Interview
Babymetal: „Breaking the boundaries of music genres is what we do best“
Knebworth, Great Britain, 2014. Three girls from Japan, back then aged 15 and 16 respectively, are given a seemingly impossible task: to impress 60,000 metalheads at „Sonisphere“, one of the biggest rock festivals in the world. Before the event, there was criticism of the organizers’ decision to let the group perform on the main stage. Because few groups cause as much division in the metal scene as Babymetal: with its eclectic mix of metal and J-pop, the group is either loved or hated. But the three front girls boldly pull off their set with their band ... and elicit one of the strongest audience reactions since the festival’s creation. The story of the three Japanese teenagers, who create huge mosh pits and sing and dance in frilly skirts to brute metal riffs, goes around the world.
Welcome, Momometal! The new member of the group was all smiles at Rockhal. Photo: Editpress/Julien Garroy
A lot has happened since „Sonisphere“. It was one of Babymetal’s first international appearances, but even before that they were well-known in their home country and their songs went viral on the Internet. At the latest since their world tour in the summer of 2014, they have been among the best-known musical exports from the Land of the Rising Sun, even scoring a performance at famous „Wembley Arena“ and a collaboration with Metallica. On Tuesday, they performed in Luxembourg for the first time – alongside Lordi as the opening act for Sabaton at Rockhal. Babymetal are still controversial, even though their sound has changed throughout the years. Su-metal (25) and Moametal (23) have explained their evolution to Tageblatt. At the time of the interview, Momometal (20) had not yet been appointed a member, which is why she does not appear in it.
