BABYMETAL: The Dark Princesses who Blend Cuteness with Heavy Metal
The girls have set new standards in the world of music!
by IGNITION Staff
Babymetal are the youngest Japanese band ever to have entered America’s Billboard Charts, and are attracting attention from around the globe. Not only did they visit France, Germany, England and America on their first world tour, but they also performed at the UK heavy metal festival “Sonisphere” and “Heavy Montreal” in Canada. In addition, Lady Gaga selected them as her support act for a number of shows in her North American tour, and overall the group are creating quite a buzz.
These days Japan is truly overflowing with idol groups*, to the extent that the country is said to have entered the “Warring Idols Period” (a twist on the country’s’ “Warring States Period”, 1467–1568). From major groups such as AKB48 and Momoiro Clover Z to indie groups known as “underground idols”, working in the industry has become a cut-throat fight for survival. While creativity and originality are important, idol groups’ number one priority has to be creating a fan-base and finding a way to capture their hearts.
*Japanese “idol groups” usually consist of a number of young women, in their teens to late 20s, who sing, dance, act etc. as a unit. They are usually valued for their cute appearance and good public image.
In this veritable sea of idol groups, the distinctively different Babymetal are one troop who are making their presence felt, not only in Japan but overseas too. Making a clear departure from stereotypical idol groups who wear cute, adorable outfits, Babymetal dress themselves in stylish metal-esque clothing and sing and dance to music with a genuinely metal sound.
When Babymetal made their debut as “a fusion of idols and metal” in 2010, people were perhaps too hasty in labeling them as an idol group. Their performances are similar to those of traditional idol groups but with certain aspects of metal culture included, and their sound is decidedly metal. It would not be an overstatement to say that they established a new genre for themselves.
Babymetal manage to walk a delicate line between dark heavy metal and cute idol style, creating their own distinctive world. During performances the lead singer, Su-Metal, sings in a controlled yet powerful voice, while the other members, Yui-Metal and Moa-Metal, look almost angelic as they dance around her.
While negative voices have questioned whether or not Babymetal’s music really qualifies as metal, the group had expected such criticism; they are not seeking to define themselves within the traditional boundaries of heavy metal, but instead to create a new form of the genre. Their love of idol culture and interest in heavy metal has given them the opportunity to bring a new kind of creativity to the world of heavy metal, and the group want to create a fresh definition of the term unlike anything that has existed up until now.
In October, 2011 their debut song Doki Doki Morning was released on Youtube and got a fantastic response (approx. 3,500,000 plays to-date), while their most popular song Gimme Chocolate!! currently has a view count of over 13,000,000.
Following the success of these releases, the group embarked on their first world tour in July, 2014. Tickets for every show of the European leg of the tour sold out, and even those who sought to buy last-minute tickets outside the venues had difficulties. The atmosphere during their concerts was one of pure energy, and the tour was a huge hit. Then, they made a spectacular appearance on the main stage in the “Sonisphere Festival UK” in Knebworth, in front of an audience of approximately 60,000. After that, they held their own concert in L.A., and were hired as the warm-up act for several shows in Lady Gaga’s North American tour. As a result, their foreign fan base is expanding incredibly fast.
The group, who continue to be overwhelmed with offers to perform abroad, were quick to announce their 2nd world tour scheduled for October, 2014, which will add New York and London to their list of destinations. Many are watching to see how their new form of music will be received by the world and where the group will go from here.
(translation: Rebecca Bourke)
Originally published at ignition.co.
