Babymetal

Five things you didn't know about Babymetal

The cult Japanese pop-metal sensation speak out about their fans, the Fox God and Gabrielle Aplin

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Aged between 15 and 17, Babymetal are three Japanese girls – Su-metal (middle), Yuimetal, and Moametal – who specialise in a heady mix of head-banging rock and sickly sweet ‘idol’ pop. Formed by mysterious producer Kobametal, they’ve been viewed 16 million times on YouTube and become a huge curiosity in the UK. We chatted to Su-metal, with Kobametal sat beside her.

1. They’re on a mission from God. The Fox God, that is.
‘The Fox God created Babymetal by coming to us in a dream and telling the three of us to form the band. It is because of the Fox God that we are able to be who we are and perform all over the world.’

2. Before joining the band, they were metal virgins.
‘I’d never heard of metal before. When I heard it I was really shocked – I was like, “Woah, there’s music like this that exists out there?”’

3. They have no influences. None.
‘Babymetal strive to be the only one, and this is something that’s very important to us. There’s no-one in particular that we look up to, because we strive to be something that’s never gone before.’

4. Oddly for metallers, they like John Lewis Christmas ad soundtracks.
‘I’ve always been a fan of ballads, and right now I’m studying English and listening to a lot of Western music. Gabrielle Aplin is one of my favourites.’

5. Their fanbase doesn’t really gel.
‘Our fans are made up of different groups of people: people who enjoy this Japanese idol scene, versus metal fans. The crowd is disorganised because everyone is reacting to the band in a different way. We look into the crowd and it looks like chaos in the pit.’
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