No that's not an anime character, nor is it a punk rocker chick -- it's Bill Kaulitz,
the eighteen-year-old lead singer of the pop rock band Tokio Hotel.
Along with his twin brother and lead guitarist Tom, bass guitarist Georg Listing, and Gustav Schäfer on the drums, this interesting quartet have been enjoying international superstardom ever since 2001 with no signs of letting up any time soon.
The band, originally known under the moniker of "Devilish," got their start in Magdeburg, Germany and quicky gained a devoted legion of fans helping them become one of the most successful acts from the country in the past two decades. In their homeland alone, they have earned two number one albums ("Schrei," which is German for "Scream," and "Zimmer 483," which means "Room 483"), four number one singles, and have sold 3 million CDs and DVDs. Not too shabby, eh?
The group later expanded to other nations, causing pandemonium among the teenagers (presumably of the female variety) in Russia, Spain, Italy, France, Scandinavia and have even gone four times plantium in Austria and Switzerland. Additinally, the band has won countless awards including from the MTV Europe Music Awards (Munich, 2007 for best international act) and the Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards (Milano, 2007 for best band).
But the true measure of success in the music industry is how well you can perform in English-speaking territories and Universal Music Group, Tokio's record label, understands that. In response, the foursome is readying their debut English album entitled "Scream" for release in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada in Spring 2008. It will contain selected cuts translated from their hit German albums "Schrei" and "Zimmer 483" with the lead single being "Ready, Set, Go!".
I'm looking forward to hearing this album and might actually plunk down the cash to support the band over here. Tokio Hotel's sound reminds me of everything I like about rock music, which I have easily fallen out of touch with over the years due to various reasons. "Scream" hits the shelves on May 6th and you can visit their myspace by clicking here.
