"We are inspired by things like movies, our surroundings, everyday life or just waking up each morning."
Tokio Hotel show their concern for Japan. Representing the band are the brothers, Bill & Tom Kaulitz who kindly agreed to give a telephone interview from Los Angeles at short notice.
Q: How have you guys been?
Bill: We've been writing songs in the studio, launching new projects, stuff like that.
Q: Are you writing new songs for the next album?
Tom: It may or may not be for the next album, we're just writing songs at this stage. We still don't have a defined plan for releasing the new album and we don't know when we will release it. We're just being creative, writing music.
Q: What kind of songs are you writing? Are you singing it in English? Or are they being written in German?
Bill: Right now, the songs are more or less written in English. I don't really know why myself. Just that it comes naturally to me. Besides, we're living in LA now so somehow things tend to get done in English. However we're not sure how we are eventually going to compile the album because we definitely will do songs in German. Since nothing has been decided and we're still at the experimental stage, we're just trying out different things while we put a demo of the songs together.
Q: Does your recording company and management not pressure you to complete the album by a certain date, or are they fairly relaxed about it?
Tom: (laughs) They are not relaxed about it. But we're just staying cool and calm.
Bill: Yup, technically we don't have a deadline. I mean, for me, deadlines are like nightmares. In the creative line, you're trying very hard to produce good work but having to deal with a deadline just messes things up and make its even more complicated. What's more important is the freedom to enjoy doing what you love to do. Even if it seems like making an album is about completing the songs and making detailed preparations, its actually something which need sot come from inside of us. That is why right now we want to take it easy so that we can enjoy new challenges*.
*probably referring to the challenge of creating a new album
Q: So, what kind of challenges are you taking on, what sound are you trying to create?
Tom: That's a surprise we're keeping for the release of the next album. In the first place, we are creating something different everyday. We listen to various kinds of music, and are inspired by different things so it really depends on the mood at each point in time. We're doing this everyday and everyday is a new day.
Bill: That's right. That's why we don't have a definitive sound for the next album.
Q: What kind of music inspires you?
Tom: Its not just music actually. For now I really like the older works by Anthony Hamilton.
Bill: We are also inspired by movies and what's happening around us. Everyday life in a place like LA is very refreshing and therefore inspiring. Just being able to wake up each morning is also an inspiration. But I would say movies play a bigger part. We really like movies. We do go to the theatres or we watch one from our 1000+ dvd collection in our home theater.
Q: Any good films so far?
Bill: The Town was good. I also think The Fighter was really good.
Q: About your life in LA, do you think you are somewhat able to live a more normal life? After all you're kind of "unknown" compared to Germany.
Bill: Well, the both of us came to LA because we wanted some privacy in our lives. Up to this point we've not been able to enjoy much privacy, and it's a bit difficult to achieve that in Europe due to certain circumstances. Therefore, we were looking for a place where we can be free to be creative and at the same time enjoy some privacy. Up till now, we've been on tour and haven't had the time for any kind of life outside of Tokio Hotel. In that sense, LA is quite suitable because things are quite different. The *paparazzi don't know where we live so we've been able to enjoy some privacy and take things a bit easier.
Tom: It doesn't mean that we get to play and party every day. Most of the time, we're cooped up in the studio.
Bill: Yes, **we do need to be cautious at all times.
*Japanese word is unclear, so I'm guessing he's referring to paparazzi
**Bill is probably saying this to mean that if they were out and about and careless, their location would be found out. It took me a while to understand
Q: So is there some kind of everyday routine in your life?
Bill: We're really bad when it comes to routines. That's why we do different things everyday. Other than checking our emails, we're currently busy with several of this year's projects. Its still in the planning phase and we havent got the details down yet. There are various things we'd like to do this year. The best part of our job is having the freedom to do what we want. We really hate routines because when we were young we had to go to school everyday like a routine, and we just hated it but we had no choice.
Q: Finally, do you have any words for the people in Japan?
Bill: Of course. We've been checking the news everyday and staying up-to-date on the latest developments in Japan. I think it's not just us but the whole world knows what's going on and that has deeply moved everybody. I think everyone wants to help in one way or another. Especially in this day and age, I think it's important for the world to unite and help each other out. It's really wonderful to actually see the world giving a helping hand to Japan.
Tom: I was really shocked when I first heard about what happened in Japan. After all it is a country that is special to us. And we were so saddened by the news. So we've been looking out for information about whether the people are alright. On our official website we are selling a button set and the proceeds from the sales will be donated to Japan. I also think our fans would like to play a part in helping out.
Q: Is there a song you would like to dedicate to those who are still feeling down?
Bill: Because everybody is different, it's quite hard to find one thing to say to everybody but if I were to choose from our songs, I would choose "By Your Side" and "Zoom Into Me". Both songs give the assurance that you're not alone and it's a message I would like to emphasize. After all, it makes you feel happy if you know that people around the world feel for you.
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