If you haven’t heard of the Japanese pop/metal fusion band Babymetal, then you check YouTube, Twitter or Facebook. With the release of their new video "Karate", Babymetal is gearing up to release their long awaited second album, "Metal Resistance" (Yes! I’m totally awaiting this release!). But if you don’t know who they are, you might feel out of the loop for someone that doesn’t listen to this type of music. Here is some quick background information; Babymetal was originally a sub-unit of the Japanese idol group Sakura Gakuin (さくら学院). In Japan girls in idol groups like Sakura Gakuin graduate from the group at a certain age so when Babymetal was formed in 2010 they were still within the age group. Although now all three of the girls have graduated from the group they have been allowed to continue with Babymetal due to the band’s worldwide popularity.
How popular could they be if you haven’t heard of them? Well their first album debuted on the Billboard top 200 albums (#187), World Albums (#2) and Heatseekers (#4). This is impressive for an international group as young as Babymetal. The band consists of Suzuka Nakamotoas known as Su-metal (18), Yui Mizuno also known as Yuimetal (16) and Moa Kikuchi known as Moametal (16).
Why should this group matter? “Babymetal, is putting out a much-anticipated release April 1, followed by a show at the arena at Wembley in London, then a U.S. tour,” said the Wall Street Journal. Their last US tour was sold out and they’ve toured worldwide since the release of their first album.
“The metal scene loves to wring its hands over anything that upsets the status quo, and Babymetal have been especially polarizing in 2014.” Since most mainstream heavy metal listeners vary in their taste Babymetal has given the genre a new twist and a new audience. They should think about Babymetal as a gateway to other bands and embrace them because their music videos are as strange as any other metal band out there that uses innuendos to child like themes. Who knows what the future may bring to these young girls but their videos have certainly matured, and have given a new generation of girls an outlet to metal music.
It may be in your best interest to give them a chance, as they may very well change the metal scene and allow more groups to debut under the same brand of 'Kawaii Metal.' It will also expose you and many others to something you may have never heard of before. And if you already love Babymetal and all other metal music, why not start your own pop metal band?
Another Pop Metal Fusion Band to come out of Japan is Ladybaby, which features Ladybeard, a cross-dressing singer and professional wrestler from Australia who has been performing in Japan since 2013.
The group filmed their latest video in New York and Los Angeles, and you can tell from some of the faces of the people around them they didn't know what to make of Ladybeard, but it's a pretty cool video.
Don't count out bands just because they're different, give them a chance you might find yourself singing and sometimes screaming along to their infectious melodies!
Remember— Babymetal's second album comes out April 1, 2016
