Before I even locate the well-appointed midtown Manhattan hotel that Tokio Hotel is staying in, I hear the unmistakable sounds of giddy teenage girls. This is a common sight and sound wherever the handsome, young men of Tokio Hotel might be, anywhere around the globe. Yes, the multi-platinum, worldwide phenomenon Tokio Hotel is back with a seriously polished and seriously addictive new record in Humanoid. And the girls, well, the little girls understand. They rarely seem to talk of anything else as I spend 30 minutes in their orbit. Decked out in their finest Hot Topic or Torrid fashions, lacey black skirts, heavy makeup, t-shirts bearing the German band’s insignia, the girls excitedly talk to band personnel about which members of the band they have seen on the day. I hear directives and squeals mentioning “Bill, Oh my God!” and “Georg… sooooo cute!” They will be at Best Buy later for the guys’ appearance and signing, of course, and will continue to pine and yearn and make me jealous for the innocent, halcyon days of loving a band so much your heart might just burst. And after I spend 10 minutes with the guys in Tokio Hotel — brothers Bill and Tom Kaulitz, Gustav Schafer and Georg Listing — I can’t say I blame them.
Sitting across from Tokio Hotel in their hotel room, lead singer Bill is every bit the superhero he projects on stage, to a startling degree. Stunning, really, but then again, so is Georg. The sight of Bill in full rock star mode can’t be accurately summed up, but suffice it to say, the visual effect of his makeup, Mohawk and tight pants is incendiary and really quite genius. The boys are humble and gracious; and when I mention the girls on the sidewalk outside of their hotel, they all grin and inquire more about them. Their fans, you see, are priority numero uno for them, and I believe it. Tokio Hotel gives what they get; they connect.
You are so young to have produced a record of such confidence and maturity. How did the recording process go in comparison with Scream?
Bill Kaulitz: Tom and me, we co-produced this album, for the very first time, which was really, really cool. So, basically we produced it with our co-producers from the first record. We’re like one huge family in the studio. Everyone knows each other very well, so it’s really [a] family thing. We went into the studio for like, one year, and we tried so many different things, and this record is more electronic, so it’s a new sound.
Tom Kaulitz: Essentially, with the production, we wanted to create a new sound [for us].
Bill: Yeah. It was really time for us to be creative and write new stuff, because we were on the road with the last record for such a long time. I think in December we played our last concert, with song that I had written when I was 13! So it was really time for new stuff.
Humanoid as a title is very evocative. What inspired it? Is this self-referential at all?
Bill: No. Humanoid was a feeling we had in our childhood, growing up in a small village. So we felt a bit humanoid. I think it was the way other people saw us.
As musicians, you felt…
Tom: As musicians, yes, and persons in general, I think.
Bill: Yeah, from the look and the whole thing. [It] also describes our life right now very well, because it’s not normal.
Tom: We went through all the songs, and we felt that the record should have the name Humanoid.
Lyrically, it feels like this is also an album about alienation from the world outside your walls, and from meaningful human relationships in modern day with the use of technology, and perhaps more universally, what it feels like to be a teenager. What are your thoughts on that?
Bill: Yes. I think we’re really old-fashioned with all of those things. We have no Twitter, and we’re not on the Internet so much. And I don’t use my phone! That’s what I recognized last week. I have two phones, but I don’t use them. They’re just in my room the whole day, and when I come in my room, I just take a look and I answer sometimes but sometimes not. I really like writing things down just with a pen and paper. It’s natural, which I really like. But I think the Internet stuff is really helpful, actually. For us as a band, it was kind of a really cool thing.
Tom: Yeah, we really use the Internet to stay in touch with the fans. To take them with us. We have TokioHotelTV, and everyone on the Internet can watch us the whole day, what we’re doing.
You really are very interactive. Even your fans that are outside on the street right now are very excited.
Bill: It’s hard sometimes when we can’t get to a certain country. We always wanted to take [them] with us, and we wanted to take them on the road so that they can see what we’re doing every day.
Why do you feel that “Automatic” is the best song to introduce this new sound and this record to the world and to your fans?
Bill: I think it has everything; it has great feeling and the right power. So, we wanted to have a really powerful song because the record is really powerful. ‘Automatic’ was one of the last songs we wrote, and so we felt so good with that song.
The video is crazy, kind of post-apocalyptic!
Bill: Yeah! The video is great. We shot it in South Africa for five days, a long shoot.
Tom: We had a safari hotel, and so it was fun. And different!
This record has such a huge, conquering sound. What do you want the world and your fans, and even America, to know about Tokio Hotel with this record?
Bill: We put everything in it. Some artists see it as a job; Tokio Hotel is our life. We started everything 10 years ago. We met each other in a natural way. Tokio Hotel is our baby, and we put everything and so much love into this record. That’s the most important thing – that the people know we are a naturally formed band.
Speaking of putting of yourselves into it, are the lyrics personal? Just looking at “Human Connect to Human” and “Pain of Love” or even “Zoom Into Me,” they feel personal.
Bill: Yeah, they are personal, but it’s not autobiographical all the time. But yes, there are personal things in every single song. You collect your ideas every day.
Tom: Yes. I think in every single song, you have your thoughts and your feelings. Everything!
Are you big people watchers?
Bill: Yes! I love to be in shopping malls sitting there drinking a coffee, watching people the whole day. It’s really funny.
When you think of America, what comes to mind?
Bill: It’s huge!
Tom: It’s the beginning for Tokio Hotel.
Bill: I think about the VMA’s!
What do you think it takes to break America?
Bill: Luck at first, and you need really good fans. Our fans are so cool and really supportive. It takes a lot of work, luck, and really good fans. –Carrie Alison, Photo by Oliver Gast
