Babymetal, the Japanese teenage girl pop metal band, are scheduled to perform on Steven Colbert’s new show, The Late Show with Steven Colbert April 5. Along with their performance on Colbert, the band will be releasing their album Metal Resistance April 1 of this year. Babymetal was formed after the breakup of the band Sakura Gakuin in 2010. Babymetal performs a distinct mix of schoolgirl J-pop and heavy metal. So far, Babymetal have released a video for their single “The One.” The single appears on Metal Resistance alongside songs that have never been released and some Babymetal have performed at live concerts. The songs are divided between solo tracks and group tracks. Three of the solo tracks are performed by the three musicians that make up Babymetal. “Amore -Aoboshi-” and “No Rain, No Rainbow” are performed by Suzuka Nakamoto (a.k.a. Su-Metal). “GJ!” and “Sis. Anger” are performed by Yui Mizuno (a.k.a. Yuimetal) and Moa Kikuchi (a.k.a. Moametal).
“The One” is a live recorded video of the three singers performing over a crowd dangling above their heads in a triangular enclosure. The song is sung in both Japanese and English. They sing dressed in glittery robes and gothic lolita style clothing. Video footage for “The One” was filmed on December 13, 2015 at Yokohama Arena in Japan on the final date of the Babymetal World Tour.
Many heavy metal fans have been reluctant to listen to Babymetal. While some express their distaste for j-pop and j-metal, criticisms about the band stem from their clothing style to their performances. This can be counted on the notion that the three girls did not know what metal was before they became a mixed metal band. They wear dark clothes, perform choreographed dance moves like those found in j-pop songs, and bang their heads violently.
Babymetal will kick off a 2016 world tour performing at the Wembley Arena in England on April 2. It is a record break in history because these three girls are the first Japanese artist to headline the legendary venue. Dates for other shows along their tour are set to be scheduled from April to June of this year.