BABYMETAL Interview: The Kawaii Metal Band Talks About Finding A Global Fanbase Ahead of KL Concert

Japanese Rock Band, BABYMETAL will be performing in Malaysia for the first time as part of their upcoming World Tour 2023 and we managed to secure an email interview with the band to ask them more about themselves, their goals with this latest tour, and their success across the world.

BABYMETAL is a Kawaii-Metal group originating from Tokyo, Japan currently consisting of members SU-METAL (Suzuka Nakamoto), MOAMETAL (Moa Kikuchi), and MOMOMETAL (Momoko Okazaki). The band was formed in 2010 and has since released four studio albums including the latest album The Other One which launched earlier this year. They’ve been on multiple tours around the world and have won several awards both in Japan and Internationally.

In this interview, the members of BABYMETAL told us more about their success in international markets, what their goals are going forward, and even a bit about how they feel about traveling to Malaysia for the first time.

Do you have new goals now that touring has begun and you’ve become a trio?

SU-METAL: I’d love for everyone to know that we have started a new chapter and are now an all-new, revamped BABYMETAL since this past April. BABYMETAL was sealed for a certain period of time so I’m sure that a lot of our fans have become distant from us. That’s why I’d love to go say hello to everyone so that they don’t forget about us!

Which The Other One song is your favorite to listen to and which is the hardest to perform?

SU-METAL: My favorite song is “Monochrome.” When I heard the song for the first time, I instantly loved it. I love the beautiful guitar melody as well as the message behind the lyrics. And every time we perform it live, we ask the audience to light up their cell phone light and to see a sea of lights light up the venue is an indescribably beautiful view from the stage.

The toughest song is “Light and Darkness.” The lyrics require an energetic, strong singing style while also requiring me to delicately sing on some parts and the song has high notes without a break so that’s why I feel this song is a tough one.

BABYMETAL has found a lot of success globally, from having your music used in promotional material for games (Tiny Tina’s Wonderland) to appearing on programs like The Late Show with Steven Colbert. How does it feel to break out so far from Japan?

MOAMETAL: We’ve been BABYMETAL for 13 years now but considering the fact that there are still many who do not know about us, it means that we have more work to do. And so I don’t feel like we’ve had a breakthrough success. It’s a strange feeling because even when we’re just walking around, we don’t get noticed at all haha. But when we are interviewed by Malaysian media like this, or when we go on tour and are greeted by people wearing our t-shirts, I feel the recognition.

It makes me happy to know that there are people waiting for us in countries outside of our home country Japan. Not only that, we have people who know our songs and love us for who we are. We are very happy to be able to connect with people across the world through BABYMETAL. We will continue to do what we can to the best of our ability and push forward, while also keeping in mind to be thankful for everyone’s warm support.

You’ve also worked with many legendary bands like Bring Me The Horizon and Judas Priest and also received praise from people like Dave Grohl from Foo Fighters. Did you ever stop and ask yourselves “How did I get here?”

MOAMETAL: Definitely! I’m absolutely grateful for all these legendary artists to know about BABYMETAL but at the same time, I ask myself “Wait…why do such legendary artists know about us”? It’s just mindblowing and strange because I can’t put a finger on what it is about BABYMETAL that sticks with them or makes them recognize us. One day, I’d love to ask them myself!

One thing I can say is it feels like the legends welcomed us as one of them because they saw us striving and continue believing in our music and also because we both share the fact that we love music and want to take music to the next level. I’m incredibly grateful to these legends for being so generous and very welcoming of a foreign, all-female group like us. We will continue to do our best for all those who have and continue to support BABYMETAL and can be proud of our accomplishments.

What kind of music are you currently interested in and with which artist would you want to collaborate in the near future?

SU-METAL: I listen to a wide variety of songs including metal, pop, jazz, etc. I enjoy listening to symphonic metal so I like Night Wish and we’ve never exactly collaborated with Metallica so I’d love to one day fulfill that dream!

I think BABYMETAL has a very diverse mix of fans from all sorts of backgrounds. What do you think is the secret to BABYMETAL’s broad appeal?

SU-METAL: BABYMETAL combines a lot of different types of music and so I think it’s an easy listen for both types of people: those who are and are not accustomed to listening to metal music. I’d love to become a bridge, or an introduction for people who have never heard metal music whether it be through our costumes or choreography or whatever reason they take interest in us. I hope BABYMETAL can provide the best entertainment for all of you!

What types of cuisine have you tried while on tour so far and which ones are your favorites?

MOAMETAL: During the tour, we are constantly traveling so I don’t have the luxury of eating my favorite food but I love to eat different types of food so I look forward to every meal. I feel very happy when I get to eat the specialties of that country or place. When I get to eat food that is unique to a place, I feel like I am one of the locals.

I obtain information about a country or region from food so food is very important to me in many ways. I generally like potato dishes so I’m glad that in Europe they often come with potatoes. When I’m in Malaysia, I definitely want to try bak kut teh and chicken rice!

In between performances, have you gone sightseeing in any of the countries you’re touring in? What’s your favorite place you’ve been so far?

MOAMETAL: Well to be honest, during the tour, I don’t have much time for sightseeing because, on days when we don’t have shows, our time is usually consumed by traveling to the next city. I was hoping to do a lot of sightseeing on this Asian tour but unfortunately, it looks like there will be no time for that.
But more than anything, what I look forward to the most every time we are on tour is seeing our fans! Please make sure to rest up for our show because I expect lots of energy from you! See you all there!

Do you have any messages for Malaysian BABYMETAL fans?

SU-METAL: We finally get to see you all so I’m really looking forward to it! Our live performances are our greatest strength and appeal so for those who have seen us somewhere before, I hope our enhanced upcoming performance will surprise you all! Please listen to all our songs before coming to our shows so that you’re familiar with the songs we perform on the day of!

We thank the members of BABYMETAL for agreeing to this interview and telling us more about their plans going forward and the challenges of going on tour. It’s great to see them pay Malaysia a visit, and I’m certainly excited to see them on stage. We wish them the best of luck on their latest tour.

As mentioned in the interview, BABYMETAL will be performing live in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia on the 4th of June 2023. We are currently holding a giveaway for free tickets to the concert, click here for more details.

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