Source here: https://www.billboard-japan.com/special/detail/4067
I used DeepL to translate it. It might not be 100% accurate. If you see any mistakes please let me now.
We asked the three members to talk about the new song, touring, collaborations, and the current state of BABYMETAL. (Interview & Text: Nasuke Shibanori / Photo: Susumu Miyawaki (PROGRESS-M))
–As the first song of the new BABYMETAL, “Metari! (feat. Tom Morello)” has been completed. First of all, how did you all feel when the song was completed?
SU-METAL: "What the hell? I think we have created a song that is interesting, yet mature, and very BABYMETAL. We’ve created a song that will definitely be a hit at live performances, so now I’m simply looking forward to performing it, and I’m excited to see what kind of reactions we’ll get.
MOAMETAL: It’s a song I’m really looking forward to performing. It’s been a while since I’ve played an up-tune song like this, so I’m glad that this is the first song we’ve played since we came into the new organization, and since Tom Morello played this song for us, I want to treasure it.
–What do you think about this song, which is the first song for you?
MOMOMETAL: From the first time I heard the intro of the song, I thought, "This song is great. I am glad that this is the first song that makes me excited just by listening to it. There are various points of interest in the choreography as well, and I am looking forward to performing it.
–Tom Morello’s guitar also has a strong presence in this song. What was your impression of his guitar sound?
SU-METAL: I think it fits the chaotic atmosphere of "Metal! I think BABYMETAL is a group that has been delivering surprises like "What the hell is this? I think BABYMETAL is a group that has been delivering surprises, and this song is a good example of that with "PA PA YA! and “Megitsune”. So, I have the impression that BABYMETAL fans are familiar with this song, but in the second half, the atmosphere changes drastically, and it becomes as if we threw a bucket of fluorescent colors at the song. We thought we had updated the BABYMETAL songs in our own way, but the addition of Tom Morello’s guitar brought out new "what the heck? I was thinking of updating BABYMETAL’s songs in my own way. He is indeed a legendary guitarist.
MOAMETAL: I myself listened to the Rage Against the Machine album and thought Tom Morello’s guitar was really cool. I am very happy to have someone like that involved in the music, and I can’t wait to see the circle expand in this way.
–What was your favorite part of Rage Against the Machine?
MOAMETAL: I had listened to “The Battle of Los Angeles” album, but I had also seen Tom Morello’s guitar playing on YouTube, so maybe that’s where I started. I was attracted by his interesting and kinky performances.
** --The melody of this song is unique and has an impression of a folk song. What did you have in mind when you sang the song?**
SU-METAL: I have been having more opportunities to sing songs like “METALIZM” from my last album (“THE OTHER ONE”) that have a folk song-like melody. I think this has become one of my weapons, and I think I was able to use it in this song as well. This song is up-tempo, but I think it has a bit of a mischievous feel to it. In my image, the way the song is sung, as if I were throwing up, is a point I was conscious of.
–The lyrics also have many drastic phrases, don’t they? I think you must have felt like you were singing with your head screwed on.
MOAMETAL: First of all, you were alone in the booth. You were like, "Wasshoi! Wasshoi! I was quite embarrassed to go into the booth alone and sing at that volume with that kind of tension. So I was very nervous while recording, wondering how much I could raise the tension.
MOMOMETAL: As MOAMETAL said, if there is even a moment when I come back to myself, I get a little embarrassed. I tried to make it exciting and festive.
–I heard that Momometal was in charge of the dialogue part in the song.
MOMOMETAL: This is exactly what I did. I was very conscious of the intonation and spent a lot of time recording the song to make it interesting and to enhance the image of the song.
–I think this was the first time for you and MOAMETAL to work with MOMOMETAL on the recording and production of the song.
MOAMETAL: She seemed to have worked extremely hard on the dialogue parts, and I think her serious stoicism was adorable, as she spent almost an hour in the booth working on the role.
SU-METAL: I don’t think you know what kind of person MOMOMETAL is yet, but we are still in the process of finding out. Every time we meet her, my impression of her changes, and I think she is a person whose good points are becoming clearer and clearer. Through the production of this song, we have learned what makes MOMOMETAL so appealing, and I think it has added a nice new spice to BABYMETAL.
–What kind of scene do you expect to see when you perform this song live?
MOAMETAL: It’s such a hot song that we ourselves get drenched in sweat every time we dance to it, as if all the water in our bodies will drain out. So I think the audience will be really hot, too. We will be selling fans as merchandise, and I want everyone to shake them together.
–Please tell us again about the past of the new BABYMETAL. I think the “BABYMETAL BEGINS - THE OTHER ONE -” “CLEAR NIGHT” live performance on April 2 this year was a turning point in many ways, but looking back on your first live performance with the three of you on stage, what do you remember? What do you remember about the first live performance with the three of you on stage?
MOAMETAL: Many of the songs were from the past, so I was reminded of the old days, but it was the day when I felt that the present was the best and the most fun.
SU-METAL: For me, the most impressive part of “CLEAR NIGHT” was the cheers from the audience when “Road of Resistance” started. While I was singing, I thought to myself, "The three of us are going overseas, and we are about to start our training. It may be tough, but when I heard everyone’s cheers and felt that everyone here was on my side, I felt very reassured. I felt reassured when I heard everyone’s cheers and felt that everyone here was on my side. Don’t worry, we’re all here for you. I was very happy about that.
–How about you, MOMOMETAL? How did you feel when you were on stage?
MOMOMETAL: It was just a lot of fun. There were many memorable moments in the live performance, and we always say "We are BABYMETAL! I was very happy to be able to say it with pride.
–I was also impressed that when each member said their name during “BABYMETAL DEATH,” MOMOMETAL received the loudest cheers. How did you feel when you were performing that song?
MOMOMETAL: I was really happy, and I got the feeling that the audience had been waiting for this song. I will never forget that moment.
SU-METAL: For me, it was supposed to be a surprise, but I was surprised. It sounded like joy, and I was very happy to hear the audience’s honest feelings and to finally be able to perform this song like this.
MOAMETAL: I was a little worried. But when I heard the screams of the audience, I realized that there were people who loved what we had decided to do, and I was able to experience the moment when MOMOMETAL was loved together with them.
–Since May, you have been on a UK & Europe tour with Sabaton, and a one-man Asia & Australia tour that took you to many countries. The itinerary alone must have been grueling, but what was the experience like?
MOAMETAL: I have never toured this hard in my 13 years of activity. I thought it was really cool to suddenly start the engine and not stop. Since the new organization was formed, we have been so busy every day that we haven’t been able to step on a single footstep. I am happy that we never stop, and I am also happy that there are people who want to be a part of it. I’m really happy these days.
SU-METAL：To be honest, touring is a lot of work, and in Europe, the countries and languages change every day, so I find myself wondering "Where am I now? Where was I yesterday? Every day I was like, "Where am I now? It’s hard to stay in shape and do all kinds of other things, but I honestly wanted to sing for a long time (while I was off performing live), so I’m really enjoying every day that I can sing. I’ve been touring with MOAMETAL as if we were a family, and MOMOMETAL has been able to fit right in. I think the three of us will be able to work together, and I hope we can continue to do so in the future.
–How about you, MOMOMETAL? I know it’s all new to you.
MOMOMETAL: It is a period in which I will find my own challenges as there are many performances. It was a tough tour, but being able to overcome it gave me confidence, and I feel like I made a great start.
–Please tell us about your respective tours. First of all, what do you remember about the UK & Europe tour with Sabaton?
SU-METAL: I was personally very happy to be able to see Sabaton live every day. I think their live performances are also enjoyable to watch, or rather, they are like a comprehensive art form. I think that is similar to BABYMETAL, so I was able to learn a lot from them in that sense, and I really enjoyed traveling with them.
MOAMETAL： It was a lot of fun for me too, we performed nearly 30 shows, and as SU-METAL said, Sabaton is a group that is fun to watch, and their performances are always amazing. So I was influenced by them and wanted to do my best. I am very glad that my first tour was with Sabaton.
–What do you think about Asia and Australia? What was impressive looking back?
SU-METAL: Indonesia was especially amazing. I couldn’t believe that it was my first one-man show. Everyone sang all my parts. Everyone’s voices were so loud that they could have gone hoarse, and their eyes were so wide open that they didn’t want to miss a single moment of the show. I was trying to enjoy this space with my whole body. Isn’t everyone going to break down? Are you going to be okay? The crowd was so excited that I thought, "Are they going to break down? Maybe it was the young age of the audience that made them so energetic, but I could really feel that they had been waiting for us. We were also energized, and the staff, who were a bit tired after the tour with Sabaton, were also energized. It was amazing.
MOAMETAL: I was surprised that the big venue in Australia was filled. But all the venues were filled to capacity. I had never been to Australia before, but the fact that there were so many people waiting for me makes me think that I will be able to meet even more people when I go to other places. I definitely want to tour Asia and Australia again.
MOMOMETAL: I had a great time performing with F.HERO in Thailand. He rapped live, which was really cool. The audience seemed really happy. It was so exciting, and the song was over in the blink of an eye. It was a memorable moment.
–In August, you are scheduled to perform at the RISING SUN ROCK FESTIVAL and SUMMER SONIC. How enthusiastic are you about performing at festivals in Japan for the first time in a while?
SU-METAL: I love Japanese festivals, so I am simply very much looking forward to it. This time, we are going to play a song for the festival called "METARI! a song for festivals, a song that is meant to get people excited, so I’m really looking forward to performing this song at festivals.
MOAMETAL: I am very happy because the festivals we are invited to are all festivals that I really like. The timetable is also good, and even though this is my first festival in a long time, I am very happy that they have prepared a stage as big as ever after a long break from live performances. I feel like I have to do my best since they expect so much from me, and I want to do my best to be the last performer at the overseas festivals as well.
MOMOMETAL：I am really looking forward to it. There are still many things I don’t know yet, and I will have the opportunity to see many artists on stage, which will be a valuable experience. I want to cherish each and every one of them.
–From August to October, you will be touring North America with DETHKLOK [THE BABYKLOK TOUR 2023], and you are also scheduled to perform at festivals in North America. What do you have in mind for those?
SU-METAL: I think this year is the year for the new BABYMETAL to meet fans from all over the world. I am very happy to be able to perform in venues that have been scaled up from the previous tour, and I am looking forward to meeting everyone. I think there will be a lot of people who come to see us for the first time, so I hope to make this tour a place where they can get to know the quality of BABYMETAL as well. I hope this tour will be a good opportunity for them to get to know what BABYMETAL is all about.
–What was your first impression when you were offered the chance to collaborate with Lil Uzi Vert?
SU-METAL: I couldn’t believe it. I thought, "You can’t be serious. I thought. When I first heard the demo tape, I laughed because I didn’t really understand it. I was like, "What the heck is this song? And I thought, “Where am I going to sing?” I thought. I had never heard this song before, so I laughed once and then started analyzing the song.
MOMOMETAL: It was my first time to work in this genre, and it was strange to have our voices in it. I was very happy to have collaborated with a great person to create this song.
MOAMETAL：When I listened to all of the songs, I thought they were really stylish. It was like hearing them for the first time.
-I think this song is a type of music that even listeners who have been listening to Lil Uzi Vert for a long time have never heard before.
SU-METAL: Lil Uzi Vert was very fond of BABYMETAL and told us that he wanted to introduce his favorite music and that we could do whatever we wanted. It was a new challenge for us, but we were allowed to go wild in the midst of it.
MOAMETAL: There was a collaboration with Bring Me (The Horizon) on the “Pink Tape” album, and I thought they really like metal music. I want to be friends with them.
――You also collaborated with Bring Me the Horizon on “Kingslayer feat. BABYMETAL” from their 2020 release Post-Human: Survival Horror. On November 3rd, a festival [NEX_FEST] hosted by Bring Me the Horizon will also be held. It’s been a while since you’ve performed together, what do you think?
SU-METAL: I’ve been listening to “Kingslayer” for a long time, so I didn’t feel like I hadn’t seen Bring Me for a while. We have been friends for a long time, and during the Corona period and during our sealing period, this “Kingslayer” allowed us to bring new information to our fans. We are very happy that they sang a lot of songs at our live concerts, and we are also very happy that they cherish the connection with us. That is why we are happy to have been invited to this event, and we are looking forward to seeing each other again after a long time. I think it will be fun to do many things together again.
MOAMETAL: This festival itself has been calling me for a long time, and we have been talking about wanting to work together for years. This festival finally came to fruition, and I’m really looking forward to seeing them again after so many years. （They have been good friends of mine for a long time and have been very kind to me every time I have seen them. I hope we can share the goodness of Bring Me and expand the circle of music at this festival.
-Once again, the names of the collaborators mentioned in this interview are Tom Morello, Lil Uzi Vert, and Bring Me the Horizon. Connections are being made with artists from all over the world in many different genres. Objectively speaking, it is a very interesting situation.
MOAMETAL: Certainly, because I have collaborated with people from various genres, people outside the metal world have come to know us. I think that BABYMETAL has become a little bit of a bridge (to people outside the metal world), and thanks to the collaborations, I am gaining confidence little by little. I feel that thanks to the collaboration, we are gaining confidence.
SU-METAL: Up until now, BABYMETAL has been about gaining recognition from the metal community. We respected metal, but at the same time, we were trying to bring a new wind to the metal scene. Ten years have passed since then, and now I feel that BABYMETAL is exploring new genres of music. Recently, I feel that we are expanding our own circle of artists.
–I feel that the metal genre itself is becoming newer and newer. Various artists are starting to do things that are not bound by conventional concepts. I feel that BABYMETAL is in sync with these trends. How do you feel about this?
MOAMETAL: Certainly the generation is changing drastically, and it is interesting that people who were considered young are now leading the way. There are also legends who recognize these young people, and I think their open-mindedness is also amazing. I’ve come to like metal music that can tolerate various genres in this way even more.
SU-METAL: When I toured Asia and Australia, I found that the fan base was very young. BABYMETAL was originally started with that intention, to have people enjoy metal in a pop or light-hearted way, and to be a gateway to metal music. I hope that our existence has had even a small influence on them.
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