BABYMETAL are bringing kawaii-metal to the world
Two years ago, in a country far, far away... It is a period of pop music. Rebel idols, striking from a hidden base in Japan, have won their first victory against the boring music empire. During the battle, the kitsune-sama fox god revealed his ultimate weapon, BABYMETAL, a kawaii-metal band with enough power to drive the metal resistance and restore musical freedom to the galaxy…
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Photography Piczo
Lead by 16 year old singer SU-METAL, YUIMETAL and MOAMETAL (both 15) scream and dance to tracks like BABYMETAL DEATH, Headbangya!! And Gimme Chocolate! while dressed in their signature red and black gothic Lolita gear and brandishing their fox head devil horns. Released earlier this year, their eponymous debut album headed straight to the top of the charts worldwide, with a unique sound that merges Slayer with the very best dance mat anthems. It is awesome. With an incredible energy and a performance unlike anything you’ve seen before, a new legend is born. Having just played the same stage as Iron Maiden at Sonisphere and about to join Lady Gaga on tour, we daydreamed our way through giggle-filled interview ahead of the band’s very first, very sold-out, London show.
What do you think of London so far?
SU-METAL: The scenery we’ve seen is very nice and the people are very kind. We’re having great fun here.
How was Sonisphere?
SU-METAL: It was the first time that we performed on such a huge stage so before we went on we were very nervous. The audience cheered lots so it made us very happy.
I heard that you performed on the same stage as Iron Maiden, who you’ve said before is your favourite metal band, how was that?
SU-METAL: We actually stayed on to watch their performance and we were like “did we really just play the same stage as them?!” It was really unbelievable.
You met some legendary metal bands too!
SU-METAL: Yes! Backstage at Sonisphere we were wearing BABYMETAL tshirts that reference classic metal bands like Anthrax, Slayer and Megadeath, so people recognise those and come to talk to us. So we took photos with some of the artists which was really cool.
Tell us about the fox god…
SU-METAL: We don’t really know what the fox god like because we’ve never met it, but we always have this message from this little master and we act accordingly. So we’re doing this European tour because of the calling. We’ve managed to achieve so many things that we would never even have dreamed of, so we really feel that thre is a fox god leading us.
How does metal music make you feel? Angry? Powerful?
SU-METAL: It is more to do with my relation to the music, but whenever I perform it’s different to how I feel normally. I’m quite shy myself – I don’t actually go out dancing and headbanging but when I become SU-METAL and perform, it’s not embarrassing anymore. So when I perform, there are new discoveries in myself.
You’re supporting Lady Gaga. Are you excited?
SU-METAL: We’re all so excited! It still feels like a dream.
Her sound is very different to kawaii-metal, how do you think her fans will react?
SU-METAL: You’re right - in terms of music we’re completely different, but we ourselves didn’t know about metal music before BABYMETAL. When we first heard it we thought ‘what the hell is this?!’ but found it very interesting and enjoyed it, so I think the fans of Lady Gaga who don’t normally listen to metal music might feel the same way as us.
If you weren’t in BABYMETAL, what do you think you’d be doing right now?
SU-METAL: Just going to school and studying like ordinary kids. I don’t think we’d have the opportunity to go abroad or anything like that.
Is there anywhere in the world you haven’t been to yet that you’d like to go to?
MOAMETAL: Australia. I want to hold a koala bear while performing!
What’s your favourite type of chocolate:
MOAMETAL: Milk chocolate
SU-METAL: Dark chocolate
YUIMETAL: Milk and white chocolate
Who would win a death match between the three of you?
*play rock, paper, scissors* and decide on MOAMETAL.
MOAMETAL and YUIMETAL, it was your birthdays recently. How did you celebrate?
YUIMETAL: My birthday was on the day of our Paris show so during Headbangya! we usually do the screaming parts and SU-METAL sings the lead vocal but because it was my birthday, I sung lead. Also, there were fans holding up happy birthday signs which was really nice.
And what presents did you get?
MOAMETAL: I got flowers and cake!
What’s on your rider?
MOAMETAL: Fruit, crisps and chocolate.
Which characters do you think you’re most like?
MOAMETAL: My favourite animation is Love Live and there is a character called Honoka Kosaka and I think I’m most like her, but who I aspire to be like is Nausicaa from Valley of the Wind.
YUIMETAL: I would like to be the Little Mermaid so I can live in the sea
SU-METAL: I would like to be the lead girl in Mama-Mia because she’s such a positive thinker.
