Tokio Hotel

Two identical twins playing small shows near Loitsche, a keyboard standing in for the missing rhythm section: that was Tokio Hotel in embryo. Bill and Tom Kaulitz met bassist Georg Listing and drummer Gustav Schäfer in the crowd at one of those shows. Formed in 2001 and first named Devilish, the band began in pop rock and alternative rock, then turned to electropop and synth-pop from 2014. They have sold more than 10 million records worldwide and were the first German act to win at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Bill's appearance on a children's edition of Star Search in 2003 brought producer Peter Hoffmann and a Sony BMG deal, which ended just before the debut. Signed to Universal Music Germany, they reached No. 1 in Germany and Austria with "Durch den Monsun" in August 2005, and Schrei followed that September. Zimmer 483 and the English-language Scream arrived in 2007, selling over 2.5 million between them and earning the band a first MTV Europe Music Award, for Best InterAct. A VMA for Best New Artist came in September 2008, with the MTV Video Music Awards Japan following in 2011. The latest album is 2001, from 2022.