Not only are they idols on social media, where they amass huge fan bases, but they also lead a refreshing music project that debuts this year. Bene Schulz, Jacob Rott, Julien Brown, Luis Freitag, and Tim Schaecker, better known as Elevator Boys, are delving into music, and they’ve already released their first single, Runaway.
The five entertainment stars turned boyband know well what putting yourself out there implies, as they’ve had to deal with their audiences’ feedback and comments since they founded the collective back in 2021. Stronger than ever, they are ready for people to talk about their music. Their debut single, Runaway, has been an instant success and has got people talking about it on every platform. And that’s just the beginning.
In this interview, we discuss with them the importance of taking a deep breath and maintaining real and honest relationships with family and lifelong friends, which is essential in today’s fast-paced world. The relevance of the subject is paramount in Runaway, the band’s debut single, which comes along with a music video filmed in Mallorca over two days, and which they already presented earlier this summer during London’s Summertime Ball. We also talk about handling the pressure, hate on social media, and their dream collaborations.
In this interview, we discuss with them the importance of taking a deep breath and maintaining real and honest relationships with family and lifelong friends, which is essential in today’s fast-paced world. The relevance of the subject is paramount in Runaway, the band’s debut single, which comes along with a music video filmed in Mallorca over two days, and which they already presented earlier this summer during London’s Summertime Ball. We also talk about handling the pressure, hate on social media, and their dream collaborations.
Hey guys, welcome to METAL! How are you and where do you answer us from?
Bene: Hey! We’re feeling great, thank you! We’re just back from holidays in Europe and are excited about the interview.
A little bit over a month ago you released your first single, Runaway, along with a music video directed by Jojo Kapol & Michael Späth. How do you feel about it now, and what can you tell us about the feedback you’ve received so far?
Jacob: We’re very happy and so thankful for the positive feedback we’ve been getting so far. At first, we were super nervous about the response from the audience to this project that was not our usual social media content. It was a whole new thing, one of our biggest so far – music. We have been working on our music for over a year now and didn’t know how people would react to it. The feedback so far is really good, we’ve reached over one million streams on various platforms and also the music video turned out great.
Tim: What you might not know is that we filmed the music video in only two days in Mallorca with a very small team, directed by ourselves and cut by our cameraman, so we basically kept the whole production almost in-house only. It was an incredible team effort where all of us were involved and worked together. We’re very happy with how the video turned out and are glad that the feedback we’re getting is so good.
Tim: What you might not know is that we filmed the music video in only two days in Mallorca with a very small team, directed by ourselves and cut by our cameraman, so we basically kept the whole production almost in-house only. It was an incredible team effort where all of us were involved and worked together. We’re very happy with how the video turned out and are glad that the feedback we’re getting is so good.
Perfectly capturing a happy and cheerful summer mood, this new single has quite a deep meaning that has a lot to do with your busy life, where having an inner circle of trusted friends is very important. A close circle of people with whom you can be 100% yourself, where you feel comfortable, right? Can you tell us more about the meaning of the song?
Julien: You perfectly captured the essence of the song (laughs). For the past two years, we’ve constantly been working and on the road, being able to experience so many incredible things, meeting inspiring people, discovering new places and founding our own company, just working every day – which can be overwhelming if you don’t remember to take breaks. It’s easy to forget to breathe sometimes when there’s so much going on – which we think many people can relate to. Runaway is about this moment of peace, of running away with the person closest to you and just forgetting the world for a quick moment to recharge your batteries and ground yourself again.
Luis: We want this song to be a reminder to all of you to take a moment and breathe – and to cherish your close ones. And, of course, it’s a great tune for summer!
Luis: We want this song to be a reminder to all of you to take a moment and breathe – and to cherish your close ones. And, of course, it’s a great tune for summer!
You had received some music opportunities a while ago but it never felt right, you’ve said in previous interviews. Why is now the appropriate time to embark on this new adventure?
Bene: Everyone compared us to a boyband that doesn’t sing, so we were kind of an entertainment boyband but without the singing… yet. We always thought about making music, and most of us have some kind of a musical background – Julien, for example, went to a music college, and others played the piano and the guitar, so music was always a topic.
Jacob: We hold a deep respect for the music and its art and we didn't know what reactions to expect with us entering this industry. However, the past two years have shown us that as a group and with the support of our team, nothing is out of reach if we truly work hard for it and put our everything into it. At one point, friends of ours who happen to be producers asked us if we wanted to go to the studio to just try recording and jamming without any further agenda. This was in November in Los Angeles, and after three days in the studio we had written and recorded three songs – that’s when we all knew that we were fire for this new project.
Luis: It was so much fun for us, and we discovered that we were so passionate about this. We saw the spark in everyone else’s eyes and this is when we decided to do music together and to really pursue this.
Jacob: We hold a deep respect for the music and its art and we didn't know what reactions to expect with us entering this industry. However, the past two years have shown us that as a group and with the support of our team, nothing is out of reach if we truly work hard for it and put our everything into it. At one point, friends of ours who happen to be producers asked us if we wanted to go to the studio to just try recording and jamming without any further agenda. This was in November in Los Angeles, and after three days in the studio we had written and recorded three songs – that’s when we all knew that we were fire for this new project.
Luis: It was so much fun for us, and we discovered that we were so passionate about this. We saw the spark in everyone else’s eyes and this is when we decided to do music together and to really pursue this.
Do you remember the first picture you shared on the Elevator Boys' Instagram profile? What did you feel at the time?
Tim: Of course we remember our first picture! It was the day we all officially moved to Berlin as a group, and it was our first content production day together in the city. It was us five sitting on the stairs of our building. It was super exciting because it was like a black box to us – no one knew where this adventure would take us. It was originally planned to be a content vacation for two to four weeks, which turned into so much more and it went way beyond our imagination. Two years later, we’re sitting here having this interview with you about our music.
You all achieved resounding success on social media with your videos, gaining millions of streams and building a community of fans all over the world who follow every step you take. How have you managed this emotionally? Has it been difficult?
Bene: Of course it was difficult, especially in the beginning, because everything that is new gets observed with kind of a side-eye. If they can’t put a finger on it, it raises many question marks. This whole TikTok scene was new and upped the social media game to the next level. For example, it became easier to go viral overnight, but also you keep getting permanent feedback on everything. Once you upload a video or a picture, there is a constant movement happening, and it’s not always positive, so we had to get used to this as well.
Jacob: Luckily, we have ourselves as a group and are able to support each other, so we have each other’s backs and can always talk to each other, with people around us who we can trust. Especially in the early stages of our career, when we didn’t quite know how to handle all those opinions and feedback coming at us, it was a huge relief to have each other and our amazing support system to rely on.
Jacob: Luckily, we have ourselves as a group and are able to support each other, so we have each other’s backs and can always talk to each other, with people around us who we can trust. Especially in the early stages of our career, when we didn’t quite know how to handle all those opinions and feedback coming at us, it was a huge relief to have each other and our amazing support system to rely on.
And what is the most important lesson you’ve learned during all this time?
Julien: It’s important to take breaks and recharge. Also with our projects, we want to keep the quality of our work at a high level and to give 100% in everything we do.
Jacob: At the same time, you have to believe in yourself and your vision first and foremost to turn your dreams into reality.
Jacob: At the same time, you have to believe in yourself and your vision first and foremost to turn your dreams into reality.
You’ve undoubtedly lived many experiences in recent years that you’ll remember for life. From great trips around the world to the very famous photo you took with Brad Pitt in an elevator. But, if you had to choose just one moment, what would it be and why?
Luis: The moment we came off stage in London at the Wembley Stadium after showing our very first song at the Summertime Ball in front of eighty thousand people was for sure one of the most emotional moments we shared together and that will forever stay in our memories. We were so excited and nervous, not only to be standing in front of that many people but also to show our music for the first time to the audience and to get live reactions.
Tim: After we left the stage, it was an incredible feeling – seeing the joy in everyone’s eyes, the relief of it having worked out, seeing that all our hard work was worth it. We were hugging each other and crying overwhelmed with pure joy.
Bene: This was amazing! We called our team and our families right after, it was a wholesome moment that we will cherish forever.
Tim: After we left the stage, it was an incredible feeling – seeing the joy in everyone’s eyes, the relief of it having worked out, seeing that all our hard work was worth it. We were hugging each other and crying overwhelmed with pure joy.
Bene: This was amazing! We called our team and our families right after, it was a wholesome moment that we will cherish forever.
Heidi Klum, Neymar, Pharrell Williams… You’ve met many A-list celebrities in the last few months. Did you ever think that you would have the chance to take a picture with them and share some words?
Julien: In the beginning, we of course dreamt of meeting those icons, but we never thought it would happen. Day by day, we work hard for it to make it become a reality. When we started two years ago, just the thought of meeting these people was so far away from us and we just wanted to make a name for ourselves in the entertainment industry.
Jacob: We all started out during the pandemic because we wanted to spread positivity around the internet and to share good vibes with the people who watched our content, leaving them with a smile after watching our videos. Meeting the people we have had the pleasure to meet so far came along on the way, but we never planned for it to happen.
Jacob: We all started out during the pandemic because we wanted to spread positivity around the internet and to share good vibes with the people who watched our content, leaving them with a smile after watching our videos. Meeting the people we have had the pleasure to meet so far came along on the way, but we never planned for it to happen.
What do your families and longtime friends say about your worldwide success? Has your life changed a lot?
Jacob: Our lives have definitely changed a lot. Two years ago, we basically moved to Berlin overnight and everyone left something behind – be it university or families and friends – in order to give this project a chance and to start this new chapter. In the end, it worked out and, as you said, turned into a “worldwide success” which we’re so grateful for. Without our community, our team, our families, and the endless support and trust we’ve been getting from all of them, it wouldn’t be possible to be where we are right now.
Tim: It’s not a given that your family trusts you 100% with you pursuing your dream or supports you all the way, so we are very lucky and it feels good to have this amazing support. We try to come together with all our families twice a year in order to talk about everything that happened and to just exchange about all the happenings and see everyone.
Luis: This really grounds us, also being able to spend time with our childhood friends, to just take a moment and to soak it all in, to realise what happened on this crazy rollercoaster over the past months.
Tim: It’s not a given that your family trusts you 100% with you pursuing your dream or supports you all the way, so we are very lucky and it feels good to have this amazing support. We try to come together with all our families twice a year in order to talk about everything that happened and to just exchange about all the happenings and see everyone.
Luis: This really grounds us, also being able to spend time with our childhood friends, to just take a moment and to soak it all in, to realise what happened on this crazy rollercoaster over the past months.
And what about hate on social media? How do you deal with it?
Bene: Over the last two years, we learned a lot about how to deal with it. We’re in a lucky position to have each other as a support system because we know that we can always count on each other and we have each other’s backs. However, it is not a given to have such a strong support system around you, which is also a topic that is important to us.
We work with an organization in Germany called HateAid, which fights against digital discrimination, mobbing and negativity on the web. This message is important to us and we want to use our platforms and our reach to encourage people to act on kindness, to not discriminate against each other, and so we want to act as role models in this field, we want to set a good example. As not everyone gets the support they need, HateAid is an organisation that can help people in need to deal with whichever challenge they face in this specific field and they provide someone to talk to and also provide legal advice.
We work with an organization in Germany called HateAid, which fights against digital discrimination, mobbing and negativity on the web. This message is important to us and we want to use our platforms and our reach to encourage people to act on kindness, to not discriminate against each other, and so we want to act as role models in this field, we want to set a good example. As not everyone gets the support they need, HateAid is an organisation that can help people in need to deal with whichever challenge they face in this specific field and they provide someone to talk to and also provide legal advice.
Getting back to music, you’ve said that your highest priority now is to find your own voice within a new industry. How do you face this challenge?
Luis: It’s also about finding our own sound, which we want to develop, in order to really discover what ‘elevator music’ stands for and be recognized for it. Runaway was a great first song for us because we all got our space to shine and show our individual voices, from low to high tunes. We had almost one year of vocal coaching and produced over twenty demos in this time to find our sound and find what we’re comfortable with and what works for us and also feels like us.
Julien: We tried different types of music from R&B to pop but also rock. We’re currently working with and trying to collaborate with international producers and songwriters who have a proven track record to take our music and this whole journey to the next level. We aim for the best possible quality and adding our very personal touch and voice to it.
Jacob: It’s also important for us to include our community in this whole process of becoming an established boyband, meaning that we want them to be part of this journey with us, from deciding on the song title to which track we should release and so on. For example, Runaway was not the original title; we called the demo 7 days, and then we asked our community how would they name the song, and Runaway was the clear winner.
Julien: We tried different types of music from R&B to pop but also rock. We’re currently working with and trying to collaborate with international producers and songwriters who have a proven track record to take our music and this whole journey to the next level. We aim for the best possible quality and adding our very personal touch and voice to it.
Jacob: It’s also important for us to include our community in this whole process of becoming an established boyband, meaning that we want them to be part of this journey with us, from deciding on the song title to which track we should release and so on. For example, Runaway was not the original title; we called the demo 7 days, and then we asked our community how would they name the song, and Runaway was the clear winner.
Any music artist you’d love to collaborate with?
Bene: There are a lot of musicians we would love to collaborate with – we’re not there yet but we aspire to be one day. Of course, big inspirations to us are musicians such as Justin Bieber, The Kid Laroi, Drake, Post Malone, A$AP Rocky.
Last question, is there anything you can tell us about your upcoming projects?
Tim: We’re working on new songs right now and hopefully we can share something very soon. You can definitely expect some new music this year and who knows, maybe even more. So, stay tuned!
