Unless you’re a bilingual 13-year-old German girl with an emo-glam fetish (welcome to the site, by the way, if you are), chances are you’ve never heard the words Tokio Hotel put together anywhere outside of a bad Deutsch travel guide. But that’s the name of the band that is currently the biggest thing going with tweens across Europe, made up of a quartet of young men with fascinating hairstyles and equally curious influences. See for yourself on their first American album, Scream, due on Interscope in April. Let’s have a quick look at the acts that made it all happen.
Rammstein “Du Hast”
Falco, Nena, and the Scorpions may have opened the door for German bands in the states, but Rammstein basically kicked the sucker down with this frightening clip. Compared to them, getting Tokio Hotel is like getting a basket full of beagle puppies.
The Cure “Lovesong”
Tokio Hotel’s androgynous 18-year-old singer Bill Kaulitz happens to have the most awesome hair in rock and roll. But he’s not the first to pair gravity defying locks with hauntingly tender melodies. Check out Exhibit A.
Backstreet Boys “I Want It That Way”
They might look like A.F.I. disciples, but in truth Tokio Hotel have far more in common with another American band. The screaming girls, color-coordinated outfits, large scale marketing plans, sensitive ballads, and token member with dreadlocks—this is where it all started.
Kool Savas “Da Bin Da Bleib”
That token member with dreadlocks is actually Bill’s identical twin brother Tom—Tokio Hotel’s guitarist and resident rap aficionado—which might explain why the siblings look so drastically different. In fact, despite rocking a Gibson Les Paul, Bill contends, “Tom only listens to German hip-hop.” That would be something like this.
30 Seconds to Mars, “The Kill”
It could have been My Chemical Romance, but that would be overreaching. Tokio Hotel’s brand of mascara-heavy emo is mostly for show on anthems such as “Scream”—just check out the fan made montages of the brothers’ early years scattered all over YouTube. That reminds us of another showbiz-bred band that likes to play dress up.