April 25, 2013

Interview with Bill & Tom - "We don't need a psychotherapist!" - GALA #18/2013 [Germany]

"We don't need a psychotherapist!"

Bill and Tom Kaulitz are identical twins, which is hard to believe sometimes. Instead of having two genetically identical people standing in front of you, it seems more like there are two men standing in front of you who couldn't be more different from each other. An optical illusion, because as soon as they open their mouths, you're talking to one and the same person. Even when they're of the complete opposite opinion...

Your job as jurors on "Deutschland Sucht den Superstar" will be coming to an end next month. What's gonna happen after that?
Tom: We will be dedicating ourselves solely to our music career. Our move to L.A. in 2010 and us taking a break had two reasons. One being that it became seemingly impossible for us to lead a private life in Germany. Secondly, we wanted to work on our new album in peace. We hope that we'll finish it this year. The songs for the album have already been chosen, now we're in the last phase of production.

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow says: "People always stay the same age they were, when they became famous." Is this true?

Tom: She has a point there. I often think that I didn't change much. I still have the same kind of humour and I still crack the same dumb jokes. In some way you do stay the same. Then again, we learned a lot - from how to deal with staff to how the music business works.

A lot of teen stars take a downward spiral and later terrorize the people around them with their high-handedness, e.g.: Justin Bieber. Who's "allowed" to tell them "No"?

Bill: I really wish there was no one doing that, but its a fact that there are still people that are opposed to us. We've known most of the people around us for seven, eight years and they don't stop telling us the unadorned truth just because we're in the public eye. I often think that our environment sees things too critically because Tom and I always find ourselves in a position where we have to defend ourselves and our actions.

Robbie Williams was discovered when he was fifteen, just like you. He says: "Fame magnifies your sensitivites, it strengthens your weaknesses and it reveals the eeriest sides of your character."

Bill: It's true. A career magnifies your strengths and strenghtens your weaknesses. I've always been an extreme perfectionist, but now I've actually reached the point where I panic if something really doesn't go the way I wanted it to go. This feeling of panicking is often so intense that I can't sleep at night. No one has to pressure me, I'm already pressuring myself.
Tom: I'm such a stickler for little details that I always have to know exactly what's going happen the next day. If something happens that was unscheduled it feels like we're heading for disaster. I wish I could say: "Okay, whatever. Let's see what the next day brings for us.", but I just can't. Add to that, that I sometimes ask myself if it's healthy that I'm talking to myself the whole day when Bill and I are seperated. It stresses me out when I'm constantly talking to myself, because I don't know if I'm heading into a weird direction by doing it, or not.

How did those years of downtime feel like?

Bill: The strange thing is, I can't say if it's harder to live with the fame or without it. After two years of having some time off, I really have the urge to start working again. But the moment I see the first photographers standing there, I think: Shit, maybe I do need another year off. On the one side I want to be left alone, but on the other side I want to be successful with the band. But that's just how people are - they always want what they can't have.

Does your life in the public eye lead to you still posing, even when you're doing normal things like peeing?

Tom: It's like that with Bill, but not with me.
Bill: I just can't shake that habit. As soon as I see a camera, I get paranoid and I immediately fall into a specific behavioral pattern. Even when we take pictures at parties with our family, I tense up because I just know that those pictures are gonna surface one day. A light flashing means to me: Be careful, you're working and you're in the public eye!

Who would you pay more for per hour: A mechanic or a psychotherapist?

Bill: A mechanic. I often thought that maybe seeing a psychotherapist would be good for me, but I don't really believe in them. I'm not a person that runs around not knowing what kind of problems I'm facing. I'm pretty good at knowing what's wrong with me. But I feel like, if I can't solve my own problems how is a stranger going to help me solving them.
Tom: Talking to a psychotherapist helps a lot of people. We, as identical twins, don't need that because we talk to each other the whole day anyway. I'm Bill's shrink and he's mine. That's why I always immediately notice when he's not here. Then I have to tell my thoughts to myself.
Bill: No one can understand that we have to share our thoughts with each other the moment they come to our minds. We blurt out everything that goes on in our heads in each others presence, unfiltered. Normal people don't even do that in front of their mothers or their best friends.
Tom: When we communicate with each other it's like a fart - we let everything out. For people, who listen to us talking, it comes as a shock. Since we know everything about each other, we're also really close. It has an almost supernatural feeling to it that we share almost the same thoughts. Actually, we don't even have to talk to each other. We already know everything there is to know about the other.

Does it drive women crazy, knowing that they'll always have the feeling that they only come off second best in a relationship with you?

Tom: It definitely takes some time to get used to us, because we come in a double pack. We'll probably spend our whole life together and we'll also do pretty much everything together. It's really hard for your Partner to not get jealous about this kind of intimacy.

A lot of identical twins think that this symbiotic relationship is more torture than fun, and go through various phases because they can't live with each other but they also can't imagine a life without each other. Do you think that this type of intimacy sometimes feels like it terrorizes you?

Bill: No. We never had such thoughts about each other. I can't even imagine being a way from Tom for a longer period of time.

Robbie Williams has been living in L.A. since 2002. He says: "It's almost impossible to fall in love in L.A., because the women there are so neurotic. This gives them superpowers. Almost every single one of those women is great at being neurotic." Do you share his view?

Tom: There are those typical Ego-Freaks in L.A., whose personalities are mostly fake. But I feel like this type of women has become international. If you're unlucky, you can find it in every city.

Let's assume you see a women in a coffeeshop in L.A. that piques your interest. How do you introduce yourself to her?

Bill: It's a typical L.A. thing that the people tell you a lot of personal things about themselves. Everyone is supposedly doing something interesting and is leading a great life. Tom and I attract attention by almost never telling anyone, anything about ourselves. When the people do ask us about what we're doing I immediately downplay it. In L.A. understatement is a downer. That's why people will then continue talking about their personal lives. And I'm really okay with this.
Tom: When you join a Gym in L.A., you have to disclose your job on the form. We then look at each other and think about what would sound realistic. When we write that we're in college, the people notice that this can't be true and then proceed to ask us: "How can you drive a car like that when you're in college? Are you the kids of some millionair?"

And again, Robbie Williams - he says that there are two types of groupies in Germany: "One type wants to take a picture while having sex, to have some sort of proof to show to their friend. The others ask: 'Robbie, are your feelings for me real?' Did you have similar experiences?"

Tom: I can confirm that groupies want to know if my feelings for them are real. But that's not just the case in Germany. I think it depends on how you scored with her. Women who are tough to crack, you make a lot of promises to. Those are the candidates who then ask if you really have feelings for them. I didn't really lie when I answere them, because I think that's harsh. I take the middle way - I never say that it's just for a night, but I also don't make her feel like more is gonna happen between us.

How do you react when a women wants to take a picture during sex with you, just as proof for her friends?

Tom: I would never participate in something like this. With us it was always the case that the women were informed that they weren't allowed to take pictures. It was clear to them. When we first started, the girls had to leave their jackets and bags with our security guys and basically already enter our room half-naked.

How do you react when a women tells you that she's pregnant tomorrow?

Tom: It can't happen to me. I'm in a relationship, therefore I haven't been picking up random women for quite some time now.
Bill: A lot of things changed. At the beginning of our career we had to sign a lot of autographs. Today, the people don't really want that anymore. When people ask me if they're allowed to take a picture, and I look like shit, I tell them: "Don't be mad, but no pictures today. But I can sign something for you if you want." then they answer with "No, thanks." Newcomers can forget about printing their autograph cards, autographs are out.
Tom: When you want to take a picture the people get so excited that they can't turn on their cameras and they really start to shake. When I see that I also get really nervous.
Bill: We both are so bad at handling those situations because we fail at smalltalk. I admire when strangers meet each other and when they're able to just simply throw a few comments at each other and hold a conversation. When I meet someone I don't know, I feel very uncomfortable in the situation. I never know what to say and the other person - in most cases - also doesn't. And then there's this awkward silence. It's easier for me to smalltalk in English, because there are those typical empty phrases you can use to start a conversation with someone. In German everything is so fraught with meaning.

When was the last time that you told a person "I love you"?

Bill: When I was in school I often told my girlfriends I loved them, without thinking twice - but I never meant it. Sometimes it did happen that I had a crush on someone, but it was never anything serious. I haven't found anyone I can tell "Yes, I love you and I mean it with all my heart." yet. With family members it's, of course, something different.
Tom: He tells me every day that he loves me to death.

A lot of artists can live with their self-love. Are you really missing something in your life, Bill?

Bill: I do miss loving someone - but what does missing even mean? It's not like I'm looking for the love of my life every day, and that I always think: Oh, poor me, I still haven't found my one true love. The thing is, people are just made for being with someone. I think that there's no one wo really means that he or she likes being single. I think that's a lie.
Tom: Some people pity you and say: "He's been single for so long. He has to be so depressed." They forget that you're not living this sad life, that you don't live on your own and work on your own.
Bill: Exactly. The relationship that comes first, will always be the one Tom and I have. Everything else comes after that anyway.

They say that Goethe had his first time when he was 39 years old!
Bill: Wow! Then I feel even better.


Translation by Icey @ LoveTH-Music.com
 
 

April 6, 2013

Interview with Bill & Tom - "Bill, why have you still not found 'the one'?" - BRAVO #15/2013 [Germany]

Bill, why have you still not found 'the one'?

He's been lonely for so long! The Tokio Hotel-Singer talks to BRAVO about his trouble with finding "the one".

This year's DSDS season is full of hot flirts and big feelings! Ex-candidate Sarah Joelle Jahnel (23) claims that the contestants are having sex with each other. And with Lisa Wohlgemuth (21) and Erwin Kintop (17) there's also a young couple in love thrown into the mix. Well, love can be really beautiful: As long as you find someone who’ll always be there for you, understands you and takes you as you are. That’s the best feeling in the world! But what if this person just doesn’t step into your life? You wait and wait but it just doesn’t happen!

That’s also the case for DSDS-Juror Bill Kaulitz. The, now, 23-year old has been single for 8 years! That's an eternity! No cuddling, no kissing, no butterflies in the stomach for such a long time. That's so sad! Before the big breakthrough with Tokio Hotel in the summer of 2005, he had 5 girlfriends. After that: nothing - and that despite girls around the world adoring him.

The rocker is speaking openly about this topic: "Of course I want that to happen to me too. Every person is made for being with someone." But why doesn't it work for you, Bill? "I ask that myself too", he laughs and shrugs his shoulders, trying to find answers to this question. "I have a hard time trusting people. This might be one of the problems." 


Which is understandable since Bill has been in the spotlight since he turned 15. "Who really likes me for the person I am and who only likes me because I'm famous?" are questions that arise every time when the singer and juror gets to know new people. "Besides I also might have high expectations when it comes to love. A lot of people are only in relationships because they can't be alone. I don't want this. Either they want to be in one or not! When I'm in love, then I'm completely in love - forever and always. I don't want to come to an arrangement with this person, it just has to fit."  Finding "the one" - that certainly puts a nice mental image in your head. And it's so very romantic. But sometimes you also have to give those people a chance, that don't seem perfect to you at first glance. Because often feelings, like trust, develop over time.

That's also what Bill's twin brother, Tom, tries to get into his brothers head. "It's really not easy for Bill to get to know women when I'm around. They then only have eyes for me.", he starts out joking, but gets serious afterwards: "All joking aside, I really want to help Bill. I always tell him his expectations in love are too high." Unlike Bill, Tom never had problems with getting close to girls. Quite the opposite: When the boys from Loitsche started out Tom bragged about his "adventures" with groupies that he took into his hotel room - he definitely didn't keep quiet about them. 

But the wild times are over - the 23-year-old is happy with ONE girl: Since 2011 it's rumoured that he's in a relationship with Ria (27) from Hamburg. And what does Bill have to say about his twin brother having a girlfriend? "It's feels strange. He has someone, I don't. But I know that we'll always have the closest relationship - that's a fact and women will have to accept that. We come in a double pack. A girl is, basically, in a relationship with both of us." The brothers are indeed inseperable. The two of them always appear as a duo - which is, at the moment, also the case with DSDS. 

What really makes them strong: Bill and Tom can often communicate with each other just by thinking or looking at each other. And they pledge: "We want to die together!" But a life without love? Both of them don't want this. Tom already found his luck - and Bill will hopefully also meet "the one" soon. Eight years of loneliness are definitely enough...

Translation by Icey @ LoveTH-Music.com



April 5, 2013

Interview with Bill & Tom - DSDS #01/2013 [Germany]

Bill & Tom Kaulitz talk about the upcoming album and DSDS

Why did you decided to take part of the jury of DSDS?
Bill: It may sound a cliché, but this is completely different from anything we've done before. As a juror I have a great responsibility. You influence the future of the candidates.
Tom: DSDS offers to the winner an incredible platform. At least a hit and 500,000 euros are a good start. Then what the artist will do with them, just depends on himself/herself, it is important to take the right decisions.

What are your strengths? As jurors, what could you like the most in a special way?

Bill: Tom and I have been creating music since we were seven years. We are in the music bussiness, bwe asically grew up with it. We have been in small and big stages, we know the good and the bad sides and we had a lot of experience for our candidates. We want them to have their way in the music world and give them a push.
Tom: We also hope that the candidates do their best with what we are giving them! This is not always so!. The important factor of course is: How much potential the artist have to start actually a career.

What should have a candidate to win the heart of the jury?
Tom: I think we all agree: the personality. And we're not just looking for artists and people who sing well.
Bill: Someone who can lead the music in his/her daily life in an easy way.

Where should candidates pay more attention in their live performances?

Bill: They have be comfortable - with the song, their voices, and of course with their outfits. Nothing will go well on the stage if you feel uncomfortable. Every candidate has their 2-3 minutes at night when they have to give everything. It is what they wish.

Do you have any final advice for candidates to have everything under control? Do you have a ritual before the performances?

Tom: An hour and a half before the show, we're just the band. Then we played together, Bill singing, and we are nervous but together. We are alone and not disturbed.
Bill: No specific final advice...But one thing is certain: No matter how many times you do it, the excitement comes alone...
Tom: Oh, maybe I have another tip: Before the show you must necessarily have time to do...what you need to do, so performance will be more relaxed. I learned this from our bassist.

Do you have the same favorite candidates or different ones? Have you had fights between you because of this?

Tom: (laughing) It would be nice, yes, but Bill and I have the same favorites. We argue a lot behind the scenes. So if there is a fght, then it's with Dieter and Mateo.
Bill: Tom and I unfortunately had to say goodbye to some candidates that we would have liked to see in the live shows!

Out of the cameras, what is your purpose with the candidates?
Bill: Yes, definitely. Tom and I are just interested in moving the candidates forward and help them. We are also here for that! We have no interest in seeing someone fail or going embarrassed. We want them to grow and improve week by week, and they can count on us. Front and behind the cameras!

What kind of experience that you have lived in the show bussiness could you teach to the candidates?

Tom: We always try to give them all the positive points of views, because sometimes the negative side arrives soon.
Bill: Candidates asked us, and of course, we are preparing them to try to protect them from anything. But in the end, we all make our own mistakes.

And what are your points of view when it comes to the main factors which make that a talent comes to fame?

Tom: It's hard to say. The industry people say, charisma, passion, ambition, etc.. But it is the same, when you love someone, "Why are you just in love with that person? One can not describe it, it's that simple!

Their movements between Los Angeles and Cologne - how do you feel being between both worlds?

Bill: Sometimes it's funny. There are definitely two worlds...
Tom: We love it so much and we are glad that we can do it in this way!

How important the style and personality are on the music industry?

Bill: That can not be generalized. That depends on the music! There are artists who in that style are crap and there are artists who are part of the simple style that goes with it. Personality is important. The design comes to personality. It depends on it.

For all Tokio Hotel fans: What does DSDS mean in your lives? What can fans expect in 2013?

Bill: A new album. We do not know when it will come out, but in 2013, no doubt.
Tom: We are now with the whole band in the studio, making the final production. The songs for the album are ready!


Translation by Tokio Hotel Aliens Spain
DSDS #01/2013 [Germany] http://fb.me/2dPHU2v5F 




Interview with Bill & Tom - "The Kaulitz Brothers Agree ; 'Durch Den Monsun' is missing on Heinos Album" - derwesten.de

15.03.2013 

Cologne.- Bill and Tom Kaulitz are part of the jury of RTL’s casting show “Deutschland sucht den Superstar”. The twins from the band Tokio Hotel explain why they scaled down their expectations about the DSDS-Live-Shows, if they would like to have some influence on the winner’s song and what they think about Angela Merkel.

Bill and Tom Kaulitz, DSDS-jurors, look relaxed sitting in a dull conference room at the RTL Studios in Cologne. They’re giving seven interview this day – nothing unusual for the two musicians of the group Tokio Hotel. The twins, who live in the US, are professionals when it comes to the media.

They’re used to the hype that surrounds them. 2005 they had their breakthrough with “Durch den Monsun”. Several MTV Awards, US-Tours, more than six million sold records, countless screaming (and mainly) female teenagers followed. During their interview with the WAZ media group they talked about their job as jurors on DSDS, Heino and Angela Merkel.


The DSDS Live-Shows start soon. What do you expect from the candidates?
Tom Kaulitz: We actually scaled down our expectations. The candidates who have never performed on a big stage like this, are under a lot of pressure. I’ll probably be very relaxed during the first DSDS-Live-Shows – turning a blind eye and ear when I hear them making mistakes.
Bill Kaulitz: A lot of people can’t even imagine what performing on a big stage like that is like. The candidates, until now, only performed in front of us – the jury – without all the technical stuff that comes with it. I, as a musician, can understand that standing on such a big stage is something completely different. Then there’s also the audience, their outfit and their performance. It’s a lot to take in. And the candidates can’t even prepare that much for all of this. Yesterday, they were still working or going to school. It’s exciting to watch the DSDS-candidates and the different ways they’ll handle the situation.

Bill, you participated in the casting show “Star Search”, but you didn’t make it to the final round. How did that feel?
Bill Kaulitz: It was really sad. You participate, because you don’t see any other possibility to get out there. I lived in a village and I didn’t know where and how I can show off my band. And when you’re part of a casting show, you want to get as far as possible. In the end, it worked out pretty well for us – which is, of course, not always the case. For most casting show participants it’s hard to continue doing something in the business after the show ends. For people, who get kicked out before the finals, it’s almost impossible.
Tom Kaulitz: We were just incredibly lucky to have an extremely charismatic guitarist.
Bill Kaulitz: We got a lot of offers after the show, but one of our producers saw us at a Club in Madgeburg. That’s were we performed every weekend.

So you don’t necessarily need a casting show like DSDS?
Tom Kaulitz: Here and there, there are some people who make it without one. But nowadays it’s considerably harder, because the record labels don’t have enough money anymore and the music industry changed. That’s why a platform like DSDS comes in handy, where the winner doesn’t just get an Album and a record deal, but also additional 500,000 €. As a musician you can do a lot with that kind of money.

What is sitting and judging people, as part of the DSDS-jury, like?
Bill Kaulitz: We see it more as a way of helping the candidates. We have, especially at this point of the show, absolutely no interest in seeing some fail and making fun of them for it. We always honestly express our opinion.

But there was a DSDS-candidate that wasn’t well received. You refered to Oksana with the word “Pornstar”.
Bill Kaulitz: That scene was of course cut, and on TV it came across much harsher than it actually was. I said more to her than that, but – that also – was an honest opinion of mine. I just told her how I felt about it. And I still think that she doesn’t have a future in this business.

Do you notice when the candidates talk about you during the show?
Tom Kaulitz: No, we don’t. The only thing we, as a jury, see are those three minutes when the candidates stand in front of you. That’s why it’s hard to size up a person. Some people behave completely different when they’re standing in front of us.
Bill Kaulitz: We also talk to the candidates. But they of course interact differently with us, as the jury, than they interact with each other. That’s why the live shows are so exciting – the little teasers that will be shown before each candidate performs, will show what they while they prepare. This is gonna be fun. I think that the audience doesn’t want a Superstar who you’re not begrudge that he won and who is a good guy. And there are also always candidates who go through a drastic change during that time-span. Those are the ones where you then see: There’s something wrong with their personality.
Tom Kaulitz: They’re already getting a lot of attention. It gets to some people’s heads.

There has always been at least one candidate per DSDS season who that happened to.
Tom Kaulitz: Yes. The candidates have been extremely nice to us during the castings. Everyone was nice, because they knew that we’re the ones making the decision.
Bill and Tom Kaulitz together: But during the live shows we won’t be the ones making the decision anymore!

Was there another casting show that sent you an offer to join them for the next season? The Voice?
Bill Kaulitz: Actually, every casting show sent us an offer at least once – there were offers every year. The Voice was also one of them.

Why did you choose DSDS?
Bill Kaulitz: First of all, for us it was a matter of timing. It just fit best into our current schedule, since we’re currently working in the studio. And we said: We want to be a part of the biggest and most successful show.
Tom Kaulitz: But we also like shows like The Voice.

Did you have any doubts about being a part of DSDS?
Bill Kaulitz: Yes. A few years ago, we didn’t really take all those offers seriously – it kind of developed. The biggest singers and artists are part of the US casting shows, so this definitely gave us an impulse to say yes. I, for example, really love Steven Tyler. When he took on the job of sitting in the jury of American Idol, that was the first time I actually thought about all of this. Then we really wanted to do it.

Any candidates you see as the front-runners at the moment?
Tom Kaulitz: We don’t want to reveal any names.
Bill Kaulitz: I already kicked off a discussion with the whole story regarding Laura. That’s why we’re really careful when it comes to this.
Tom Kaulitz: There are definitely people, who we think are better than others. But generally speaking, we chose them all. There are a few who have a lot of potential.

Would you like to have some kind of influence on the winner’s song?
Bill Kaulitz: I can’t really say that. It depends on how the candidates evolve and who wins the race. If it’s someone who we really like, we would obviously write a song.

Do you have a favorite Modern Talking song?
Bill and Tom Kaulitz together: No.
Bill Kaulitz: But that was really not during “our time”. I only know “Modern Talking” from stories.

Do you think that „Durch den Monsum“ should have been on Heino’s new Album?
Bill Kaulitz: I wouldn’t really have had any objections to that.
Tom Kaulitz: Heino left out a No. 1 Hit with that. He would’ve definitely benefited from it. It’s a good song.

What will happen after DSDS? Will you release a new Album?
Bill Kaulitz: We’re currently working on new songs in the studio. The Album will be released this year, there’s just not a set date yet.

Is it true, that you’re fans of Angela Merkel?
Tom Kaulitz: You would be exagerating with calling us Fans, …
Bill Kaulitz: … but what I always say, and this applies to all politicians: I like that there are people who do that job. A lot of people rant and rave against politicians but they would never do the politicians jobs. I wouldn’t want to trade places with Angela Merkel, because I think that would be an incredibly big and hard task. What I think is important is to think in a positive way. We noticed this in the US, where the president is celebrated by the people. In Germany that’s not really the case. I just have a good feeling when it comes to Angela Merkel. I like her as a person.

Translation by Icey @ LoveTH-Music.com
Source: http://bit.ly/WNbicw


Interview with Bill & Tom - "Maybe we won't find a Superstar" - tagesspiegel.de

16.03.2013 

"DSDS"-Jurors Bill and Tom Kaulitz open up about secrets, bad ratings, their band Tokio Hotel and give young musicians some tips.

Bill and Tom Kaulitz, what's harder for you: Making music or talking about music as "DSDS"-Jurors?
Tom: Judging the candidates isn't that hard, because it wasn't our goal to be super nice or extremely strict before the show started. Our goal was to judge the candidates like we would do it at home, sitting on our couch and watching the show. What I had to get used to was being filmed the whole time. I really don't like that. I like it as much as I like hearing my voice or seeing pictures of myself. It was already like that for me when I went to school. I hate it.

Then you chose the wrong job...?
Tom:
Videoshoots and Photoshoots are definitely part of that, but playing live and producing music is more my thing. With Bill it's completely different...
Bill:
I don't really think about the fact that a lot of people are watching "DSDS" or about the way I should phrase my sentences...
Tom: … but you should.
Bill: My strategy is being as honest as possible.

As part of the jury you're in charge of finding Germany's next "Superstar". What does being a "Superstar" mean to you?
Bill: Precisely, the things that you can't explain. That feeling, that you can't get enough when the person gets off the stage, that this person stays a mystery to you. This special kind of charisma.
Tom: A lot of candidates come to us and say: "Please give me another chance, I can work on it." But that's often what doesn't help them at all. There is a certain level of potential and talent that you can't teach someone. I also think that there are less people who already carry that talent around with them their whole life. That's why it could happen that we won't find a Superstar at the end of the show - but the chances of finding one aren't that bad!

What else is new? Every "DSDS"-winner ended up in the Charts, but none of them are Superstars.

Tom: For the winners it is of course difficult, because there's a new season every year and therefore also a new "Superstar".
Bill: And luck plays a big role as well. In the end, it's also all about which candidate the viewers choose as the winner. Maybe a lot of the decisions made in the past years were just the wrong ones.

It is also possible that a casting show that follows the candidates every move takes a lot of the things away that make a "Superstar": the secrecy, the things that don't get documented?
Bill: I think that casting shows are pretty good at teaching someone how to present themselves and how to handle the media. There are candidates who can handle that pretty well. Whereas there are others, whom I can only advise to just keep their mouths shut.

Bill, when you were twelve, you yourself participated in the Sat-1-Show "Star Search", but you didn't make it to the finals. Was that your big lucky moment?
Bill: This at least shows that getting kicked out also presents you with a new chance. We were extremely lucky that someone discovered us as a band and that we got to experience a type of cinderella story.

So, your career with Tokio Hotel is therefore the best example that a Superstar doesn't necessarily have to be found in a casting show?
Tom: In the US casting shows like "American Idol" have indeed found a few stars that were extremely successful and who, like Kelly Clarkson, won a few Grammys. But to be real, here in Germany - and it doesn't matter which casting show we're talking about - no successful artist ever came out of one.

Why? Is the quality of the candidates in the US better?
Tom: The US has a whole other music market. Here, in Germany, we have very few new artists that are able to have a career in the long run.

But you managed it. Would you advise a young musician to go and take part in a casting show?
Tom: A lot of candidates come to the casting and don't really have anything to do with music. They might like to sing and think that they're pretty good at it, but there are very few candidates who really put their heart and soul into it.

Did that surprise you?
Tom: Most of them only want to try it out and aren't very serious about it. That's why I would ask a young musician first: What have you done for yourself? What did you invest into your musical career? And then you really have to look into it - if a casting show really is the right path for him or her. Then again, finding another path it also getting considerably hard these days.

Why?
Tom: Because the music industry has lost a lot of money in the past few years. The record labels have less money and they don't invest in newcomers anymore.

Not only the music industry, but also casting shows have to report a drop in ratings. "DSDS" has been pulling in pretty bad ones, some which the show the last time had when it first aired ten years ago. Is the "Casting-Show-Boom" in Germany over?
Bill: You always have to look at this in relation to the other casting show. "DSDS" still has the best ratings. That's the reason why I wouldn't generalize that casting shows don't have a future on TV anymore. It always depends on the candidates.

And on the entertainment value of the jury. Why did you decide to be a part of "DSDS"?
Bill: We were always in the mood for watching new talents. We've also been getting requests from all possible casting show formats for years, but we just didn't have the time. "DSDS" just came in at the right time.

Do you plan on taking part in other TV-Formats after „Deutschland sucht den Superstar“ or is that enough for now?
Bill: Next to working on "DSDS", we are currently in the studio, working on our new Album which is set to be released this year. I'm already getting jittery when I see all the candidates making music and not us as a band. We really want to start again.

Translation by Icey @ LoveTH-Music.com
source: http://bit.ly/XG6u9q




Interview with Bill & Tom - Tokio-Bill: "I know how it feels to be "thrown out” - bild.de

05.01.2013

Finally real superstars at “DSDS”!

Today, Bill and Tom Kaulitz (23) from Tokio Hotel will be sitting in the jury of “Deutschland sucht den Superstar” (8:15pm RTL) for the first time. It’s not their first appearance in a casting show…

BILD: Bill, you once also participated in a casting show…
Bill: Yes! I was 12 and it was “Star Search” with Kai Pflaume. But I only reached the last sixteen then it was over. I know what it feels like to be thrown out. That’s the reason why some of the DSDS decisions affected me mentally a lot. 
Tom: You’re changing the whole life of young people. We’re not underestimating that. 

BILD: How do you treat the candidates? Are you rather strict or friendly or..
Tom: We are just how we are. You can’t keep pretending and play a role for ten hours.

BILD: So you're not making them look like fools? 
Tom: Not on purpose. But we don’t know what the candidates do and how they act backstage. Maybe some are slagging us off but we simply don’t notice that and are really friendly to them. Or it’s the other way around. It’s possible that we maybe sometimes appear like bummers but it’s also possible that we’re right.

BILD: How was it to work with Dieter Bohlen?
Tom: Well, of course you crack jokes. He does it. And we do it. But until now it were always just jokes…
Bill: Yes. There were really no fights. It was very harmonic. 

BILD: Why did you join “DSDS”? “The voice” asked you to be judges as well…
Tom: The Voice was hyped because it was something new!
Bill: Exactly! They don’t have the same success as ‘DSDS’ does. And I think they never will. No other show will ever get that far. ‘DSDS’ is and will always be the biggest show!
Tom: Plus other casting show winners never had the same success as DSDS winners…that doesn’t mean that we don’t like ‘The Voice’. We hope they’ll have good luck with their show. 
Bill: DSDS winners always had number 1 hits and earned minimum 500 000€. And ‘The Voice’? Nothing! Neither fame nor long-time success.

BILD: How will you continue with Tokio Hotel? 
Tom: DSDS ends in may and we’re still writing and producing songs. We haven’t set a release date yet.

BILD: The USA will remain your home? 
Tom: If we don’t emigrate to India… (laughs)
Bill: We take things as they come. I see us as citizen of the world. Somehow many places are home to us. As long as we have our music we are happy.

Translation by Ines @ loveth-music.com – tokio-hotel.us
Source: http://bit.ly/UuyO9b



Interview with Bill & Tom - "With us nobody will get further just out of pity" - BRAVO #02/2013 [Germany]

How do the new DSDS judges Bill and Tom Kaulitz want to stir up the show? They revealed it to BRAVO.

On 5th January [2013] another new season of "Deutschland sucht den Superstar" will finally start – and this time there's even a big anniversary to be celebrated: for the 10th time RTL is looking for a solo singer who's got what it takes to be the next big thing. And while the show's ambition stays the same, quite a few things changed on the judging panel: it features two real world stars with Bill and Tom Kaulitz (both 23) from Tokio Hotel. Together with Culcha Candela rapper Mateo (34) and Casting King Dieter Bohlen (58) they're deciding who gets to sing and who gets the boot. BRAVO met up with the TH twins during recordings in Berlin:

Bravo: You're the new judges on "Deutschland sucht den Superstar". You declined "The Voice of Germany" though. Why?
Bill: That's right. We've declined all offers from other casting shows…
Tom: DSDS just got the most viewers and therefore offers a bigger platform for the artists. What's more, the live shows are done the best.

Bravo: What are you personally getting out of "Deutschland sucht den Superstar"?
Bill: Fun. We just totally felt like [doing] it. Though it also involves more work than we would've thought. (laughs!)

Bravo: Why? What's so exhausting about it?
Tom: The biggest challenge for us were the working hours. We have to get up at 6am every day. Usually I only just go to bed at that time.
Bill: It's also tiring that most of the candidates are rather mediocre. I always thought they'd be either bad or good. But what do you tell people that are quite alright?
Tom: We're looking for exceptional talents – or someone with potential who can develop further. The mediocre ones can gladly keep doing it as a hobby. Though nothing more than that.

Bravo: So you've got no problem with being honest then?
Bill: No.
Tom: (starts laughing and turns to Bill) As if, as if, as if! You always just say "You're lovely, cute and nice." because you can see their dream go up in smoke before your eyes.
Bill: It really is very difficult. Admittedly they'd deserve to know that nothing will come of it but then they're so sad and already had a tough life anyway. Nevertheless, we won't let anyone go further out of pity.

Bravo: Was it actually a sure thing for you two that you'll only be doing DSDS together?
Tom: In the beginning they only asked me [to do it]. However, I said: Without Bill I’m out! (laughs!)
Bill: (laughs with him) Rubbish! We definitely wanted to do it together. It's also way more fun for us like this.

Bravo: So would you like to makes changes to the show?
Tom: We're intending to coach the contestants with lots of talent ourselves behind the scenes. Often people don't get good advice with regards to styling or song choice. We want them to move forward – and not for them to make fools of themselves.

Bravo: Eight out of nine "Superstar" winners were male. Will a woman finally win the show again this year?
Bill: I'd like that but it doesn't necessarily have to happen.
Tom: Internationally there are so many good female artists. Just not in Germany. That's something that's just totally missing here. Maybe we'll find a female winner this year. However, if a guy is better and more popular than he'll obviously win…

Top right judges picture:

Real musical experts: Dieter Bohlen, Mateo from Culcha Candela and the TH twins Bill and Tom are the judging panel

Top left judges picture:
"We've only met at the judges table – but get along great", Bill says. Easy to see!

TH band picture:
Georg (25), Bill, Tom and Gustav (24) are Tokio Hotel. The band had their breakthrough with "Durch den Monsun" in 2005. Ever since then the Magdeburg guys sold over six million records – worldwide!

Main twins picture:
Currently Bill and Tom live in Los Angeles/California. They're flying to Germany especially for DSDS
Top right contestants picture:
Waiting in the lounge: contestant Bojan Odjakov (20 [years], left) entertains the others with his guitar

Middle contestants picture:
Nicely queuing up in one line: outside Berlin's club "Felix" the contestants wait until they may sing in front of the judges

Bottom twins with Sascha picture:
Bravo reporter Sascha was allowed to sit between the twins at the sacred judges table

Translation by http://tokiohotelstreetteam.co.uk/
Scans by TokioHotel-Info





Interview with Bill & Tom - "It’s been hard work" - Süddeutsche Zeitung #298/2013 [Germany]

Whether you want them to or not: Tokio Hotel are back - and they're here to stay. Identical twins Tom and Bill Kaulitz talk about their "Realschulabschluss", casting shows, drugs and AC/DC.It's been quiet around Tokio Hotel for a long time. It's been more than seven years since their single "Monsoon" filled pre- and hard pubescing teenage girls with unprecedented ecstasy while forcing columnists to make marvelling analysis. Bill Kaulitz, androgynous and crazy-haired and his ten minute older identical twin Tom became the posterboys of German children's rooms at age 15 and sold millions of records. In recent years though, it's been quiet around the Kaulitz twins, who moved to Los Angeles. Now, at age 23, the twins return as jurors in RTL's "Deutschland sucht den Superstar" (DSDS) show. Shooting happens in Bad Driburg, located in the westphalian wastelands, inside an upper class hotel with a multi-storey car park. In front of the conference room's windows, a few got long in the tooth fans stand around, at least 17 or 18 years old. Insider, the old teen star dilemma joins us at the table: The boys are too old to be cuddled, too young to command respect. You neither want to pull their leg nor put them on your lap.

SZ: It's been a long time since we last heard from Tokio Hotel
Bill:
I think the break felt even longer for the German public than it really was. After our last album we went on a big tour of South America and Japan, after that we just wanted to live a little.

SZ: What does "just living a little" entail for somebody who's been living in a state of emergency since the age of 15?
Bill: We spent a lot of time with our family. And with our four dogs.
Tom: It was a big change for us. Being on tour with the band, we've got a huge team and I can call on them for everything I need at any given moment. Now I have to take care of things myself and that includes stuff I've never had to deal with by myself before. I've had some overwhelming situations, but I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

SZ: For example?

Tom: I don't know, for example I went to apply for my california driver's licence in Los Angeles. I thought to myself: Huh, you've got to wait in some shitty line for such a long time? You just stand around for a whole day to give them your photo?

SZ: Los Angeles is now your permanent residence?
Bill: We spend a lot of time in the U.S., because we've been working a lot on our new record the past 2 years and also can get some privacy. But we also got a residence in Germany and some of our recording sessions also take place here. The two other boys still live in Germany.

Besides Bill and Tom Tokio Hotel consists of two other - publicly neglected - members who fit with them like leafs around flowers and whose names and instruments (bass player Georg and drummer Gustav) are mostly put in brackets when Tokio Hotel is covered in the press. While the twins were in the U.S. those two had to put down the rumours about the band's demise.

SZ: After the long break, do you feel the pressure even more than before?
Bill: Our second album probably was the worst. We started out with a No.#1 single, followed by a No.#1 album. When that was over, we were used to permanent success. Everything after had to be worse. The press was only waiting for us to fail at being No.#1 immediately again. And to start writing that now, everything's over.

SZ: Most of your early fans are now grown up and listen to different music. Isn't that a problem?
Bill: There's nothing we can do about that. But we don't sit around in the studio thinking that there's noone left to please. Is this supposed to be enjoyed by 15 year old girls or a 46 year old woman?
Tom: I watched an AC/DC Show on TV yesterday. Look at the crowd there, it's totally mixed up. There are the ones that already were fans when Bon Scott was still singing and right next to them is someone who just discovered them by listening to the "Iron Man" soundtrack. That's how i would like it to be.

SZ: But you're not AC/DC. They worked for several decades to get to the top, you got there over night.
Tom: Of course, but that happened to other bands that managed to stay successful too. Depeche Mode were called a boyband in the beginning, totally uncool for boys to listen to. Today almost nobody even remembers that.

During their prime between 2005 and 2010 Tokio Hotel were as loved and adored by their fans as they were ridiculed and hated by the rest of the country. Bill Kaulitz got the No.#1 Spot in Pro7's "100 most annoying Germans" show and FHM repeatedly listed him in their "Unsexiest Women" ranking. At the same time the singer had photo sessions with Karl Lagerfeld and the band got stalked by obsessive fans. Nobody could escape the band and every German had a knee-jerk reaction when their name was mentioned that could be anything, but never indifferent. In hindsight, this might have been their most lasting success: Pop to polarise the public.

SZ: How do you feel about Tokio Hotel being more recognised as a demarcation line of tastes than as a serious band?
Bill: You know, you really can't control things like that. They did a survey about our last album. Some guys from TV ran around the city with earphones and played our songs to pedestrians. Some said "That's pretty cool" at first, but when told they had listened to Tokio Hotel changed their opinion immediately and said they didn't like it at all.

SZ: You have always been polarising since your first success, since your youth. Do you sometimes wish you had already been grown up before experiencing all of this?
Bill: On the one hand I think, if I could rewind my life, I would do it differently and maybe wait a few more years. On the other hand, no matter how shitty my day was, no matter that there's another guy with a camera, no matter there's some private stuff in the newspaper again: I'm thankful, that I'm able to do everything I do. It would have been terrifying to do something else. I was born for this.

I believe him. Both of them appear to be more open and carefree than you would expect considering their love/hate relationship with the public. They also appear less childish than their slang would suggest. Tom, with his dreadlocks still looks like a boy. With Bill of course, it's different: Rings, three-day beard on a porcelain face, a tower of white hair above his undercut and on his left hand a skeletal style tattoo. Come next year, he'll be the eccentric but style conscious or even style-forming superstar from the future; or he'll be the tattooed, pierced and unhealty freak from yesterday. How he will be seen will only be decided by the success of their fourth album, which is scheduled for release in 2013. But be assured, these are the only options, there will be no inbetween.

SZ: Assuming your comeback fails, what's Plan B?
Tom: In any case I can't imagine being told by anyone what to do and who for. Retiring for a few years, writing songs for other artists, working in the background; I could imagine that, but almost nothing else.
Bill: You're right, I too wouldn't survive just working anywhere. I always had a problem with superiors and authority, I always hated that.

SZ: Are you still in contact with people from your past?
Bill: We still know some old friends, one of them even is our best friend.
Tom: We have talked about maybe showing up at a school reunion. I would probably go.
Bill: I don't know. Those guys never really had big dreams. They were more about taking on their parents companies or becoming a vet or a farmer.

SZ: If you can't even imagine leading a "normal" life, why did you finish your "Realschulabschluss" 3 years ago?
Tom: Sometimes I askmyself the very same thing.
Bill: We did it for our mother's sake. We were in the 10th grade of "Gymnasium" when we quit school for the band, so we really had already learned everything we needed for the "Realschulabschluss". We just did it to be done with it. You really can't do anything with it anyway. You would need "Abitur" for that.

SZ: For what exactly? 
Bill: Sometimes I play with the idea to take classes in fashion design. Just for fun.

SZ: Being a celebrity on campus. Are you scared about the fact that normal college life would be impossible for you?
Bill: It's true, I really don't have the freedom to just go out and stroll around in the park. But artisticly speaking, I can do what I want. That's the most important fact for me, the which I'm most thankful for. Even at 15 we had already started to fight for that and vigouresly. Today, I'm my own boss. Even the record label can't tell us that much. But of course there are things in life that drag you down and everyone of us is possibly broken somehow. Me, I'm a little paranoid sometimes.

SZ: Paranoid?
Tom: When we started out, we had no idea that everything we say can be used against us by the rainbow press in such a brutal way. We were really shocked after reading the first headlines when we were 15.

More than anybody else, German newspaper "BILD-Zeitung" accompanied the band's career intensively. Even during the last 2 more quiet years, the Kaulitz Brothers made the headline with some regularity, for example considering their "heavy party style": "Hard Drugs: unknown! Alcohol: Always!"; considering their financial independence: "Tokio Hotel supposed to be Jurors for "The Voice of Germany" for a salary of 1.2 million € - Turned down the offer"; considering the twins' father, who whined about "Fame and Money" that the tore the family apart. They don't like talking about him.

SZ: Did you get used to those headlines?
Bill: We're quite comfortable now. They have covered everything already, drugs, anorexia, depression. By now I'm quite certain that most people will know by themselves, that it's mostly bullshit.
Tom: I'm just sorry for my grandma. She sometimes still asks me whether one thing is true or not.

SZ: Your new job as juror won't reduce the press coverage though.
Bill: At some point you have to accept that. We don't even comment most headlines anymore, because we don't want deal with them. It wouldn't change anything anyway.

SZ: But you couldn't do without the headlines, could you?
Tom: That's the outside view, isn't it: Now they need promo for their new album. But we don't sell one more record just because somebody wrote that Bill was anorexic. Some french magazine even wrote that you had killed yourself.
Bill: You're right, I remember that.
Tom: For two days straight people from France called, because they thought you had jumped out of a window.

They just wouldn't talk to the rainbow press anymore, Bill told me during our talk. But still, while the DSDS shooting continues, several interviews, stories and photo sessions will be published by BILD, Bunte and others. When I asked their management for a statement later, they replied: "Because the rainbow press will cover DSDS and Bill & Tom's involvement with or without our cooperation, we supply some chosen magazines with statements from time to time. This way the brothers are trying to strike a balance and to add some solid grounding to the stories about them." Plainly spoken: If we have to deal with bullshit, we at least want to control it. The things you do for grandma.

SZ: You were candidates for a casting show once.
Bill: Just me, ten years ago. The difference between us and other candidates of casting shows is that we started making music when we were seven years old. It was all hard work. Now, I see a lot of people who just want to be on TV, regardless of their talent.
Tom: Especially in the U.S. almost every difference between being famous because of what you can do and being famous for being stupid is gone.

SZ: Do you think it's different here?
Tom:
Fortunately we have always been able to make a living by making music. As long as we can do that, I can live with the rainbow press bullshit.

Translation by BTK Twins Archive
Scans by Tokio Hotel Info