Complete List Of Tokio Hotel Band Members

Feature Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ichliebe/, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

From a Magdeburg music school meeting in 2001, four German teenagers formed what would become one of the most internationally successful German bands of the 21st century. Tokio Hotel consists of identical twin brothers Bill Kaulitz on vocals and Tom Kaulitz on guitar, along with bassist Georg Listing and drummer Gustav Schäfer. The band has maintained its original lineup of four members since formation and has released seven studio albums: Schrei in 2005, Zimmer 483 and Scream in 2007, Humanoid in 2009, Kings of Suburbia in 2014, Dream Machine in 2017, and 2001 in 2022.

The band achieved significant chart success with their debut album Schrei reaching number one in Germany and Austria in 2005 and selling over 500,000 copies worldwide. Their 2007 albums Zimmer 483 and Scream combined to sell over 2.5 million copies worldwide, with Scream marking their first English-language release. Tokio Hotel has sold more than 10 million records globally and scored four number-one singles in Germany, including “Durch den Monsun,” “Rette mich,” “Der letzte Tag,” and “Übers Ende der Welt.” The band has never experienced a breakup and all four original members remain active in the group as of 2025.

Tokio Hotel won the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist in September 2008, becoming the first German band to win at the MTV VMAs. The band also won MTV Europe Music Awards for Best InterAct in 2007, Headliner in 2008, Best Group in 2009, and Best World Stage Performance in 2010. They became the first German band to win at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan in July 2011. Additional honors include the 2006 Echo Award for Best Newcomer National and multiple wins at the MTV Latin America Awards in 2008 including Song of the Year for “Monsoon.”

Bill Kaulitz

Bill Kaulitz, born September 1, 1989, in Leipzig, East Germany, co-founded Tokio Hotel in 2001 and serves as the band’s lead vocalist. He is the identical twin brother of guitarist Tom Kaulitz, born ten minutes after Tom. Kaulitz grew up in Magdeburg with his mother Simone Kaulitz and stepfather Gordon Trümper, a guitarist from German rock band Fatun, who encouraged Bill and Tom to pursue music careers. At age 10, Bill began performing live with Tom near their hometown of Loitsche, and at age 12 in 2001, they met Georg Listing and Gustav Schäfer, forming the band Devilish before renaming to Tokio Hotel in 2003.

Bill Kaulitz has appeared as lead vocalist on all seven Tokio Hotel studio albums. On the debut album Schrei, released September 19, 2005, he sang lead on all tracks including the number-one singles “Durch den Monsun,” “Rette mich,” and “Der letzte Tag.” His vocals drove Zimmer 483, released February 23, 2007, which reached number one in Germany and spawned the singles “Übers Ende der Welt” and “Spring nicht.” Kaulitz recorded English-language versions of previous German songs for Scream, released June 4, 2007, performing “Monsoon,” “Ready, Set, Go!” and “Don’t Jump.” On Humanoid, released October 2, 2009, in both German and English versions, Kaulitz contributed vocals to tracks including “Automatic” and “World Behind My Wall.” He sang on Kings of Suburbia, released October 3, 2014, featuring the singles “Love Who Loves You Back” and “Feel It All,” and on Dream Machine, released March 3, 2017. His most recent studio work was on 2001, released in 2022.

In March 2008, Kaulitz underwent larynx surgery to remove a cyst on his vocal cords that resulted from an untreated throat infection, forcing cancellation of the European tour. He was unable to speak for ten days and required four weeks of vocal rehabilitation before resuming performances in May 2008. Outside of Tokio Hotel, Kaulitz appeared as a jury member on the 10th season of Deutschland sucht den Superstar. In 2019, he co-hosted Queen of Drags with his sister-in-law Heidi Klum, who married Tom Kaulitz. In October 2018, he was featured on the song “Vogel aus Gold” by Nisse. Kaulitz published his autobiography “Career Suicide: Meine ersten dreißig Jahre” in German in January 2021, which included his coming out. In 2022, he created a subscription-based OnlyFans account with proceeds donated to the International Marine Mammal Project. Kaulitz moved from Hamburg to Los Angeles in October 2010 with Tom, where he remains based.

Tom Kaulitz

Tom Kaulitz, born September 1, 1989, in Leipzig, East Germany, co-founded Tokio Hotel in 2001 and serves as the band’s lead guitarist. He is the identical twin brother of vocalist Bill Kaulitz, born ten minutes before Bill. Kaulitz grew up in Magdeburg with his mother Simone Kaulitz and stepfather Gordon Trümper, a guitarist who introduced Tom to guitar playing. At age 10, Tom began performing guitar live with Bill near their hometown of Loitsche. When the brothers turned 12 in 2001, they met Georg Listing and Gustav Schäfer at one of their shows, forming the band Devilish before renaming to Tokio Hotel in 2003 upon signing with Universal Music Group.

Tom Kaulitz has played guitar on all seven Tokio Hotel studio albums. On Schrei, released September 19, 2005, he played guitar on all tracks including the number-one hits “Durch den Monsun,” “Schrei,” and “Rette mich.” His guitar work anchored Zimmer 483, released February 23, 2007, performing on singles “Übers Ende der Welt,” “Spring nicht,” and “An deiner Seite (Ich bin da).” Kaulitz recorded guitar parts for Scream, the English-language album released June 4, 2007, playing on “Monsoon,” “Scream,” and “Ready, Set, Go!” On Humanoid, released October 2, 2009, he contributed guitar to tracks including “Automatic,” “World Behind My Wall,” and “Humanoid.” Since 2007, Kaulitz has used Gibson guitars. He played on Kings of Suburbia, released October 3, 2014, and Dream Machine, released March 3, 2017. His most recent studio work was on 2001, released in 2022.

Tom Kaulitz married supermodel Heidi Klum on February 22, 2019, in a private ceremony, followed by a second ceremony on August 3, 2019, aboard the yacht Christina O in Capri, Italy. Klum is 16 years older than Kaulitz. He has become a stepfather to Klum’s four children: Leni, Henry, Johan, and Lou from her previous relationships. Kaulitz and his twin brother Bill co-host the podcast Kaulitz Hills – Mustard from Hollywood. The brothers also appeared in the Netflix reality series Kaulitz & Kaulitz. Tom moved from Hamburg to Los Angeles in October 2010 with Bill and manager David Jost, where he continues to reside with Klum. His musical influences include Aerosmith and German hip-hop artists such as Samy Deluxe. In 2010, Kaulitz made headlines for overdosing on Viagra while on tour at age 20, requiring two days to recover from the incident.

Georg Listing

Georg Moritz Hagen Listing, born March 31, 1987, in Halle, East Germany, joined Tokio Hotel in 2001 as the band’s bassist. Listing grew up in Magdeburg with his parents Hagen, a dentist, and Christine, a doctor, who encouraged him to pursue music despite his father’s hope that he would become a dentist. He began playing bass guitar at age 13 and enrolled in music school where he met Gustav Schäfer, quickly becoming best friends. In 2001, when Listing was 14, Schäfer introduced him to 12-year-old twins Bill and Tom Kaulitz who were performing under the name Black Questionmark. The four formed the band Devilish before renaming to Tokio Hotel in 2003.

Georg Listing has played bass on all seven Tokio Hotel studio albums. On Schrei, released September 19, 2005, he provided bass and backing vocals on all tracks including “Durch den Monsun,” “Rette mich,” and “Der letzte Tag.” His bass playing helped anchor Zimmer 483, released February 23, 2007, performing on the number-one single “Übers Ende der Welt” and other tracks. Since 2007, Listing has used Sandberg bass guitars. He recorded bass parts for Scream, released June 4, 2007, playing on English versions of their German hits. On Humanoid, released October 2, 2009, Listing contributed bass to tracks including “Automatic” and “World Behind My Wall.” As Tokio Hotel’s sound evolved to incorporate more electronic elements, Listing adapted his playing style, taking over keyboards and synthesizer on later albums while remaining credited as bass player. He played on Kings of Suburbia, released October 3, 2014, and Dream Machine, released March 3, 2017. His most recent studio work was on 2001, released in 2022.

Unlike his bandmates who left school in 2005 when Tokio Hotel achieved success, Listing remained committed to completing high school until January 2006, wanting his diploma before dedicating himself fully to the band. His multiple professional commitments and jealousies from other students made the situation difficult, requiring him to take correspondence courses. Listing has stated that his bass playing style was heavily influenced by Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers. His favorite bands include Oasis and Fall Out Boy. Listing is the most private member of Tokio Hotel and has largely remained out of the tabloid spotlight, preferring to focus on music rather than pursue solo projects or ventures in fashion or media. He is known for his dry sense of humor and professionalism within the band. Before forming Tokio Hotel, Listing ran a sound recording and music publishing venture called Fite Fuaite Ltd in West Belfast while still a student, established in 2016 and dissolved in 2018. He resides in Germany and has over 600,000 followers on Instagram.

Gustav Schäfer

Gustav Klaus Wolfgang Schäfer, born September 8, 1988, in Magdeburg, East Germany, joined Tokio Hotel in 2001 as the band’s drummer. Schäfer has a younger sister named Franziska and began playing drums at age five, emulating his idol Lars Ulrich, drummer of Metallica. He attended music school in Magdeburg where his parents enrolled him for professional drum instruction, and there he met Georg Listing, quickly becoming best friends. In 2001, when Schäfer was 13, Listing introduced him to 12-year-old twins Bill and Tom Kaulitz who were performing and needed a drummer and bassist. The four formed the band Devilish before renaming to Tokio Hotel in 2003.

Gustav Schäfer has played drums on all seven Tokio Hotel studio albums. On Schrei, released September 19, 2005, he provided drums and backing vocals on all tracks including the number-one singles “Durch den Monsun,” “Rette mich,” and “Der letzte Tag.” His drumming drove the high-energy performances on Zimmer 483, released February 23, 2007, playing on hits “Übers Ende der Welt,” “Spring nicht,” and “An deiner Seite (Ich bin da).” Schäfer recorded drums for Scream, released June 4, 2007, the band’s first English-language album. On Humanoid, released October 2, 2009, his precision timing was critical to tracks including “Automatic” and “World Behind My Wall.” As Tokio Hotel’s sound evolved to incorporate electronic and experimental elements, Schäfer adapted his drumming style to include synth-driven rhythms. He played on Kings of Suburbia, released October 3, 2014, and Dream Machine, released March 3, 2017. His most recent studio work was on 2001, released in 2022.

Schäfer’s musical influences include Metallica, Slipknot, Joe Cocker, and Rod Stewart. He attended Realschule in Magdeburg and later Wirtschaftsgymnasium Eike von Repgow. As a child, Schäfer wanted to become a policeman, fireman, or truck driver before music became his career. He is known for his grounded personality and behind-the-scenes focus, often acting as a stabilizing force within the band. Schäfer married his longtime girlfriend in a private ceremony in 2015, and the couple welcomed a daughter in 2016. He has spoken in interviews about the importance of family and maintaining balance between his career and private life. Unlike the Kaulitz brothers who moved to Los Angeles in October 2010, Schäfer continues to reside in Magdeburg, Germany, and commutes for band activities and international tours. He is the most private member of Tokio Hotel and keeps his personal life out of the headlines. Schäfer’s hobbies include music, cycling, and riding his motorcycle

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