Tokio Hotel was a success story straight out of a fairy tale book. Four boys from a village near Magdeburg, in the center of Germany, got together in a band. A music manager heard them play, Sony BMG signed the youngsters — only to bow out before the first recording. The manager was later fired for what turned out to be poor judgement. In 2005, Universal Music Group took over the band's marketing.

Bill (center) and his twin brother Tom Kaulitz were 15 when they founded Tokio Hotel along with their two friends from school, Georg Listing and Gustav Schäfer. The boys' debut single, "Through the Monsoon," skyrocketed to the top of the charts. Teenage girls stormed the record stores.

Bill, the band's singer, and guitarist Tom rocked the stage, while Georg and Gustav stayed in the background. Six months after they started, Tokio Hotel had become Germany's most successful boy band, winning prizes right and left. Fame came with a price, however: Screeching girls pursued the twins, who could no longer set foot outside without being surrounded by fans.

Two years later, Tokio Hotel released their second album, "Zimmer 483." It was yet another mega success story, along with the single release "Übers Ende der Welt." The charismatic German shooting stars had by then become pros at press conferences and in front of the camera.

In 2009, the band toured through 18 European countries. Their "Welcome to Humanoid City" show, with Bill in flashy stage outfits created by international designers Dean & Dan Caten, played to packed concert halls.

The band's decision to adopt a new direction and a new look in 2014 — Tom shed his dreadlocks, Bill tried his hand as a fashion model — did not have the desired effect. Record sales slumped, and concert ticket sales were down, too. The band's new appearance in particular didn't sit well with the girls who wanted "cute Bill" back.

In 2016, Tokio Hotel announced the band would henceforth be producing their own music. After the album "Dream Machine" was released in 2017, a concert tour across Europe took them to smaller, more intimate concert halls and clubs than in the past.

A 2017 film documentary titled "Behind the World" gave the members of the band an opportunity to speak out about what it was like to be so famous at a young age and how they each dealt with that overwhelming fame in their own way. Their music has obviously matured since their very first teenager hit song; their latest album, which came out in 2022, is titled "2001."

Unlike their band colleagues Gustav and Georg who still live in Germany, the Tokio Hotel Kaulitz twins moved to Los Angeles many years ago, where they get together regularly to work on new songs. They are still beloved interview guests in their native Germany, and they also remain in the spotlight of tabloid papers. They are shown here performing at the 2019 finale of Germany's Next Top Model.

In 2019, Tom Kaulitz married German supermodel Heidi Klum, fueling the tabloids' fascination. The 16-year age gap between the famous TV producer, now 51, and the Tokio Hotel guitarist has served as a major talking point.

Now the brothers will star in their own TV show. The Netflix reality series "Kaulitz & Kaulitz" promises exclusive access to the twins' private lives, "following Bill and Tom over eight months, charting their international career, family life, tour bus incidents, parties, drama and flirtations on a road trip through the USA," Netflix announced. The series is set to be released on June 25.