
Feature Photo: kommkaulitz, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Tokio Hotel represents one of those stories in which a group of kids from Magdeburg turned rehearsal-room dreams into a long-running global career, carried by image, melody, and a fanbase that never let go. The band came together in 2001 around twin brothers Bill and Tom Kaulitz, joined by bassist Georg Listing and drummer Gustav Schäfer. Before the major label era they played under the name Devilish, working small clubs and talent shows around Magdeburg while Bill and Tom were still barely into their teens. Bill’s appearance on the television talent show Star Search in 2003 put him on the radar of producer Peter Hoffmann, which in turn led to a developmental deal, early sessions, and eventually the decision to relaunch the band under a new name, Tokio Hotel, reflecting both their fascination with Tokyo and the reality that they were spending much of their time in hotels.
The real breakthrough came with their debut German-language album Schrei in 2005. After an earlier contract with Sony BMG Germany was dropped, Universal Music Germany stepped in and gave the group a full campaign. The first single, “Durch den Monsun,” climbed from the lower reaches of the German singles chart to number one and did the same in Austria, setting the tone for what followed. The title track “Schrei,” along with “Rette mich” and “Der letzte Tag,” all became top-five hits in German-speaking markets. Schrei moved more than half a million copies worldwide and was certified triple gold in Germany, a serious achievement for a band whose members were still in their mid-teens at the time.
Momentum carried straight into the next phase with the 2007 releases Zimmer 483 and Scream. Zimmer 483 continued the run of German language success with singles such as “Übers Ende der Welt,” “Spring nicht,” and “An deiner Seite (Ich bin da).” At the same time, Scream repackaged songs from Schrei and Zimmer 483 in English for an international audience. “Monsoon,” the English language version of “Durch den Monsun,” opened doors in France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. The band crossed into English-speaking television and festival slots, toured North America, and saw their video for “Ready, Set, Go!” land on the MTV Video Music Awards stage. In 2007, they won their first MTV Europe Music Award for Best InterAct, and in 2008, they took home the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist, the first time a German band had ever done so.
By the time Humanoid arrived in 2009, Tokio Hotel had grown into a fully global act. They recorded the album in both German and English and released the two versions simultaneously, supported by singles such as “Automatisch” and “World Behind My Wall.” A major European tour, Welcome to Humanoid City, and the live release Humanoid City Live underlined how far they had come from small clubs in Magdeburg. A behind-the-scenes release, Tokio Hotel TV – Caught on Camera, gathered tour footage and studio material, documenting the intense work behind the polished videos and arena shows. Across this entire period, the band’s catalog kept expanding, eventually reaching seven studio albums, three live albums, multiple EPs, compilations, and dozens of singles and videos.
After a period of relative quiet in the early 2010s, the band returned with a different sonic palette on Kings of Suburbia in 2014. The album leaned into electronic rock, electropop, and synth pop, with tracks such as “Love Who Loves You Back,” “Run, Run, Run,” and “Feel It All” supported by an extensive world tour that carried the same name as the latter song. This period confirmed that Tokio Hotel were not interested in being locked into one sound from the Schrei era. Instead, they moved toward a more club oriented, electronic direction while still building songs around Bill Kaulitz’s distinctive voice and the emotional drama that originally drew in their fans. The follow-up album Dream Machine in 2017 continued down this road, featuring songs such as “Something New,” “What If,” and “Boy Don’t Cry,” and another touring cycle.
The next phase of their career has been defined by constant releases, collaborations, and inventive ways of keeping their community involved. The Melancholic Paradise era brought singles like “Melancholic Paradise,” “When It Rains It Pours,” and “Chateau,” while the band planned new tours in Europe, North America, and Latin America before the COVID 19 pandemic forced cancellations and postponements. During these years they also revisited the song that started it all, releasing “Durch den Monsun 2020” and “Monsoon 2020” to mark the fifteenth anniversary of their breakthrough single. At the same time they worked with electronic artists and producers on tracks such as “White Lies” with VIZE and a dance reinterpretation of “Behind Blue Eyes,” building social media cover challenges around those songs to pull their fans directly into the creative process.
In 2022 Tokio Hotel released their seventh studio album, 2001. The record arrived after the band had already experimented with a series of singles and collaborations, including “Fahr mit mir (4×4)” with Kraftklub and “Happy People” with Daði Freyr. 2001 framed their long run with a title that nodded back to the year the band originally formed, while the songs themselves sat firmly in the present. The years that followed have been just as active, with a new Amazon Music Original track, “Your Christmas,” a continuing run of singles such as “The Weekend,” “HIM,” “When We Were Younger,” “Miss It (At All),” “Hands Up,” and “How to Love,” and the announcement of The Tour 2025 with dates in Europe and a separate Latin American leg of their Beyond the World Tour that also includes shows in the United States and Canada.
Tokio Hotel’s awards record shows how deeply they connected with audiences across territories. Since “Durch den Monsun” in 2005 they have collected more than one hundred awards in Germany, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Italy, Russia, Japan, and North America. The list includes Comet Awards, Golden Penguin honors, Bambi Awards, Echo Awards, Rockbjörnen trophies, multiple MTV Europe Music Awards, the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist, an MTV Video Music Awards Japan win, Kids Choice Awards in Germany, and fan driven titles such as Musical March Madness champions and Biggest Fans. Their fan community, known as the Aliens, has itself been recognized with awards, a sign of how intensely those fans have supported the band across language barriers and stylistic shifts.
Outside of the strictly musical work the members of Tokio Hotel have been visible in fashion, television, philanthropy, and branded projects. Bill Kaulitz opened and closed the DSquared menswear autumn and winter 2010 show in Milan to the band’s own songs “Scream” and “Screamin’,” reinforcing his status as a style figure as much as a frontman. Bill and Tom worked with Audi in a youth-oriented advertising campaign, and Tom fronted a Reebok sneaker campaign that highlighted his genuine obsession with shoes. The twins created the BTK Twins mobile app in 2011 as a direct communication channel to fans, mixing photos, short videos, and written updates long before that kind of access became standard. On the philanthropic side the band played MTV Video Music Aid Japan in 2011, an event organized specifically to raise money for the Japanese Red Cross in the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake. Bill and Tom later served as judges on Deutschland sucht den Superstar and appeared as a duo coaching team on The Voice of Germany, where their artist Malou Lovis Kreyelkamp won the thirteenth season, proving that their role in the music world now includes mentoring younger performers as well as sustaining their own group.
Across more than two decades, Tokio Hotel have kept their original lineup intact and moved from German language teen rock to an electronic and synth driven sound without losing the emotional core that made songs like “Durch den Monsun” resonate in the first place. Seven studio albums, three live albums, and a long list of singles, videos, documentaries, and tours trace the growth of a band that was never content to stay in one place. For the fans, the appeal has always been that mix of melody, drama, visual identity, and a sense that the four musicians from Magdeburg brought their audience along every time they shifted directions rather than leaving them behind.
Complete List Of Tokio Hotel Songs From A to Z
- 1000 Meere – An deiner Seite (Ich bin da) – 2007
- 1000 Oceans – Scream (USA bonus track) – 2008
- Ain’t Happy – 2001 – 2022
- Alien (English Version) – Humanoid (English) – 2009
- Alien (German Version) – Humanoid (German) – 2009
- An deiner Seite (Ich bin da) – Zimmer 483 – 2007
- An deiner Seite (Ich bin da) – An deiner Seite (Ich bin da) – 2007
- Another Lover – 2001 – 2022
- As Young As We Are – Dream Machine – 2017
- Attention – Humanoid (German) – 2009
- Attention – Humanoid (English) – 2009
- Automatic – Humanoid (English) – 2009
- Automatic – Automatic – 2009
- Automatisch – Humanoid (German) – 2009
- Automatisch – Automatisch – 2009
- Back to the Ocean – 2001 – 2022
- Bad Love – 2001 – 2022
- Bad Love – Bad Love – 2022
- Beichte – Schrei – so laut du kannst – 2006
- Behind Blue Eyes (featuring VIZE) – Behind Blue Eyes – 2021
- Berlin (feat. VVAVES) – 2001 – 2020
- Berlin (feat. VVAVES) – Berlin – 2020
- Better – Dream Machine – 2017
- Black – Ready, Set, Go! – 2007
- Boy Don’t Cry – Dream Machine – 2017
- Boy Don’t Cry – Boy Don’t Cry – 2017
- Break Away – Scream – 2007
- By Your Side – Scream – 2007
- Chateau – Chateau – 2019
- Colors of the Wind (from Pocahontas) – A Whole New Sound – 2024
- Cotton Candy Sky – Dream Machine – 2017
- Covered In Gold – Kings of Suburbia – 2014
- Dancing In the Dark – Kings of Suburbia – 2014
- Dark Side of the Sun – Humanoid (English) – 2009
- Der letzte Tag – Schrei – 2005
- Der letzte Tag – Der letzte Tag – 2005
- Dogs Unleashed – Humanoid (English) – 2009
- Don’t Jump – Scream – 2007
- Don’t Jump – Don’t Jump – 2007
- Down On You – Humanoid (German) – 2009
- Down On You – Humanoid (English) – 2009
- Dream Machine – Dream Machine – 2017
- Dreamer – 2001 – 2022
- Durch den Monsun – Schrei – 2005
- Durch den Monsun – Durch den Monsun – 2005
- Durch den Monsun 2020 – 2001 – 2020
- Durch den Monsun 2020 – Monsoon 2020 – 2020
- Durch den Monsun 2020 – Durch den Monsun 2020 – 2020
- Easy – Dream Machine – 2017
- Easy – Easy – 2017
- Elysa – Dream Machine – 2017
- Fahr mit mir (4×4) (with Kraftklub) – Kargo – 2022
- Feel It All – Kings of Suburbia – 2014
- Feel It All – Feel It All – 2014
- Final Day – Scream – 2007
- Forever Now – Humanoid (English) – 2009
- Forgotten Children – Scream – 2007
- Frei im freien Fall – Der letzte Tag – 2006
- Freunde bleiben – Schrei – 2005
- Für immer jetzt – Humanoid (German) – 2009
- Gegen meinen Willen – Schrei – 2005
- Geh – An deiner Seite (Ich bin da) – 2007
- Geisterfahrer – Humanoid (German) – 2009
- Girl Got a Gun – Kings of Suburbia – 2014
- Great Day – Kings of Suburbia – 2014
- Hands up – Hands up – 2025
- Happy People (feat. Daði Freyr) – 2001 – 2022
- Happy People (feat. Daði Freyr) – Happy People – 2022
- Heilig – Zimmer 483 – 2007
- Heilig – Heilig – 2007
- Here Comes the Night – 2001 – 2021
- Here Comes the Night – Here Comes the Night – 2021
- Hey Du – Humanoid (German) – 2009
- Hey You – Humanoid (English) – 2009
- Hilf mir fliegen – Übers Ende der Welt – 2007
- HIM – 2001 – 2022
- HIM – HIM – 2022
- Home (from Kaulitz & Kaulitz) – Home – 2024
- How to Love – How to Love – 2025
- Human Connect to Human – Humanoid (English) – 2009
- Humanoid (English Version) – Humanoid (English) – 2009
- Humanoid (German Version) – Humanoid (German) – 2009
- Hunde – Humanoid (German) – 2009
- Hungover You – 2001 – 2022
- Hurricanes and Suns – Best Of Tokio Hotel – 2010
- I Am (featuring Rock Mafia, Wyclef Jean, David Correy) – FIFA 14 Soundtrack – 2014
- Ich bin nich’ ich – Schrei – 2005
- Ich brech aus – Zimmer 483 – 2007
- If I Die Tomorrow (with Far East Movement) – Dirty Bass – 2012
- In die Nacht – Zimmer 483 – 2007
- In die Nacht – Spring nicht – 2007
- In Your Shadow (I Can Shine) – Humanoid (German) – 2009
- In Your Shadow (I Can Shine) – Humanoid (English) – 2009
- Instant Karma! – Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur – 2007
- Invaded – Kings of Suburbia – 2014
- Jung und nicht mehr jugendfrei – Schrei – 2005
- Just a Moment (feat. VVAVES) – 2001 – 2022
- Kampf der Liebe – Humanoid (German) – 2009
- Kings of Suburbia – Kings of Suburbia – 2014
- Komm – Humanoid (German) – 2009
- Lass uns hier raus – Schrei – 2005
- Lass uns laufen – Humanoid (German) – 2009
- Lass uns laufen – Lass uns laufen – 2009
- Leb’ die Sekunde – Schrei – 2005
- Live Every Second – Ready, Set, Go! – 2007
- Louder Than Love – Kings of Suburbia – 2014
- Love and Death – Humanoid (English) – 2009
- Love Is Dead – Scream – 2007
- Love Who Loves You Back – Kings of Suburbia – 2014
- Love Who Loves You Back – Love Who Loves You Back – 2014
- Mädchen aus dem All (2003) – Best Of Tokio Hotel – 2010
- Masquerade – Kings of Suburbia – 2014
- Melancholic Paradise – Melancholic Paradise – 2019
- Menschen suchen Menschen – Humanoid (German) – 2009
- Miss It (At All) (with Niklas Dee) – Miss It (At All) – 2025
- Monsoon – Scream – 2007
- Monsoon – Monsoon – 2007
- Monsoon 2020 – Monsoon 2020 – 2020
- Nach dir kommt nichts – Zimmer 483 – 2007
- Never Let You Down – Kings of Suburbia – 2014
- Noise – Humanoid (English) – 2009
- On the Edge – Scream – 2007
- Pain of Love – Humanoid (English) – 2009
- Phantomrider – Humanoid (English) – 2009
- Raise Your Hands – Scream (USA Hot Topic Edition bonus track) – 2008
- Ready, Set, Go! – Scream – 2007
- Ready, Set, Go! – Ready, Set, Go! – 2007
- Reden – Zimmer 483 – 2007
- Rescue Me – Scream – 2007
- Rette mich – Schrei – 2005
- Rette mich – Rette mich – 2005
- Run, Run, Run – Kings of Suburbia – 2014
- Runaway – 2001 – 2022
- Sacred – Scream – 2007
- Schrei – Schrei – 2005
- Schrei – Schrei – 2005
- Scream – Scream – 2007
- Scream – Scream – 2007
- Screamin’ – Humanoid (German) – 2009
- Screamin’ – Humanoid (English) – 2009
- Schwarz – Schrei – so laut du kannst – 2006
- Smells Like Summer (feat. ÁSDÍS) – 2001 – 2022
- Something New – Dream Machine – 2017
- Sonnensystem – Humanoid (German) – 2009
- Sorry Not Sorry (with Badchieff) – Chieff Loves You – 2021
- Spring nicht – Zimmer 483 – 2007
- Spring nicht – Spring nicht – 2007
- Stich ins Glück – Zimmer 483 – 2007
- Stop Babe – Dream Machine – 2017
- Stormy Weather – Kings of Suburbia – 2014
- Strange (featuring Kerli) – Almost Alice (Alice In Wonderland soundtrack album) – 2010
- That Day – Humanoid (German) – 2009
- That Day – Humanoid (English) – 2009
- The Heart Get No Sleep – Kings of Suburbia – 2014
- The Weekend – The Weekend – 2024
- Thema nr. 1 – demo 2003 – Schrei – so laut du kannst – 2006
- Totgeliebt – Zimmer 483 – 2007
- Träumer – Humanoid (German) – 2009
- Übers Ende der Welt – Zimmer 483 – 2007
- Übers Ende der Welt – Übers Ende der Welt – 2007
- Unendlichkeit – Schrei – 2005
- Vergessene Kinder – Zimmer 483 – 2007
- Vogel aus Gold (with Nisse) – Ciao – 2018
- We Found Us – Kings of Suburbia – 2014
- Wenn nichts mehr geht – Schrei – 2005
- What If – Dream Machine – 2017
- When it Rains it Pours – When It Rains It Pours – 2019
- When We Were Younger – 2001 – 2022
- When We Were Younger – When We Were Younger – 2022
- White Lies (feat. VIZE) – 2001 – 2021
- White Lies (feat. VIZE) – White Lies – 2021
- Wir schließen uns ein – Der letzte Tag – 2006
- Wir sterben niemals aus – Zimmer 483 – 2007
- Wo sind eure Hände – Zimmer 483 – 2007
- World Behind My Wall – Humanoid (English) – 2009
- World Behind My Wall – World Behind My Wall – 2009
- Your Christmas – Your Christmas – 2023
- Zoom – Humanoid (German) – 2009
- Zoom Into Me – Humanoid (English) – 2009
Albums
Schrei (2005)
Zimmer 483 (2007)
Scream (2007)
Humanoid (2009)
Kings of Suburbia (2014)
Dream Machine (2017)
2001 (2022)
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