BABYMETAL

BABYMETAL (ベビーメタル) is a Japanese group that fuses idol-pop performance with heavy metal instrumentation, formed as an offshoot of the idol group Sakura Gakuin in 2010 and becoming an independent act in 2013. The group is fronted by SU-METAL (Nakamoto Suzuka), with MOMOMETAL (Okazaki Momoko) joining as a full member in 2023 after years performing alongside the group as a backup dancer. Founding member YUIMETAL departed in 2018. The vocalists are backed on record and on stage by a rotating cast of elite session musicians known as the Kami Band.

Producer KOBAMETAL (Kobayashi Kei) coined the style «Kawaii Metal», a term that captures the group's signature approach of layering sugary J-pop vocal melodies and choreography over aggressive metal riffs, breakdowns and blast beats. Tracks like «ギミチョコ！！ (Gimme Chocolate!!)» and «ヘドバンギャー!! (Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!)» became defining early singles, showcasing this genre collision, while later material such as «Karate», «PA PA YA!!» and «Elevator Girl (English Version)» pushed the sound toward broader rock, electronic and even hip-hop-inflected textures.

BABYMETAL's crossover success helped introduce Western metal audiences to Japanese idol conventions and vice versa, earning festival slots and collaborations far outside typical J-pop circles. Songs like «RATATATA», «from me to u» and «Song 3» reflect the group's continued genre experimentation, cementing its reputation as one of the most distinctive acts to emerge from Japan's music scene in the 2010s.