Babymetal (Japanese: ベビーメタル, Hepburn: Bebīmetaru) is a Japanese kawaii metal band consisting of Suzuka Nakamoto as "Su-metal", Moa Kikuchi as "Moametal" and Momoko Okazaki as "Momometal". The band is produced by Kobametal from the Amuse talent agency. Their vocals are backed by heavy metal instrumentation, performed by a group of session musicians known as the "Kami Band" at performances.
The band was formed in 2010, with the original lineup of Su-metal (vocal and dance), Moametal (scream and dance), and Yui Mizuno as "Yuimetal" (scream and dance), with the concept of creating a fusion of the heavy metal and Japanese idol genres. Originally a sub-unit of the Japanese idol group Sakura Gakuin, Babymetal became an independent act in 2013, following Nakamoto's departure from Sakura Gakuin.
Babymetal have released four studio albums since their inception: the first, Babymetal, came out in February 2014. Their second album Metal Resistance was released in April 2016. The group released their third album Metal Galaxy in October 2019. Their fourth album, The Other One, was released in March 2023. Babymetal has embarked on several tours, with a majority of their tour dates taking place outside of Asia.
In October 2018, Babymetal announced that Yui Mizuno had decided to leave the band due to poor health, following her absence from live performances since December 2017. After her departure, the band performed with one or more backup dancers at live performances. One of those dancers, Momoko Okazaki (a former member of Sakura Gakuin), joined Babymetal as the third core member in April 2023, under the stage name Momometal.
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