Elevator Boys Reveal the Meaning of Debut Single ‘Runaway’ and Share Their Musical Mission

There's no denying that German TikTok sensations Elevator Boys are taking over the social media world, but what we've seen so far was just the tip of the iceberg.

That's because today, the Berlin-based quintet launched their musical careers with the debut single "Runaway," marking the start of something very special. The new track, co-written by the boys, is a shimmering, upbeat anthem about how the power of love can keep us going through anything, and it's destined to win them many fans beyond the 40 million followers they already have around the globe. To celebrate this new stage in their lives, we got the chance to hop on a Zoom call with the group's Julien Brown, Luis Freitag, Bene Schulz, Tim Schaecker and Jacob Rott to discuss the single, their mighty musical aspirations and what it'll take to get them there. Discover the full story in the interview below.

Sweety High: Can you each introduce yourselves and explain your "roles" in the group?

Julien Brown: My name is Julian. I'm 23 years old, and I would say I'm the funny guy in the group. My role is to entertain the boys to give creative input.

Luis Freitag: My name is Luis. I am 23 years old as well, and my role in the group is to be an organizer and to be the dad—with bad jokes.

Bene Schulz: I'm Bene. I'm 22, I think I'm a chill guy. I don't take myself too seriously. I'm funny and I like to entertain.

Tim Schaecker: I'm Tim. I'm 24—the oldest—and if Luis is the dad of the group, I might be the mom. I'm also the businessman and the mediator. If two people were ever to fight, I'd be the one to mediate and get them to come back together. The glue.

Jacob Rott: My name is Jacob. I'm 23 and I would consider myself kind of a door opener, because I'm very communicative with people. When we're at parties, I'm one of the first who gets into conversation with new people.

(Photo credit: Johannes Kapol)

 

Also read about: Madilyn Bailey Talks 'Doomsday in LA' and Her Upcoming Album, Hollywood Dead

 

SH: How did Elevator Boys come to be?

Bene: We were all friends back in the day. We come from the same area, and three years ago, we started spending a lot of time together because we shared the same hobbies with social media and TikTok. Then we started to produce some content together, and then the elevator thing happened. That was actually an accident—we only filmed there because the lighting in the elevator was good—and somehow, it blew up, and the community called us the "Elevator Boys." We moved in together, and we're still together to this day.

 

SH: Did it feel like a stroke of luck to discover this unique place to film content together that ended up becoming a bigger part of your identity?

Luis: It was really random because all we wanted to do was film content somewhere that could hold enough people. We were already five members, but that day, there were 10 people there, and trying to find a spot where we could film all 10 people at once in a 16-to-9 frame was really hard.

We went to a shopping center where we could use the rooftop as a filming location, and then on the way down. we discovered the elevator with the good lighting, and this is where the video accidentally happened.

Jacob: And they're not something we do every day. Not every video is an elevator video. I would say only one out of maybe 500 is. But in the very beginning, the very first video blew up with 50 million views, and then two weeks later, it was raining, and we decided to do it again. It worked again, and then people started recognizing us and branded us as the Elevator Boys. We took that, and did those videos from time to time. It was good marketing and good branding for us in the beginning, but in general, we just try to produce videos to make people smile and give them a good feeling when they see our videos.

(Photo credit: Johannes Kapol)

 

SH: Can you tell us about Elevator Boys' musical journey so far?

Luis: We didn't just decide to go into the studio, make one song and post it and call ourselves musicians.  We've been carefully planning all of this for a very long time—almost a year, now. We've been in the studio and in sessions and multiple different coaching situations for over a year now.
We've made over 30 songs that are finished—most of which are probably never going to see the light of day.

We are very keen on making something that really respects the art of music. We don't just go into the studio and let a bunch of people write our songs and make our music, and we just sing it. We want to be there from the first step to the last step, from creating the beat and the vibe of the song to toplining to songwriting to mastering.  When we recorded "Runaway," we were there in every single session from everyone. When one person was singing, everyone else was there. We all want to work together to get the best possible product, and not let too much out of our hands, because we really want our label to be on our music. We want to stand behind our music. That's really important to us. We also try to learn the craft of music. We've learned instruments—to play the piano and the guitar—so that in the future, we can be respected musicians. That's our goal.

Jacob: When we started doing music, of course we wanted to make something for our community who already likes us, but also our approach is to really be respected as musicians at some point. Maybe even the people who don't like us for the videos we do can enjoy our music. We're really setting the bar very high for ourselves.

Luis: We know that it's a journey. We wouldn't consider ourselves to be anywhere near perfect musicians. But we're on our way there, and we want to take people with us on this journey. We want to show them how it really is, and not just the perfect of it.

 

Also read about: CMAT on Her Upcoming Album and Working With John Grant to Create 'Where Are Your Kids Tonight?'

 

SH: Your debut song, "Runaway," is just around the corner. Can you tell us about the track, and how you're feeling about finally releasing it to the world?

Luis: When we were deciding which song we wanted to be our first, we thought about what touched us most and the things we were thinking about most. For us at that time, it was the feeling of running away—of having that one person who grounds you and makes you forget everything else, and to be able to run away with them. No matter where you're going, it's just about the person you're with and about the loved ones you spent your time with. It's that feeling of running away and taking a break from everything that's overwhelming you at that moment.

Jacob: We decided to go for this song because it's a topic that connects all of us. Over the last two years, we were all on a crazy roller coaster. We haven't seen our families in a while, and the pressure of being in the public eye can get to your head sometimes. There was this illusion of running away, and that's what we wanted to express in this song.

We also all had a feeling about this song, and we knew it was right. As a group, it's hard to fit everyone on a song and to give everyone their place where they sound really good and have a chance to shine. This was one of the first songs we produced that felt like it. We're really happy to share this with the world.

 

SH: What are some of the group's favorite lyrics from the song?

Bene: "Let's get away. Let's go to places where no one knows our name." It captures this feeling of being free where you are, and not having any pressure at all. No one knows you, no one wants anything. You're just with the one you love, and you can be yourself. That's the whole feeling of the song.

Julien: For me, it's the pre-hook. "I don't know when, I don't know how, but we will escape." You don't know how to do it or how you can get it or achieve it, but you'll never stop dreaming of it.

Jacob: You kind of manifest it because you know it's going to happen. You're dreaming of getting to share time with the person who makes you forget about the rest of the world. You maybe don't know when, or how, because you're stuck in your daily life, but you believe it will happen. That's the message we want to send with this song.

Luis: The hope alone gives you the strength to get through your day.

Julien: And it's true. I'm always talking with my girlfriend about how, well, in four weeks, we can go on vacation. That gives me the energy to push through it.

(Photo credit: Johannes Kapol)

 

Also read about: Maddie Zahm Talks Grappling With a Loss of Identity on 'Where Do All the Good Kids Go'?

 

SH: Who would you say are your biggest musical influences as a group?

Bene: It really depends from member to member. I'm more into the rock and grungey stuff. Others prefer lovey-dovey songs. But in the end, it comes down to artists like The Kid LAROI and  Justin Bieber, who are really icons in the music industry.

Jacob: Also artists like Post Malone. But you'll see that every one of us has our own favorite artists, and that's what is so interesting about us when we produce music. We try to combine different music tastes and different worlds to create a mix of all of our tastes. Our music over the next months and years is going to be music that everyone can listen to. If we're going to release an album in there future, there will be a song for everyone, because not every song will be the same genre or feel. It's a good mix of all of us.

 

SH: What else is coming up for the Elevator Boys?

Julien: We're definitely planning new songs, starting off with some singles at first, and then probably an EP.

Luis: And then maybe an album. I don't think that we're going to be releasing an album this year, but an EP is realistic, and then maybe we'll work on an album from the end of this year to next year.

Bene: We also have a plan for live coaching, so maybe in the future we will play some shows. That's the goal.

(Photo credit: Johannes Kapol)

 

For more insights into our favorite new music, click HERE to read our interview with Puma Blue on his upcoming album, Holy Waters.