Back in 2014, few predicted a band fronted by three Japanese teenagers in tutus and sounding like Hello Kitty fronting a death metal band in a Shinjuku arcade would go the distance. In those early days, Babymetal certainly divided Western fans. Was it metal? Was it a gimmick? What the hell were they even singing about?
Today, all those debates that raged so intensely in the beginning are completely redundant. Babymetal have gone from curiosity to genuine phenomenon, and survived the departure of founder member Yuimetal in 2018 (co-founders Su-metal and Moametal were joined by Momometal in 2023). Along the way, they’ve collaborated with everyone from Bring Me The Horizon and Bloodywood to Poppy and Spiritbox, pushing their sound in every direction imaginable.
How did they get here? For all the colour and excitement, the band’s evolution can be charted through their ever-changing music. Here, Su-metal, Moametal and Momometal talk us through the songs that built Babymetal.
Akatsuki (Babymetal, 2014)
An early sign of just how obsessed fans would become with Babymetal, this cosmic power metal ballad is lifted by prismatic keys, rampaging guitar solos and a wide-eyed, 16-year-old Su-metal belting her heart out about undying love. The live a cappella version is just as stirring.
SU-METAL: “When I first received this song, I had just started singing metal. At the time, I was giving it everything I had to keep up with the song’s intensity, and just making it through to the end was already a challenge. I would take to the stage with a strong determination – that even if my voice cracked, I would never back down.
“The lyrics – ‘Kono karadaga horobirumade, Inochiga kierumade, Mamori tsuzuketeiku (I will keep protecting you until this body perishes, until my life fades away)’ – hit me very deeply back then. And if even a little of that determination managed to reach all of you… that would make me truly happy.”
What is it like singing the a cappella version?
SU-METAL: “Singing a cappella has no set answer, so it is freeing – but I would feel lonely, and I’m not sure I would enjoy that. The performance usually starts with my solo part, and the band joins in afterwards. When I sing that part, it becomes a moment of facing myself and preparing to pour all my emotions out.”
Megitsune (Babymetal, 2014)
With its thunderous drums, Japanese instrumentation, cut-throat riffs and pop melodies, Megitsune brings together all the WTF?!? elements of Babymetal’s early sound.
It was also the song that they opened their landmark 2019 Glastonbury set with.
MOAMETAL:“Wow, it has been seven years since Glastonbury festival… We performed in Japan until the 29th, which was the day before our Glastonbury set. We went to the airport right after the Japan show, hopped on a plane – and we were onstage the very next day. I remember going into the show still riding the adrenaline from the previous nights’ performances.
Even though the schedule was hectic, I was happy that we gave ourselves a shot at a festival beyond the metal scene, and that the audience enjoyed our performance. I was surprised by our own stamina! Ha ha ha!”
Gimme Chocolate!! (Babymetal, 2014)
The track that broke them worldwide, thanks to a video that went viral faster than the time it takes to snaffle a Cadbury’s Freddo. Throw in a show-stealing appearance at that year’s Sonisphere and they’ve never looked back.
SU-METAL: “We go through many rounds of recording, building the song as we go, so it’s not unusual for the lyrics to be incomplete at the demo stage. I remember recording this song while wondering, ‘What are the lyrics for that opening part – the ‘a-ta-ta-ta’ and ‘wa-ta-ta-ta’ – going to be?’
Then the choreography came together, and before I knew it, we were performing it live. I remember thinking, ‘Wait – so this is what this song is? It was complete all along?’ It genuinely caught me off guard.”
Why do you think the song became so popular?
MOAMETAL: “I don’t know. I guess everyone loves chocolate. I love it too – it tastes good!”
Road Of Resistance (Babymetal, 2014 / Metal Resistance, 2016)
Babymetal’s very own battle cry, it saw them teaming up with Dragonforce guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman for their first international collaboration. A true anthem of defiance, especially when the flags come out during live performances.
SU-METAL: “I remember when I listened to their guitar demo, I was so excited with the intensity. I thought to myself, ‘We actually get to collaborate with musicians who perform this amazingly! They are incredibly friendly in person and we became close to them, so I hope we will have a chance to collaborate more.”
How challenging was it to learn the dance routine?
MOMOMETAL:“The intro part where we ride and gallop like we’re on a horse was pretty hard to get used to. It took me a while to figure out the right angle to make it look dynamic. And at the end, when we hold the flag and pose, I kept having trouble gripping it and would sometimes drop it.”
Karate (Metal Resistance, 2016)
A highlight of their second album, Karate bought something new to the party, stripping back the warp-speed power metal for an addictive groove and huge bass drop. Fans everywhere love the ‘fall down and get up’ choreography.
SU-METAL: “Babymetal’s music had always incorporated elements of Japanese culture, but Karate was the first time we brought Japanese culture so directly and straightforwardly into the title, lyrics and choreography.
“As we began touring overseas, more and more people started recognising and appreciating the uniqueness and originality of what we were doing. Singing this song, I kept thinking: I want to push our one-of-a-kind identity even further, and I want to represent Japan and make an even bigger impact on the world stage.”
Moametal said about the song: “Karate is a martial art based on the principle of facing yourself.” What were you facing and overcoming at the time of this song, as a member of Babymetal?
MOAMETAL: “From the very beginning, we never really had rivals in the traditional sense. We were the first to walk this path, so we’ve moved forward by battling against ourselves.
There were days when leaving Japan made us feel lonely, and days when things got so tough that we wanted to give up, but we fought through those feelings, and that’s how we’ve kept going for 16 years. We want to give ourselves a pat on the back for getting back up every single time we fall. Well done, Babymetal!”
You played the song at Wembley Arena on April 2, 2016, which was your biggest headlining show outside Japan to that point. What do you remember of the performance?
SU-METAL: “Standing on the Wembley Arena stage, watching fans from all different backgrounds come together as one through our music, breaking through the barriers of genre and language – it felt like a dream.
But I didn’t want it to end there. That day, our fans gave us the push to keep going, and made us believe that as long as we have them by our side, there are still so many incredible moments ahead waiting to be discovered.”
Syncopation (Metal Resistance, 2016)
It may have only appeared on the Japanese version of Metal Resistance, but Syncopation has become a fan favourite. The way its earwormy chorus and guitars go screeching off in all directions, there’s no way it was ever going to remain a deep cut.
MOMOMETAL: “I think the melodic speed metal intro is what hits hardest for a lot of people! The choreography is straightforward and directly matched to the music, so I think it feels incredibly satisfying to watch as a full performance!”
Distortion (Single, 2018 / Metal Galaxy, 2019)
A watershed moment for Babymetal, Distortion was released between Yuimetal stepping back from the band in late 2017 and her official departure in October 2018. Babymetal revisited it on 2019’s Metal Galaxy, with a guest vocalist, Alissa White-Gluz, then of Arch Enemy, taking it to an even heavier dimension.
SU-METAL: “With Alissa’s voice added, the range of distortion and turbulence in this song expanded dramatically. It feels like the ground is trembling – being pulled from somewhere deep beneath the surface, shaken, unsettled. With just one note, she can throw the entire song off balance and set it into distortion. I was truly in awe.”
BxMxC (Metal Galaxy, 2019)
Babymetal have never had much interest in genre boundaries, but BxMxC showed just how much they’ve continued to push their sound. It’s straight-up rap metal, with a disembodied Su-metal vocal, huge juddering drops and glitching electronics. Proof you can never predict what Babymetal will do next.
SU-METAL: “I remember struggling with this song during recording. But as we toured and performed it in front of audiences, I gradually began to let myself go, evolving with every performance. It is the song where I sing most freely, so it may continue to change and evolve even more going forward.”
Pa Pa Ya!! (Metal Galaxy, 2019)
The bouncy fourth single from Metal Galaxy, Pa Pa Ya!! was a collaboration with Thai rapper F.Hero, and the band’s first major cross-genre collaboration. Combining Kaiju-sized nu metal energy and a nectar-sweet chorus, it opened the floodgates for the band to collaborate with artists from across the musical spectrum.
MOAMETAL: “I believe the style of cross-cultural exchange that began with this song has become one of Babymetal’s greatest strengths. This collaboration was the moment we realised how naturally Babymetal connects with the music and cultures of other countries.
The idea that we can create something new by combining metal with other elements is something I am truly grateful to F.Hero for showing us. Even now, every time we visit Thailand, he welcomes us with such warmth and has become a true bridge between us and Thailand!”
Bring Me The Horizon – Kingslayer (Post Human: Survival Horror, 2020)
It’s technically a BMTH song – Babymetal were ‘sealed’ at the time – but Kingslayer is what you get if you put two of metal’s most inventive, genre-smashing bands together on one track – a top-tier cyber metal anthem that became Babymetal’s highest-charting single, reaching No.51 in the UK. Lucky you if you were there one of the few times they’ve performed it live together.
SU-METAL: “I was already a fan of Bring Me The Horizon, so I was overjoyed when the opportunity came to work with them. From the moment I received the song, I could feel that they had really thought about Babymetal while writing it – the call-and-response parts and all the little details made me so happy.
But during recording, when they asked us to sing certain parts in Japanese, I was genuinely surprised and thought, ‘Are you sure you want to bring out that much of the Babymetal side?’”
It’s your most-streamed track on Spotify. Why do you think people love it so much?
MOMOMETAL: “What makes this song so compelling is the way both of our strengths are packed in so fully. It is one of the most intense metal tracks in Babymetal’s entire catalogue. I think it struck a chord with many people, even those hearing us for the first time.”
Mirror Mirror (The Other One, 2023)
Released the day before fourth album The Other One, Mirror Mirror helped usher in a new era for Babymetal. Its video showed the band performing for an audience in Yokohama, and was the first to feature Momometal, their new permanent third member. We saw a trio marching into their future as an unstoppable united front.
SU-METAL: “The Other One is Babymetal’s first-ever concept album, created around the theme of another side of Babymetal that you never knew existed. The approach to songwriting was also different from anything we had done before – the songs were crafted based on photographs and mythology, and like a work of art, the impression it can change depending on the listener, or even change each time the same person listens to it.
It is a very deep and layered body of work. It was created with the hope that people would enjoy a side of Babymetal seen from a different angle – beyond just the bright, Kawaii and pop aspects that we are known for.”
Metali!! Feat. Tom Morello (Single, 2023 / Metal Forth, 2025)
The song that marked Momometal’s official promotion from Avenger to full-time member, ushering in Babymetal’s second ‘trio era’, as well as an early, Tom Morello-assisted teaser for their fifth album, Metal Forth.
The ex-Rage Against The Machine man turbo-charges this serotonin-rush mix of traditional Japanese elements and a massive mosh-call chorus.
MOAMETAL: “When we were making the song, we reached out to Tom Morello knowing it was a long shot. I was surprised that he had already known about Babymetal, and I was so happy that he brought his own unique style to the performance. Despite us being so much younger than him, he treated us with such respect. He has such a big heart, and that was incredibly cool!”
Ratatata feat. Electric Callboy (Metal Forth, 2025)
A surprise drop that became Babymetal’s biggest song since Gimme Chocolate!!, Ratatata is a hefty slab of EDM-meets-metalcore joy. The video shows off the girls’ sillier side, singing karaoke while Electric Callboy vocalists Kevin Ratajczak and Nico Sallach ram through walls wearing disco-ball hats. Makes sense.
SU-METAL: “Before the collaboration, we went to see their show. We enjoyed every moment of it, and it made us even more excited to work with them. Our two worlds merged perfectly. I am so satisfied with how the song turned out – it became such a happy song.”
What is your favourite memory from making the video for the song?
MOMOMETAL:“It was truly such a fun shoot, and I was constantly surprised by how warm and genuine they are as people. The scene where Kevin and Nico come bursting through the wall was also a blast.
Since there wasn’t enough production time to use computer graphics, they set off a real explosion, which honestly caught me off guard! The band members and the crew were the most amazing team, and they are truly our cherished family.”
My Queen feat. Spiritbox (Metal Forth, 2025)
Dropped as a single the day Metal Forth was released, My Queen is one of the album’s more melodic moments without sacrificing any of the fury. Su-metal lays the hooks on thick while Spiritbox vocalist Courtney LaPlante pops up midway through to inflict maximum damage over crushing djent riffs.
SU-METAL: “I always enjoy Courtney’s presence – the way her voice takes over everything around her. I also wanted to immerse myself in the world that Spiritbox create. In this song, we were able to portray both sides – the bold, queenly figure on the surface, and the anxiety churning underneath – and the image of suppressing that anxiety to push even higher. I feel like that was only possible because of her incredible ability to command her presence so effortlessly.”
What did Courtney bring to the song vocally?
MOMOMETAL: “Her screams take the excitement of this song up a gear all at once. There is something about her screams that feels like energy exploding from deep within! And true to the name My Queen, she carries herself with the presence of a true queen.”
From Me To U feat. Poppy (Metal Forth, 2025)
From Courtney to Poppy, the nu gen queen. Babymetal brought one of modern music’s most prominent innovators into this glorious clash of hyperpop energy and serrated riffs. Babymetal were ahead of the game here – Courtney and Poppy would team up with Amy Lee for their own collaboration, End Of You, later that year.
SU-METAL: “During the production, we were discussing a collaboration with Jordan Fish that would follow Kingslayer. Jordan suggested adding Poppy’s vocals. Her voice matches so well with his musical style and also with my vocal style. I can’t thank Jordan enough for introducing us.”
Are there any similarities between Poppy and Babymetal?
MOAMETAL: “Babymetal is a fusion of cute and metal, while Poppy brings together cuteness and death growls – the two of us were a perfect match! We created a song that I absolutely love!”
Poppy has sung in Japanese in her own songs. Did you have any chats with her in Japanese, or chats about Japanese culture?
MOMOMETAL: “I can feel her respect for Japan! I didn’t get to talk about Japanese culture with her, but I would love for her to try on some cute Japanese clothing – it would definitely suit her!”
Kon! Kon! Feat. Bloodywood (Metal Forth, 2025)
Japanese, English and Hindi – trilingual Bloodywood collab Kon! Kon! is a truly global anthem. The Delhi stars step squarely into Babymetal’s orbit, bringing some nu metal bounce, Bollywood and rabid rapping about yokai – supernatural Japanese spirits.
SU-METAL: “The first time I listened to the song, the image of people dancing at an Indian festival on a hot sunny day came across my mind. But when the lyrics combined with Japanese yokai culture – for example, ‘Urameshiya’ is a phrase that yokai use to cast a curse – the vibe shifts to a nighttime scene of yokai dancing around a fire deep in the forest.
We share similarities in Asian culture, so the two blend together beautifully – but the image it conjures may differ from person to person. It’s fun to let your imagination run wild, so please share with me how you received this song!”
Would Babymetal like to play in India?
MOMOMETAL: “Of course! Actually, we talked about it with Bloodywood. We got really excited talking about it. It’d be so exciting to see what would happen if we actually performed Kon! Kon! in India. We’d have to make sure our dancing is good enough to hold our own against the locals!”
Babymetal play Louder Than Life and Aftershock festivals this fall.
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