Bill Kaulitz
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Bill Kaulitz (born 1 September 1989), also known
mononymously A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...
as Billy for his solo act, is a German singer and songwriter. He is best known for his work as the lead singer of
pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
band
Tokio Hotel Tokio Hotel is a German pop rock band, founded in 2001 by singer Bill Kaulitz, guitarist Tom Kaulitz, drummer Gustav Schäfer, and bassist Georg Listing. Their sound encompasses multiple genres, including pop rock, alternative rock, and electro ...
.


Early life

Bill Kaulitz was born on 1 September 1989 in
Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
,
East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
. He has an identical twin brother, Tom, who is older by ten minutes. His parents, Simone Kaulitz and Jörg W., separated when Kaulitz was seven years old. Simone married Gordon Trümper, the guitarist from German rock band Fatun on 1 August 2009, after dating for 12 years. Kaulitz showed an early interest in singing, as did Tom in playing guitar. Trümper noticed the twins' musical inclinations, and helped the twins to start their own band. According to Kaulitz in several interviews, he and Tom started writing music at the age of seven years.


Career


Early musical career (1999–2003)

At the age of 10, the brothers began performing live in
Magdeburg Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river. Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebur ...
near their hometown of Loitsche. They played small shows and while their audiences enjoyed them, they were largely unknown. The band lacked a drummer and bass player and the twins relied on a keyboard to fill in other instrumental sounds. The year the brothers turned 12, they met Georg Listing (then 14) and Gustav Schäfer (then 13) in the audience of one of their shows. Listing and Schäfer were friends and, after the show, having liked what they heard and saw, made an offer to join. The band was promptly renamed "Devilish" due to an article published at the time that referred to their "devilishly great" sound. The four continued to perform, but aside from being featured on a small-time German news program somewhere between late 2002 and early 2003, Devilish were not going anywhere until Kaulitz auditioned on the reality TV talent show "Star Search."


First releases

This continued until 2005 when Jost arranged a meeting between the band and
Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
's
Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...
and Tokio Hotel was signed. They began working immediately, releasing their debut LP ''
Schrei ''Schrei'' ("Scream") is the debut studio album by German rock band Tokio Hotel. In 2006 they released a partly re-recorded and expanded version, ''Schrei - so laut du kannst'' ("Scream - as loud as you can"). The album was only released in Ge ...
'' ("Scream") later that year. Their first single from ''Schrei'' was "
Durch den Monsun "Durch den Monsun" ( en, "Through the Monsoon") and "Monsoon" are songs by German rock band Tokio Hotel. The German version of "Durch den Monsun" was released as the band's debut single in 2005 from their debut album, ''Schrei''. A remix of the s ...
" ("Through the
Monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...
"), which reached #1 in Germany within a month of its release.


First tour and growing success

Tokio Hotel launched their debut tour in Germany, to support the release of ''Schrei'' and its singles. They toured Germany and also recorded a live DVD. On stage, Kaulitz was noted and well known for his energetic style and harmonizing with the fans (he would frequently let the audience sing verses instead of him). In 2006, Kaulitz voiced the role of Arthur in the first part of the German version of the film ''
Arthur and the Invisibles ''Arthur and the Invisibles'' or ''Arthur and the Minimoys'' (French: ''Arthur et les Minimoys'') is a 2006 English-language French fantasy adventure comedy animated/live-action film directed and co-written by French filmmaker Luc Besson. It is ...
''. Tokio Hotel were a household name in Germany at this point, and this compelled the band to return to the studio. After the success of ''Schrei'', Tokio Hotel began working on their second album, ''
Zimmer 483 ''Zimmer 483'' ("Room 483") is the second studio album by the German rock band Tokio Hotel. It was released in Germany on 23 February 2007. The album yielded four singles including "Übers Ende der Welt", "Spring nicht" and "An deiner Seite (Ich b ...
'' (''Room 483''), released in February 2007. The album spawned three singles initially: "
Übers Ende der Welt "Übers Ende der Welt" ( en, "Over the End of the World") and "Ready, Set, Go!" are songs by German alternative rock band Tokio Hotel. The German version of the song, "Übers Ende der Welt", was released as the first single from their second a ...
" ("Over the End of the World" – released as "Ready, Set, Go!"), "
Spring nicht "Spring nicht'" and "Don't Jump" are songs by German pop rock band Tokio Hotel. The German version of the song, "Spring nicht", was released as the second single from their second album, ''Zimmer 483''. The song was later translated and re-reco ...
" ("Don't Jump"), and "
An deiner Seite (Ich bin da) ''"An deiner Seite (Ich bin da)"'' ( en, By Your Side (I'm here)) is the third single from the album ''Zimmer 483'' from band Tokio Hotel. The song's translated version By Your Side was released simultaneously in non-German-speaking countries wi ...
" ("By Your Side (I am there)" – released as "By Your Side"). A fourth single, " Heilig" ("Holy" – released as "Sacred"), was released in 2008. To support the release of ''Zimmer 483'', Tokio Hotel began a continental tour of Europe, spawning another live DVD and a large publicity boost.


International breakthrough (2007–2008)

As Tokio Hotel's fanbase increased in the Western part of the world, Kaulitz and the band decided to re-record select songs from both ''Schrei'' and ''Zimmer 483'' for a new English-language LP so that fans around the world could understand the band's songs. The result of these re-recorded songs was Tokio Hotel's debut English album, titled ''
Scream Scream may refer to: *Screaming, a loud vocalization Amusement rides * Scream (Heide Park), a gyro drop tower in Soltau, Germany * Scream! (ride), a tower ride at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Six Flags New England * Scream! (roller coaster), at ...
''. The album was released in Europe in mid-2007 (albeit with the name ''Room 483'', the literal translation of ''Zimmer 483'', to express its continuity with that album), however it did not reach release in the West until mid-2008. Scream spawned four singles, including "
Scream Scream may refer to: *Screaming, a loud vocalization Amusement rides * Scream (Heide Park), a gyro drop tower in Soltau, Germany * Scream! (ride), a tower ride at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Six Flags New England * Scream! (roller coaster), at ...
", "
Monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...
" (the translated version of "Durch den Monsun" however the title was not 100% literally translated), " Don't Jump" (the translated version of "Spring Nicht"), and " Ready, Set, Go!" (the translated version of "Übers Ende der Welt", again not a literal translation of the title). ''Scream'' was moderately successful internationally, and to support the release, Tokio Hotel left Europe for the first time in their careers, and flew to the United States. In February 2008, Tokio Hotel first set foot in North America to play five shows, starting in Canada and ending in New York. Tokio Hotel were the first German act since Nena to gain success internationally, and maintain their status. The U.S. tour was a success, but when they went back to Europe for their 1000 Hotels Tour, disaster struck.


1000 Hotels tour and medical complications

The 1000 Hotels Tour began in
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, Belgium, on 3 March 2008, and was set to continue through the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and
Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
, ending on 9 April. However eleven days after the start of the tour, on 14 March, Kaulitz began to experience voice problems in the middle of a show in
Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
, France. He let the audience sing more often and the band cut their set down from twenty-one to sixteen songs. Two days after the incident in France, Tokio Hotel cancelled a show in
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
, Portugal moments before it was to commence. The band, with the exception of Kaulitz, came on the stage and apologized for the show being cancelled. They explained that Kaulitz was sick and was being flown back to Germany to see a specialist: he had played forty-three shows without a break and had developed an untreated throat infection. The infection caused a cyst to develop on the singer's vocal cords that had to be removed via larynx surgery on 30 March. Kaulitz was unable to speak for ten days afterwards and had to undergo speech therapy for one month. By May 2008, Kaulitz had sufficiently recovered and Tokio Hotel rescheduled the 1000 Hotels Tour dates, adding several open-air concerts. The tour concluded on 13 July 2008 in
Werchter Werchter is a small village in Belgium which has been part of the municipality of Rotselaar since 1 January 1977. It is the site of Rock Werchter and the birthplace of the painters Cornelius Van Leemputten and Frans Van Leemputten. The origin o ...
, Belgium, and, despite the surgery and time taken off, was deemed a success.


''Humanoid'' (2008–2011)

Over 2008 and 2009, Tokio Hotel returned to the recording studio to record their second English album and third German album. The result was ''
Humanoid A humanoid (; from English ''human'' and ''-oid'' "resembling") is a non-human entity with human form or characteristics. The earliest recorded use of the term, in 1870, referred to indigenous peoples in areas colonized by Europeans. By the 20t ...
'', which was a much more techno-oriented release and a new sound. ''Humanoid'' was released on 6 October 2009, and just short of a month later Tokio Hotel picked up the "Best Group" award at the EMAs in Berlin on 5 November. Humanoid has so far spawned two singles, " Automatic"/"
Automatisch "Automatisch" and "Automatic" are the first singles from German pop rock band Tokio Hotel's third German studio album and second English studio album '' Humanoid''. "Automatisch" was released in German-speaking countries on 18 September 2009 and ...
", released in September 2009, and "World Behind My Wall"/"Lass uns laufen" (meaning "Let Us Run"), to be released in January 2010.


''Kings of Suburbia'' and solo projects (2012–2016)

In May 2012, Kaulitz was featured on the song "If I Die Tomorrow" by
Far East Movement Far East Movement (abbreviated FM) is an American Hip hop music, hip hop and electronic music group based in Los Angeles. The group formed in 2003 and as of August 2018 consists of Kev Nish (Kevin Nishimura), Prohgress (James Roh), DJ Virman (Vi ...
on their album '' Dirty Bass''. Tokio Hotel announced their fifth studio album, ''
Kings of Suburbia ''Kings of Suburbia'' is the fifth studio album by German rock band Tokio Hotel. It was released by Island Records on October 3, 2014 in Germany and October 6 worldwide. Unlike their previous work which was released in both German and English, '' ...
'', in 2013 and it was released 3 October 2014. In 2016, Kaulitz announced his plans for a solo project under the moniker "Billy" (stylized as BILLY). His first EP, ''
I'm Not OK ''I'm Not OK'' is the debut Extended play, EP by the German rock music, rock band Tokio Hotel's lead singer, Bill Kaulitz, and was released through iTunes on May 20, 2016 under the moniker BILLY. It contains 5 songs. The official artwork was desig ...
'', was released on 20 May.


''Dream Machine'' (2016–2018)

Tokio Hotel announced their sixth studio album, '' Dream Machine'', in 2016 and it was released on 3 March 2017. In October 2018, Kaulitz was featured on the song "Vogel aus Gold" by Nisse on his album ''Ciao''.


Melancholic Paradise tour and autobiography (2018–2020)

Tokio Hotel announced their upcoming album and their tour, ''Melancholic Paradise'', in 2018. The singles " Melancholic Paradise", " When It Rains It Pours" and " Chateau" were respectively released on 1 February 2019, 5 April 2019, and 17 November 2019. The LATAM leg of the ''Melancholic Paradise'' tour was cancelled on 12 March 2020 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. In August 2020, Bill announced that the singles "
Durch den Monsun "Durch den Monsun" ( en, "Through the Monsoon") and "Monsoon" are songs by German rock band Tokio Hotel. The German version of "Durch den Monsun" was released as the band's debut single in 2005 from their debut album, ''Schrei''. A remix of the s ...
" and "
Monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...
" would be re-recorded and released early October 2020 to celebrate the single's 15th anniversary, as well as more songs from the upcoming album, and more from his solo career. "Durch den Monsun 2020" and Monsoon 2020 were respectively released on 2 October 2020 and 16 October 2020. Kaulitz wrote his first
autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
, "Career Suicide: Meine ersten dreißig Jahre" ("My first thirty years"), which was written in German, and was due for release on 4 January 2021, however this was pushed back to 1 February 2021. An English version of the book is also in production. Kaulitz announced on 4 December 2020 via his Instagram story that Tokio Hotel will release their new single "
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
" on 11 December 2020, featuring a guest appearance from Canadian singer VVAVES.


Beyond the World tour and ''2001'' (2020–present)

Tokio Hotel announced their new tour for Autumn 2021, ''Beyond the World'', on 7 December 2020. This was later postponed until April 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and again until April 2023 due to the
Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War; uk, російсько-українська війна, rosiisko-ukrainska viina. has been ongoing between Russia (alongside Russian separatist forces in Donbas, Russian separatists in Ukraine) and Ukraine since Feb ...
. Kaulitz announced on 11 January 2021 via Tokio Hotel's official Facebook and Instagram accounts their new single " White Lies", which will feature a guest appearance from German
EDM EDM or E-DM may refer to: Music * Electronic dance music * Early Day Miners, American band Science and technology * Electric dipole moment * Electrical discharge machining * Electronic distance measurement *Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...
duo
VIZE Vize ( el, Βιζύη, bg, Виза) is a town and district of Kırklareli Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. The district governor is Elif Canan Tuncer, and the mayor is Ercan Özalp ( CHP). According to the Turkish Statistical Institu ...
. This was released on 15 January 2021. Other 2021 releases by Tokio Hotel include
The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
cover "
Behind Blue Eyes "Behind Blue Eyes" is a song by English rock band the Who. It is the second single from the band's fifth album, ''Who's Next'' (1971), and was originally written by Pete Townshend for his '' Lifehouse'' project. The song is one of the Who's best- ...
"; also with VIZE in May, "Sorry Not Sorry" with German rapper Badchieff in August, and "Here Comes the Night" in October. Tokio Hotel announced their new single "Bad Love", which was originally to be released on 21 January 2022, but was postponed due to Bill and Tom Kaulitz being unable to arrive in Germany in time for the promotion. This was eventually released on 4 February 2022 with new singles "HIM", "When We Were Younger", "Fahr mit mir (4x4)" with
Kraftklub Kraftklub are a German band from Chemnitz. Their music combines rock music, rock / indie rock, indie and Sprechgesang with German lyrics and is generally considered to be a mixture of rap and indie rock, indie. History Founding and early ye ...
and "Happy People" with
Daði Freyr Daði Freyr Pétursson (; born 30 June 1992), known professionally as Daði Freyr or simply Daði, is an Icelandic musician living in Berlin, Germany. As the frontman of Daði & Gagnamagnið ( ), he was due to represent Iceland in the Eurovisio ...
following on 8 April 2022, 27 May 2022, 8 July 2022 and 21 October 2022 respectively. Their seventh studio album, ''
2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
'', was released on 18 November 2022.


Other work

In 2009, he reprised the role of the German voice of Arthur again for the ''
Arthur and the Invisibles ''Arthur and the Invisibles'' or ''Arthur and the Minimoys'' (French: ''Arthur et les Minimoys'') is a 2006 English-language French fantasy adventure comedy animated/live-action film directed and co-written by French filmmaker Luc Besson. It is ...
'' sequel. In 2010, Kaulitz and Tokio Hotel teamed up with
Kerli Kerli Kõiv (; born 7 February 1987), better known mononymously as Kerli, is an Estonian singer and songwriter. Born in Elva, Kerli entered multiple singing competitions before being signed to Island Records in 2006 by LA Reid. In 2007, she rel ...
to record the song ''Strange'' for the film ''
Alice In Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatur ...
'' and accompanying ''
Almost Alice ''Almost Alice: Music Inspired by the Motion Picture'' is a 2010 concept album of various artists' music inspired by Tim Burton's film, ''Alice in Wonderland''. The album is also notable for featuring songs that were inspired from quotes directly ...
'' soundtrack. Kaulitz, alongside his brother Tom, modeled for a PETA.de photoshoot, protesting the use of animals as a source of entertainment. He also modeled for Dsquared in early 2010, making his debut as a model. Kaulitz appeared as a jury member on the 10th season of ''
Deutschland sucht den Superstar ''Deutschland sucht den Superstar'' (''DSDS''; "Germany is looking for the Superstar") is a German reality talent show. Part of the ''Idol'' franchise, it was created by British media mogul Simon Fuller as a spin-off from the British show ''P ...
''. In 2019, he co-hosted ''
Queen of Drags ''Queen of Drags'' is a German drag competition television series, featuring 10 talented drag queens from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, series began airing on November 14, 2019. Ten drag queens moved to a luxurious villa, lived together for se ...
'' with his sister-in-law
Heidi Klum Heidi Klum (; born 1 June 1973) is a German-American model, television host, producer, and businesswoman. She appeared on the cover of the ''Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue'' in 1998 and was the first German model to become a Victoria's Secre ...
. In 2022, Kaulitz created a subscription-based
OnlyFans OnlyFans is an internet content subscription service based in London, United Kingdom. The service is used primarily by sex workers who produce pornography, but it also hosts the work of other content creators, such as physical fitness experts ...
account, with proceeds from the subscriptions being donated to the International Marine Mammal Project.


Personal life

Kaulitz and his identical twin brother, Tom, used to live in
Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...
but moved to Los Angeles in October 2010 in response to an incident involving stalkers and a robbery. They have also stated that it is easier for them to create their new album, as it is closer to their manager
David Jost David Jost (born 12 August 1972) is a German music producer, singer-songwriter and DJ born in Hamburg. His career has a track record of 74 platinum and 108 gold records and 14 No. 1 hits. He's worked with artists like Lady Gaga, Chris Brown, To ...
. Tom married model
Heidi Klum Heidi Klum (; born 1 June 1973) is a German-American model, television host, producer, and businesswoman. She appeared on the cover of the ''Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue'' in 1998 and was the first German model to become a Victoria's Secre ...
in 2019, whom Bill is close friends with. Kaulitz is
vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetarianism m ...
and has been involved in campaigning for
PETA Peta or PETA may refer to: Acronym * Pembela Tanah Air, a militia established by the occupying Japanese in Indonesia in 1943 * People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an American animal rights organization * People Eating Tasty Animals, an ...
. After moving to L.A. Kaulitz and the band took a year off and "didn't do anything" before finding inspiration in L.A. nightlife. ''Der Spiegel'' writes that discussion of Kaulitz's sexuality is an "eternal topic", and Kaulitz says it is one of the first questions he is typically asked, but he generally avoids discussing it. In November 2014, Kaulitz blogged about love, labels and his sexuality; Kaulitz has not put a label on his sexual orientation, but offered: "Maybe I'm just about to meet someone who changes my life forever and, if that happens, does it really matter what gender they are?" In 2021, Kaulitz revealed that he had had a polyamorous relationship with his best friend and his girlfriend. Kaulitz is a supporter of
Angela Merkel Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German former politician and scientist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. A member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), she previously served as Leader of the Oppo ...
and favored the CDU in the
2017 German federal election Federal elections were held in Germany on 24 September 2017 to elect the members of the 19th Bundestag. At stake were at least 598 seats in the Bundestag, as well as 111 overhang and leveling seats determined thereafter. The Christian Democr ...
.


Stalking incident

In late 2008–early 2009 several female stalkers pursued the band relentlessly, even following his twin brother Tom Kaulitz to his parents' home in Germany and attacked the twins' mother. The issue seemed to end after Tom allegedly hit one of the stalkers at a gas station in April 2009 and drove off. However, an article in ''
Bild ''Bild'' (or ''Bild-Zeitung'', ; ) is a German tabloid newspaper published by Axel Springer SE. The paper is published from Monday to Saturday; on Sundays, its sister paper ''Bild am Sonntag'' ("''Bild on Sunday''") is published instead, which ...
'' stated that the issue had resurfaced and that Tom Kaulitz may stand trial for assault. In late December 2009, the charges against Tom were lifted and he is pressing charges himself—against the girl he allegedly hit—on grounds of stalking. Kaulitz cited a break-in at their home in Germany as a deciding factor in their move to the United States.


Public image

German site dw-world.com says that Kaulitz's look, young age and edgy hairstyle has helped him obtain icon status among many teenage girls. ''
Der Spiegel ''Der Spiegel'' (, lit. ''"The Mirror"'') is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of 695,100 copies, it was the largest such publication in Europe in 2011. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...
'' reports that Kaulitz is an
icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...
within the
LGBT community The LGBT community (also known as the LGBTQ+ community, GLBT community, gay community, or queer community) is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay men, gay, bisexuality, bisexual, transgender, and other queer individuals united by a comm ...
, which Kaulitz has embraced. Kaulitz designs many of his own stage costumes, and despite poor drawing skills, the designs are constructed by his tailor.Vogue.d
Bill Kaulitz
The singer apparently collects suspenders, and is also "totally crazy about jackets". Kaulitz reports he has hundreds of jackets in his closet – though he has said that none of his jackets are real leather as he is opposed to using animal pelts/feathers for clothing. He cites his fashion and style influences as
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
(particularly in the 1986 film ''
Labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the ...
''),
Nena Gabriele Susanne Kerner (born 24 March 1960), better known as Nena, is a German singer and songwriter who rose to international fame in 1983 as the lead vocalist of the band Nena with the Neue Deutsche Welle song "99 Luftballons". In the same ye ...
, Vampires, Paris' secondhand shops, striking jewelry and
Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior (stylized DIOR), is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH, the world's largest luxury group. Dior itself holds ...
Homme. He also cites
Steven Tyler Steven Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948), known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer, best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, piano, and percussion. ...
,
Karl Lagerfeld Karl Otto Lagerfeld (; 10 September 1933 – 19 February 2019) was a German fashion designer, creative director, artist and photographer. He was known as the creative director of the French fashion house Chanel, a position held from 1983 ...
and
Hedi Slimane Hedi Slimane (; born July 5, 1968) is a French photographer and grand couturier. From 2000 to 2007, he held the position of creative director for Dior Homme (the menswear line of Christian Dior). From 2012 to 2016, he was the creative director fo ...
. Kaulitz also has a keen interest in tattoos getting his first one when he was 15. His skeleton hand tattoo is particularly noted among his fans. In 2018 he got a tattoo of his late dog Pumba on his right arm by German tattoo artist Daniel Meyer. In August 2008, Kaulitz was chosen as the most attractive singer on stage by the readers of the Spanish magazine ''
¡Hola! ''¡Hola!'' is a weekly Spanish-language magazine specializing in celebrity news, published in Madrid, Spain, and in 15 other countries, with local editions in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Greece, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru ...
''. He was also immortalized in wax at the
Madame Tussauds Madame Tussauds (, ) is a wax museum founded in 1835 by French wax sculptor Marie Tussaud in London, spawning similar museums in major cities around the world. While it used to be spelled as "Madame Tussaud's"; the apostrophe is no longer us ...
museum in Berlin on 30 September 2008. Kaulitz was 19 when the likeness was made, making him the youngest person to be duplicated by the Madame Tussauds museum in
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
. In December 2008, Kaulitz was named "Man of the Year #6" by
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
News. In September 2009, Kaulitz was chosen by fashion legend
Karl Lagerfeld Karl Otto Lagerfeld (; 10 September 1933 – 19 February 2019) was a German fashion designer, creative director, artist and photographer. He was known as the creative director of the French fashion house Chanel, a position held from 1983 ...
to take part in a photo shoot for the 30th birthday of
Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...
in Germany.
Karl Lagerfeld Karl Otto Lagerfeld (; 10 September 1933 – 19 February 2019) was a German fashion designer, creative director, artist and photographer. He was known as the creative director of the French fashion house Chanel, a position held from 1983 ...
described him as "The Other Idea of a German" and wrote that the 20-year-old singer with the unusual styling became a superstar; and a fashion icon. While in October 2009, Kaulitz was number 11 on German magazine '' GQ''s Best Dressed list. They cite his flamboyant style as one of the reasons he was chosen, as well as his liking to change and try new things. Designer Michael Michalsky supported his decision by saying: "Bill Kaulitz is unique and uncompromising, Pop-Art brought to life. He likes to change – that is fashion." For the Dsquared2 Fall/Winter 2010 fashion show, Kaulitz opened and closed the show with the song Screamin'. After moving to the United States, Kaulitz adapted a more masculine look. Kaulitz states that his former appearance took three hours to achieve and that he couldn't top it anymore. He says that part of his new look is to "break out, live normally and love."


Discography

; As solo artist (BILLY) * ''
I'm Not OK ''I'm Not OK'' is the debut Extended play, EP by the German rock music, rock band Tokio Hotel's lead singer, Bill Kaulitz, and was released through iTunes on May 20, 2016 under the moniker BILLY. It contains 5 songs. The official artwork was desig ...
'' EP (De-Code LTD, 2016) ; Devilish * ''Devilish'' (self-released, 2001) ;
Tokio Hotel Tokio Hotel is a German pop rock band, founded in 2001 by singer Bill Kaulitz, guitarist Tom Kaulitz, drummer Gustav Schäfer, and bassist Georg Listing. Their sound encompasses multiple genres, including pop rock, alternative rock, and electro ...
* ''
Schrei ''Schrei'' ("Scream") is the debut studio album by German rock band Tokio Hotel. In 2006 they released a partly re-recorded and expanded version, ''Schrei - so laut du kannst'' ("Scream - as loud as you can"). The album was only released in Ge ...
'' (Island Records/Universal Music, 2005) * ''
Zimmer 483 ''Zimmer 483'' ("Room 483") is the second studio album by the German rock band Tokio Hotel. It was released in Germany on 23 February 2007. The album yielded four singles including "Übers Ende der Welt", "Spring nicht" and "An deiner Seite (Ich b ...
'' (Island/Universal, 2007) * ''
Scream Scream may refer to: *Screaming, a loud vocalization Amusement rides * Scream (Heide Park), a gyro drop tower in Soltau, Germany * Scream! (ride), a tower ride at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Six Flags New England * Scream! (roller coaster), at ...
'' (Island/Universal, CherryTree Records, Interscope Records SA 2007) * ''
Humanoid A humanoid (; from English ''human'' and ''-oid'' "resembling") is a non-human entity with human form or characteristics. The earliest recorded use of the term, in 1870, referred to indigenous peoples in areas colonized by Europeans. By the 20t ...
'' (Island/Universal, Stunner Records
NTL NTL may refer to: Companies * NTL Incorporated and NTL Internet, later Virgin Media, communications media company ** NTL Ireland, later Virgin Media Ireland * Arqiva, UK company formerly ''NTL Broadcast'' and ''National Transcommunications L ...
CherryTree Records,
Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...
SA 2009) * ''
Kings of Suburbia ''Kings of Suburbia'' is the fifth studio album by German rock band Tokio Hotel. It was released by Island Records on October 3, 2014 in Germany and October 6 worldwide. Unlike their previous work which was released in both German and English, '' ...
'' (Island/Universal,
Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...
, De-Code LTD, 2014) * '' Dream Machine'' ( Starwatch Entertainment, Believe Digital, Devilish, 2017) * ''
2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
'' (
Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...
,
Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...
, 2022)


Filmography


DVD (live albums)

* ''Leb' die Sekunde - Behind the Scenes'' (Universal, 2005) * '' Schrei - Live'' (Universal, 2006) * '' Zimmer 483 - Live in Europe'' (Universal, 2007) * '' Tokio Hotel TV - Caught on Camera'' (Universal, 2008) * ''
Humanoid City Live ''Humanoid City Live'' is a live DVD and CD by German band Tokio Hotel, released on July 20, 2010. It was recorded on April 12, 2010, at the Mediolanum Forum in Milan, Italy, during their Welcome to Humanoid City Tour. The DVD bonus material incl ...
'' (Cherry Tree, 2010)


Documentaries

* ''Tokio Hotel: Hinter die Welt'' (2017)


Bibliography

* ''Career Suicide: Meine ersten dreißig Jahre'' ( Ullstein eBooks/Hardcover, 2021)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaulitz, Bill 1989 births East German musicians 21st-century German male singers Deutschland sucht den Superstar judges English-language singers from Germany German child singers German expatriates in the United States German male models German male voice actors German rock singers German television presenters LGBT models German LGBT singers OnlyFans creators Twin musicians Identical twin males Living people Musicians from Leipzig Tokio Hotel German twins