Tokio Hotel | |
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Tokio Hotel, 2017. L-R: Gustav Schäfer, Tom Kaulitz, Bill Kaulitz and Georg Listing
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Background information | |
Origin | Magdeburg, Germany |
Genres | |
Years active | 2001–present |
Labels | Universal Music Germany, Polydor, De-Code Ltd., Starwatch Music |
Website | www |
Members |
Bill Kaulitz Tom Kaulitz Georg Listing Gustav Schäfer |
Tokio Hotel is a German Pop rock/Alternative rock/Electropop band, founded in 2001 by singer Bill Kaulitz, guitarist Tom Kaulitz, drummer Gustav Schäfer, and bassist Georg Listing. The quartet have scored four number one singles for now and have released three number one albums in their native country. The band sold more than 10 million CDs worldwide. After recording an unreleased demo-CD under the name "Devilish" and having their contract with Sony BMG Germany terminated, the band released their first German-language album, Schrei, as Tokio Hotel on Universal Music Germany in 2005. Schrei sold more than half a million copies worldwide and spawned four top five singles in both Germany and Austria.
In 2007, the band released their second German album Zimmer 483 and their first English album Scream which have combined album sales of over 2.5 million copies worldwide and helped win the band their first MTV Europe Music Award for Best InterAct. The former, Zimmer 483, spawned three top five singles in Germany while the latter, Scream, spawned two singles that reached the top twenty in new territories such as France, Portugal, Spain and Italy. In September 2008, they won in the US their first MTV Video Music Award (VMA) for Best New Artist. Tokio Hotel became the first German band ever to win an award at the MTV VMAs and to also win awards at the MTV Latin America Awards. They also picked up the Headliner award at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2008 held in Liverpool in 2008 and the award for Best Group in 2009 at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2009 . They won an Award for Best World Stage Performance on November 7, 2010 at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Madrid. In July 2011, they became the first German band to win an award at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan.