Babymetal is a Japanese idol group formed in 2011.
It consists of 3 members : Su-Metal, MoaMetal, and YuiMetal.
The leader is Su-Metal.
Babymetal is a sub-unit of Sakura Gakuin. They are the Heavy Metal Club (重音部).
Unlike other idols, they perform a mix of metal and pop songs.
The girls are called the “dark heroines who reign over the idol world”.
On stage, they have been supported by 3 different bands : Babybone (ベビーボーン), Kitsune Gakudan (キツネ楽団) et Kami Band (神バンド).
Their fans are called Mosh’sh Mate (モッシュッシュメイト).
Biography / History
Babymetal released their debut single Doki Doki ☆ Morning (ド・キ・ド・キ☆モーニング) in October 2011.
The idol unit participated in Anime Festival Asia 2012 (AFA) in Singapore in November 2012. It was their first overseas performance.
Their major debut single Ijime, Dame, Zettai (イジメ、ダメ、ゼッタイ) was released in January 2013.
Nakamoto Suzuka graduated from Sakura Gakuin in March 2013. Despite this, she has continued her activities with Babymetal.
The idol unit participated in Summer Sonic 2013 in Tokyo along with famous rock bands such as Muse, Metallica, Linkin Park, The Smashing Pumpkins, Fall Out Boy, One Ok Rock, Man with a Mission…
In November 2013, the members posted a video message on YouTube to promote the movie Metallica Through the Never (メタリカ・スルー・ザ・ネヴァー) featuring the famous American heavy metal band.
In December 2013, the idol unit held a live in Singapore.
In February 2014, their 1st album titled Babymetal reached the 1st position on the metal album chart in the United States, and the 2nd position in UK and Germany on iTunes.
In March 2014, Babymetal became the youngest artists to perform at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo. The had an average age of 14.6 years old.
In Spring 2014, the live video of their song Gimme Choco!! (ギミチョコ!! ; Give Me Chocolate!!) became a viral phenomenon on the internet and got more than 5 million views on YouTube in 2 months.
Babymetal participated in Sonisphere Festival UK in England in July 2014. It was their first appearance in Europe.
In addition, Babymetal World Tour 2014 was held from July to September 2014. There were some concerts in France, in Germany, in the United Kingdom, in the United States, in Canada and in Japan. Check out our live report on their concert in Paris.
The idol group appeared at the Heavy Montreal Festival in Canada in August 2014 alongside Metallical, Iron Maiden, Slayer…
They performed at the opening act of Lady Gaga’s concert tour in Summer 2014.
The girls went back to USA and United Kingdom in October 2014.
The albums Live at Budokan ~Red Night~ and ~Black Night~ were released in January 2015.
Babymetal participated in Rock on the Range festival in May 2015 in Columbus, Ohio (USA). They performed alongside bands such as Judas Priest, Linkin Park, Slipknot…
Babymetal World Tour 2015 was held from May to June. Concerts took place in Mexico, in Canada, in USA, in Germany, in France, in Switzerland, in Austria, in Italy, in England and in Japan. The idol group has also participated in some rock festivals in North America and Europe alongside famous bands such as Muse, Metallica, Kiss, Incubus, Limp Bizkit, Judas Priest, Faith No More…
In June 2015, they won The Spirit of Independence Award at the Kerrang! Awards ceremony founded by the british music magazine of the same name. During the same month, they have also won the Breakthrough Award at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards.
In August 2015, the members of the idol group became the youngest artists to perform on the main stage of the Reading and Leeds Festivals.
Babymetal held their first nationwide tour in September 2015.
In November 2015, they won the GQ Discovery of the Year and the Vogue Japan Women of the Year awards.
Their 2nd album Metal Resistance will be released in April 2016. The CD includes the songs Karate and The One.
Babymetal World Tour 2016 kicked off at the SSE Arena Wembley in England in April. The metal idol group will also give concerts in the US and in Europe (Switzerland, Austria, The Netherlands, Germany, France) until July.
In April 2016, the girls appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS.
In April 2016, Babymetal collaborated with Nintendo to create special characters for Super Mario Maker (スーパーマリオメーカー).
Karate was the theme song for WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) event NXT Takeover in the US in June 2016.
Babymetal and Rob Halford (Judas Priest) are going to perform together on the stage of AP Music Awards, in Ohio, in July 2016.
Profile
- Babymetal (ベビーメタル)
- Years active : 2011 – present
- Label : BMD Fox Records
- Agency : Amuse Inc.
Members
- Su-Metal (Nakamoto Suzuka) (中元すず香) (vocals, dance)
- MoaMetal (Kikuchi Moa) (菊地最愛) (scream, dance)
- YuiMetal (Mizuno Yui) (水野由結) (scream, dance)
Discography
Singles
- 04/07/2012 : Headbanger!! (ヘドバンギャー!!)
- 20/01/2013 : Ijime, Dame, Zettai (イジメ、ダメ、ゼッタイ)
- 19/06/2013 : Megitsune (メギツネ)
Digital Singles
- 24/10/2011 : Doki Doki ☆ Morning (ド・キ・ド・キ☆モーニング)
- 01/02/2015 : Road of Resistance
- 31/05/2015 : Gimme Choco!! (ギミチョコ!! ; Give Me Chocolate!!)
Collaboration Singles
- 07/03/2012 : Babymetal × Kiba of Akiba (Babymetal × キバオブアキバ)
Albums
- 26/02/2014 : Babymetal
- 01/04/2016 : Metal Resistance
Live Albums
- 07/01/2015 : Live at Budokan ~Red Night~
- 07/01/2015 : Live at Budokan ~Black Night~
- 21/10/2015 : Babymetal Legend 2015 ~Shinshun Kitsune Matsuri~ (〜新春キツネ祭り〜)
Best-of Albums
- 16/09/2015 : Introducing Babymetal