Biography

..Starting Point - Founding..
Twins Bill Kaulitz and Tom Kaulitz, had been performing since the age of 9.
By the age of 12, a band had been formed. It was called Devilish, with guitarist Tom Kaulitz and singer Bill Kaulitz, drummer Gustav Schäfer and bassist Georg Listing.

After putting on a show in their hometown of Magdeburg in 2001, Bill and Tom met Gustav Schäfer and Georg Listing. Georg and Gustav had seen the twins play using keyboards rather than live bass & drums and came on board to add sinew to the spine.

Bound together by shared musical likes (and dislikes), the group launched itself onto the clubs & bars of Magdeburg, then booked time in a small budget studio to put the live set to tape.
By the end of that session, however, it was obvious to all parties that lack of time, money & experience had taken its toll, leaving the sonics and the songs a little frayed around the edges.

After Bill Kaulitz's participation in a children's Star Search in 2003 (which he lost in the quarter-final), he was discovered by music producer Peter Hoffmann.

Devilish changed their name to Tokio Hotel, and Sony BMG took them under contract. Peter Hoffmann hired David Jost and Pat Benzner into the team of creators and authors, and had them give the teens instruction on songwriting and instrument playing.
However, shortly before release of their first album, Sony terminated their contract. In 2005, Universal Music Group took Tokio Hotel under contract and developed a marketing plan.



On one side, there's Bill, almost an anime character come to life with his exotic appearance and shock of hair - a 'live for the moment' personality who basically 'invented' himself when he was six years old. He has since become the biggest and most passionate stage performer in the country.

Tom, on the other hand, favours a different, more urban look, though one that's just as defined - all in marked relief to his brother's tight-fit taste in fashion. Not unexpectedly, their musical leanings are individual too, with Tom's early regard for AC/DC & Aerosmith now giving way to artists such as German hip hop star Samy Deluxe,
whereas Bill, if pressed, is more likely to talk about David Bowie or veteran German singer Nena, for whom he's long nursed an affection.

The 'two G's' - whose musical loves range from Fall Out Boy & Green Day (Georg) through to Metallica & Foo Fighters (Gustav) - are on hand to provide the more measured view, the calm at the eye of the storm.



--------------------------------------------------

From Devilish to Tokio Hotel :

..Devilish.. is a German band founded in Magdeburg, Germany in 2001 by guitarist Tom Kaulitz and singer Bill Kaulitz, drummer Gustav Schäfer and bassist Georg Listing.

After recording an unreleased demo-CD under the name "Devilish" and having their contract with Sony BMG terminated, the band released their first German-language album, Schrei, as “Tokio Hotel” on Island Records in 2005.

In 2007, the band released their second German album Zimmer 483 and their first English album Scream .

Their first live album, Zimmer 483 - Live In Europe, was released near the end of 2007.

However, while still struggling for success in most English-speaking countries, the band has released an English language version of Ready, Set, Go! in the UK, and are currently enjoying exposure in Canada and the United States.