Pop Japan

Incorporating the cute idol look with metal music, the Kawaii Metal genre gave a new and refreshing look that is unseen outside of the Japanese metal scene.

Defined as a combination of Japanese pop, power and thrash metal, this new music genre mixes its upbeat melody and usually high-pitched vocals with complex instrumentals and aggressive deep screamos.

It’s lyrics also differ from typical and overly-covered topics such as death and pain—focusing more on conveying a positive and empowering lyrics.

Another aspect of this genre is that the artists wear cute uniforms during their performances, combining the metal aesthetic and typical Japanese kawaii fashion.

Origin of Kawaii Metal

Also known as idol metal, cute metal, or kawaiicore—Kawaii metal genre started out in early 2010 after the debut of metal idol group Babymetal.

Amuse, the talent agency responsible for the idol group Sakura Gakuin, decided to try out a different style of music with its members, picking out Suzuka Nakamoto, Yui Mizuno, and Moa Kikuchi to form the sub-unit.

Fusing the attributes of metal music and J-pop, this strange and unique combination became an instant hit with the fans in the country, hailing the group, Babymetal, as the creator and frontrunner of the musical genre.

In 2014, the group went on a world tour, which helped kawaii metal to pierce through the international music scene. They also had the honor of opening for international music sensations such as Lady Gaga, Metallica, Guns ‘n’ Roses, and Red Hot Chilli Peppers on both of their U.S. tours.

Babymetal has also received global recognitions and earned 23 music awards since their debut.

Other Kawaii Metal bands

As the popularity of the genre began to skyrocket, new bands were eventually formed to take on the center stage, which elevated kawaii metal genre to become a phenomenon in the Japanese music industry.

Below is a list of popular Kawaii metal bands following the footsteps of Babymetal:

Doll$Boxx is an all-girl rock band formed in 2012, consisting of former members of the idol group Gacharic spin, and the power metal band Light Bringer. The group debuted with the studio album, Dolls Apartment, which was released on December 12, 2012 in Japan, and January 29, 2013 in Korea. The group was welcomed with enthusiasm and positive feedback, earning them a solid following from fans from both the East and the West.

In 2017, Doll$boxx released a mini-album entitled High$pec, which has five title tracks worldwide under Victor Entertainment in Japan, Sliptrick Records in the US and Northern territories, and JPU Records in Europe.

Ladybaby is founded by Richard Margaerey’s crossdressing persona, Ladybeard, who is a professional wrestler hailing from Australia. Together with him are Japanese models Rie Kaneko and Rei Kuromiya. The group was formed in 2013 but did not release their debut song Nippon Manju until the middle of 2015.

The music video went viral on Youtube, garnering one million views in a span of two days.

The group rebranded its name as ‘The Idol Formerly known as Ladybaby’ after Ladybeard decided to leave the group permanently.

Band-Maid is a rock band formed in 2013, combining rock music with a cute maid image. They are referred to as a ‘dirty rock ‘n’ roll band,’ combining the attitude of Guns N’ Roses and the pomp of Def Leppard.

They released their debut mini-album, entitled Maid, in Japan in early 2014. The songs were written in collaboration with musicians Masahiko Fukui and Kentaro Akutsu.

Deadlift Lolita. After leaving his prior group, Ladybaby, Ladybeard founded Deadlift Lolita with J-pop vocalist Reika Saiki in early 2017.

Defining their music as kawaiicore, the group utilizes cleanly sung vocals of Reika and the death growls from Ladybeard. The theme of their lyrics focuses on fitness and working out, with “cute, muscle, and energy” as its major elements.

Kawaii metal may not be everyone’s cup of tea but no one can deny that it is a growing act, not just in the Japanese music scene, but also globally, as performers of the genre pierces through the international music industry.

And with the evolving trends in music, coupled with interest in the Japanese culture, there’s always the possibility of the Kawaii metal genre influencing other music acts and being adapted by artists all over the world.