of you can connect with the overwhelming and elevated energy that Tokio Hotel radiates in every space that you fill with your presence,
[RSK] Welcome to Rolling Stone Korea! Guys!
Bill, Tom, Gustav, Georg: How are you? Thank you so much! We are in Berlin and we are preparing for a show we will play in three days!!!
[RSK] Oh, that's amazing! Could you be so kind as to do something for me?
Bill, Tom, Gustav, Georg: Yes for sure! Well, tell us?
[RSK] Could you give me a minute of this interview to be myself? Just a minute.
Bill, Tom, Gustav, Georg: We'd love that.
1. [RSK] I want you to know that you have been the best company that I have grown up with since I was 15 years old and the refuge of art that has allowed me to add joy and good vibes in very dark moments of my path, I just want to thank you for so much love that I have received through your music, they are truly unicorns and is a true honor to be able to share this exclusive interview at my Rolling Stone Korea home, we hope you visit us in Asia very soon,
Bill and Tom: How sweet! We really appreciate the love, thank you.
We just talked and I don't think we've been to Korea. I don't think we've been there yet, but we'd love to go and do something big with you guys from Rolling Korea. Why not?
Tom: We know now that we have a large number of fans supporting us in Asia. That's so amazing, I like it. I can't believe we haven't played a show. I really want to go and see the fans, it would be very exciting. We just discussed that.
Bill and Tom: We're going on tour. We haven't officially announced it yet, but we are definitely going to play festivals.
We're getting ready for summer and then in three days we'll have our first gig after not playing together for six months.
So it's always a little bit challenging.
2. [RSK] It has been almost 23 years of your career. They began your success when you were around 11 years old and became an example for all generations that we have evolved along with you. The most impressive thing is you continue being as solid as a band and also, building a legend in the global music industry. Let's talk about those first years in which the genesis of Tokio Hotel occurred,
Bill:
“Oh my gosh, I feel like the first few years were just overwhelming. If I could talk to my younger self or younger Tokio Hotel, I would definitely tell them to take it easy, relax, 21 years later you are going to make it and you don't need to be so scared, you don't need to worry, just enjoy, Because I feel like we were very stressed.”
Tom: We were so young and there was so much going on. So yeah, it was just a crazy rollercoaster, I feel like now we're more comfortable with our career and we're as happy as we can be,
“We have never felt more comfortable with what we do, with our music, with touring, with our fans and with our career and I feel like we found a good balance. But when you're young and you're just starting out, you're just trying to figure out life, and then you also have this career. So it was definitely overwhelming.”
3. [RSK] It has been a very interesting path of self-knowledge, as a band you are known for your creativity and unique style incorporating a fresh air to classic Rock , could you tell us how that creative process develops when you come together as a band for a new project?
Tom: You know, it's different. There was a time when Bill and I did most of the material in the studio and we were preparing the songs, then finishing the demos and going to Germany, to the studio with Georg and Gustav, rehearsing and playing some instruments.
Today, the latest things we're doing are very, very different. Most of the time it's Bill and I in the studio preparing demos and writing songs. Sometimes we don't even go to the big studio.
“We recently did a project, still secret, but we covered a song, let's say that, it's a childhood favorite, it's coming out in August, it's a project for the US, for that, we went back to the roots and we have real drums, we have real bass and guitar, and that's mostly it, it's like going back to the origin. Tokio Hotel roots, punk rock style.”
These days we like to go back there, take the old sound back to the roots of Tokio Hotel and put it in 2024. But, it's very different from project to project.
For example, Bill and I wrote a song for the new Netflix show coming out at the end of June Kaulitz & Kaulitz. We have a big show coming out around the world and we wrote the title track for that. It's quite the opposite, it's a very, I mean, catchy and funky pop song that still has some Tokio Hotel vibes, but it has programmed drums, programmed bass, stuff like that, and keyboards.
So it varies a lot from song to song.
4. [RSK] In reality, German artists stand out throughout history, as Beethoven etc., because you all have that talent infused with a discipline of perfection that allows you to express art in its most enhanced splendor. I want to know which one it is for you, the reason why are you now consolidated as an immortalized band that continues to appeal to new generations, noticing that many actual artists only have an average lifespan of five or six years at most?
Bill and Tom: Well, thank you very much for the compliment. That's the cutest thing ever.
Well, I think for us, first of all, we started at a different time. Nowadays it's very, very difficult to create a long-lasting career for yourself, there are so many artists and bands that have a huge song, but people don't care about the artist behind it and the uniqueness and signature is missing. Everything happens very quickly and then disappears just as quickly.
We started at a time when YouTube, didn't even exist, there was no social media, nothing like that. Back then it was very important to get a record deal and we built the fan base at that time, which is, I think, you have a different connection with your fans, something from the heart , in that moment. Most of them are still there, they grew up with us and we're adults now, you know, the fans, the band.
Tom:
“We have this crazy, deep connection between the band, which a lot of people like and it keeps us from straying or wanting to do something else, like when a band breaks up., it is that we have such an incredible bond and our greatest love has always been. We had some low moments, of course, like everyone else, but we continued to hold on to the love of the music we make and never gave up on it. I feel like we never gave up, no matter how hard it was sometimes and even though we don't even live on the same continent, we always had this love for music that, you know, brought us together and kept us believing in ourselves.”
One of the biggest differences is really that we have a superstar guitarist, most of them don't have that, we have the best guitarist, that's the biggest difference. (laughs)
Georg: I'm not sure about that. (laughs)
5. [RSK] Well, in this question I would love to hear from everyone of you , could you share with us: What is the most memorable moment you have been treasuring from the start of those first years on this path?
Bill: Oh, there are many memories. I really like to remember the day we played in Paris under the Eiffel Tower. It was a crazy experience, but…
Tom: No, just pick one. We each have to choose one.
“I chose Monsoon's performance at the EMAs. I think it was 2007 or something like that. 2007, 2008. When it rained on stage. I remember we went on stage and it was hard for us because we were just crossing into the international market and people recognized us in the first European countries and I remember it was in Munich, the whole audience started booing when we went on stage.
The audience started cheering us on, that was a great moment because we were in transition at that time and we got our first international recognition . It was not easy for us to cross, through different countries and cultures, that was a key moment.”
Bill: There are many beautiful memories, choosing is difficult, I have many in my head. I think it was also a moment that stood out and that I will never forget,
“It was when we filmed our video for Monsoon, for the international English version in El Cabo. The filming of this video, it was so big, bigger than life, you know, such an expensive video and it was like we flew there and sang Monsoon in English, I had this feeling, this is going to be huge, This will probably change our lives.”
6. [RSK] Gustav, we would love to hear you, what memories come to mind?
Gustav: Yes, I'll tell you something. I love remembering receiving all these music awards. And we, yeah, I mean, we collected a lot.
Georg: I think they're going to bring back the MTV Awards. Yes. But yes, most of the German awards no longer exist.
Bill: Georg and Gustav have a common moment in life that was the most memorable.
Tom:
“Let me guess, let me guess. It was when they met us in Mecklenburg, you know, and when I asked them, do you want to come out and rehearse with us?. They said, thank you all so much for giving us this opportunity. It was love at first sight."
7. [RSK] I want to remember you have been one of the few international bands that dominated lists in the Latin American market and that continue with your current work in this part of the industry, you also had your exclusive moments of performing in Asia when still few overseas groups could access this music market,
Tom: We had a great show. I still remember in Bogotá, Colombia, it was an incredible spectacle. I remember we had friends coming from Los Angeles and the crowd was great. I think we even started the 2015 world tour in Bogotá.
Georg: I think so. I have great memories, I still remember the place.
8. [RSK] It is noteworthy that you were one of the first bands in the early 2000s that presented to the world a proposal of fusion rock and electronic sounds, a touch that you still retain, in reality this contributed to immortalizing yourself in the global music industry, you always have flowed with the trends and demands of the market but without losing their identity,
Bill: I think for us it was always like that, one of the most important things was always being authentic, of course when you start so young you have such different taste and you're going through so many changes, then when you get a little older your taste, simply evolves and your taste expands and is enriched by experience.
Tom: I think it was just a natural process between us being songwriters and being in the studio where we felt like we wanted to experiment with new instruments, new sounds. Growing up with our parents who always listened to 80's music was a big influence and then we were able to be in the studio through a progression of working with other people, exchanging musical tastes and style.
“Again, now we recorded a song that will be out in August. It's a cover and I know that when we release it, the fans will love it from the first moment because it sounds like the classic style of Tokio Hotel that we did in the beginning and sometimes we feel like going back there, we never want to limit ourselves to a certain thing, we want to feel connected with the music we make and change and challenge ourselves, but not be scared of our roots at the same time. That's what we need to feel alive musically. Change is good and necessary”
9. [RSK] We resumed the success of the last album they presented to the world titled “2001”, 32 songs including a remake of your crowned global hit “Durch den Monsun 2020”, it was a different job, you could feel the love and dedication of each one With an air of maturity that frames an ode to the path you have worked together in your musical career, how did this initiative that successfully positioned you among its established fans and neophytes come about?
Tom: That's the last album we put out and it's funny, we didn't really think about it when we started it, it was like: we have to sit down and make an album!
That album came about organically, we were just putting out songs and writing them, we were making music that really made us comfortable, so we said: we have so many great songs that we would like to put together an album!
We wrote some extra tracks, went back into the studio and pushed it a few times to be honest, and suddenly we had a finished album, we were playing it to people and then we had a big performance in the studio where we were like, "Okay, what?" is this right? Everything is going very well and we are having a lot of fun."
That burst of creativity made us rethink the album several times. We released many songs, all of this resulted in a very fun mix. It is one of the things we like the most.
We take it as a compilation of our growth and new songwriting knowledge over two or three years, like most albums these days it's a wild mix, plus our favorite picks from the songs we've written over the years.
Bill: Every time we have a conglomerate of creativity we feel like we have great songs to put out on an album and we go ahead with that.
10. [RSK] You have shared time and experiences of growing up that are very personal and intimate that have made you family, clearly human relationships are not always simple especially when you have spent decades in the company of the same people, but what the world persists in you energy is the family vibe, how has this been made possible so that it is so genuine?
Bill: I feel like it's the best thing in the world. To be honest, because our lives are constantly changing and each of us, different projects along with what we're doing, you know, life is always evolving and changing.
“It is good that we can always return to our safe place in Tokio Hotel, because in this world nothing ever changes, it is like our common ground and our true great love. No matter how crazy our lives get and what else we are doing, this is consistent, this is always there fixed, this is our love, and it's good to know that we will always have a place to return to.”
This is our safe place, we feel like family, this is the secret of why we are together for so long, we are like brothers, united as a family to turn these experiences into a live song.
It's genuine, because we trust each other a lot, sometimes you would feel weird when you're not around, suddenly you get together and play, but there's no shame, it feels like we're very connected because we've been making music together since we were 12 years old. . .
It's funny, about two years ago, I had to go on stage and play for the first time in my entire career with a different band, I had the strangest feeling in the world, of not having the boys with me and being alone, so I decided to just go out and pretend I was playing with them, even though I had other great artists, we had this show together and I love it to death, but it was so different for me, like I was on stage with someone where you don't have that connection so visceral.
Tom: It's like I feel safe and Gustav feels safe and Georg feels like we all feel safe because we're together.
Bill and I just did the show in Germany, The Voice, the TV show. And we've been judging, we've been coaches on the show, and we've performed with our talent.
Bill: Well, Tom was judging, I was coaching. (laughs)
Tom: We were performing with the live band from The Voice, you know, from the production and it was very different, it just doesn't feel like home, you feel a little nervous and it's weird, it's not the same safe space, and In a way, you can translate that feeling into our daily lives, as if every time we came together as a band, we always felt safe, recharged and traveled back in time, it makes no difference.
That's why we are also very childish when we all get together.It's a bit chaotic.
11. [RSK] It is really very emotional because each of those stories feels so real, with sincerity, it is an honor to be able to receive this moment in which you could say there are naked hearts opening up about what has been such a beautiful life story, now entering us. In our Rolling Stone Korea audience, we want to know if you have any apoaching with K-pop culture or the Asian music scene? Suddenly, with your intrepid spirit, would there be any opportunity to see you work with our artists?
Tom: Totally.
“I actually listen to it a lot, because Lou, my stepdaughter, listens to a lot of K-pop. I think we've had a couple of K-pop artists perform at Coachella in the last two years.
I'm bad with names, so I wouldn't know the names of the bands, but I hear them, I couldn't remember the lyrics or anything like that, but I listen to K-pop because of Lou, because she's a big K-pop fan, and we actually have a very close friend who also I listen to K-pop all the time, so I'm familiar with.”
I think there are interesting things out there, 100%.
Bill: ...Never say never. Never say never, I'd love to do it, you know.
Sometimes that's the good thing about collaborations, the unexpected.
Tom: In general, I prefer to collaborate with people who are very different who bring something new that I didn't think of, and the same goes for other writers and producers. I don't want to work with people similar to what I do because...I'm already the best in my field, you know, (laughs) so, I don't know, I don't need anyone else. He's doing the same shit, you know.
“So I want to meet people who come from a completely different angle. I think magical things can happen, I'm totally open to that.”
12. [RSK] Have you ever visited our Asian continent? Could we expect any plans for this next tour coming?
Bill and Tom: We'd love to. We talk about it all the time, because we've been on tour in Japan years ago, we've been to Taiwan and played a couple of shows, in Singapore too.
Tokio Hotel touring in Japan 2011
We've been to Asia quite a bit. Great memories and we would love to return. We have not done it just because we are very busy with Europe and, indeed, with Latin America. We are planning a tour and trying to return to Latin America as well because the audience deserves it and there are many requests trying to return us to the world market. We are working on it.
Bill: But in Asia for sure, just as we would love to play shows in Korea. Sometimes it's hard to perform everywhere because we're also doing so many other projects, you know. That's right, but next year we will do a big European tour and I think 2025 could be a year of World tour.
So maybe we can add a couple more dates. I'm so glad this is recorded now so let's make it happen. We would love that.
13. [RSK] We are just a few weeks away from the premiere of your new summer hit, The Weekend, let's talk about the vibe that you get with this musical bomb,
Bill: We started writing the song a while ago, we put it aside for a while, and then came back to it! We felt that we had to wait until the time was right to release it, which was this summer. It's actually pretty hot here right now.
I just said I'm dying here, Berlin is warming up, it's summer and it's nice, it's the perfect moment for our song.
It has a melancholic, funky and positive pop vibe, I mean, I know it's a lot of words, but I think it's best to describe it because it's one of the happiest and most positive songs we wrote, but it still has a melancholic side.
It's about locking yourself in a room with someone and forgetting about the world. You know, being in that moment with that person and getting lost together. So yeah, I had the idea for the song after doing that. with someone
Tom: We're rehearsing it right now for our live performances, and we might even open the next show with that song, because it feels really great live. It is so amazing. We hope you all love it.
[RSK] Realemnet have made a conventional interview an indelible experience, many thanks for sharing with their South Korean and Asian public this good news and that completely loving, uplifting vibe. It is definitely clear why they carry that greatness as musicians in their personal seal. and as people.
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