(Reading time: 4 minutes)
Ever sometimes wonder what you did wrong at age 11 that you’re not a metal star today? Turns out, it would’ve taken so little… just asking for chocolate in a slightly rougher tone. “Gimme chocolate!!”
The first single by the Japanese kawaii metal band Babymetal was actually “Doki Doki Morning”; “Gimme Chocolate!!” came four years later, but the age 11 still checks out. The combined age of all three members when the group was formed added up to 34, with the youngest being exactly 11.
Suzuka Nakamoto aka SU-METAL – 12 years old (born December 20, 1997)
Moa Kikuchi aka MOAMETAL – 11 years old (born July 4, 1999)
Yui Mizuno aka YUIMETAL – 11 years old (born June 20, 1999)
The idea of blending metal with cuteness and dance came from heavy metal enthusiast Kobametal (Key Kobayashi) in 2009. A year later, three little girls met in Tokyo, and Babymetal was born. Kobametal became their producer, and nobody cared that none of the girls had even heard of metal before. Their first concert was on November 28, 2010.
And for comparison, here’s Headbanger from 2021—because one concert was definitely not the end of it:
Metal music, costumes (not just for the singers), stage decoration, vocals that sometimes drift into pop style, clearly divided roles; Suzuka takes center stage as lead vocalist, always with one ponytail, while the backup vocals, dance, and playful antics are handled by “the ones with two ponytails” (Moa and Yui). This seemingly insane combo has enjoyed insane success. In our articles, we mention K-pop more often, but Babymetal is a prime example of a Japanese musical cult phenomenon (among male artists, ONE OK ROCK deserves a mention).
The song “Gimme Chocolate!!” gained more international recognition in 2014—it was also the first Babymetal song I ever heard. The title itself sounds weird but in a very catchy way. As for the lyrics:
Are you ready?
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
Look at the chocolate (chocolate, chocolate)
I want it, I want it, but my weight’s been bothering me lately
Still, chocolate (chocolate, chocolate)
I want it, I want it, I want it, I’m gonna eat it anyway
Gimme chocolate!! (Please!)
Gimme chocolate!! (Please!)
Gimme chocolate!! (Please!)
Gimme chocolate!! (Please!)
Look at the chocolate (chocolate, chocolate)
I want it, I want it, but my weight’s been bothering me lately
Still, chocolate (chocolate, chocolate)
I want it, I want it, I want it, I’m gonna eat it anyway
Gimme chocolate!! (Please!)
Gimme chocolate!! (Please!)
Gimme chocolate!! (Please!)
Gimme chocolate!! (Please!)
Mmm… No time to worry now! (Please)
Let’s eat a lot and dance all night (Please)
Go! Go! Go! Go!
Look at the chocolate (chocolate, chocolate)
I want it, I want it, but my weight’s been bothering me lately
Still, chocolate (chocolate, chocolate)
I want it, I want it, I want it, I’m gonna eat it anyway
Gimme chocolate!! (Please!)
Gimme chocolate!! (Please!)
Gimme chocolate!! (Please!)
Gimme chocolate!! (Please!)
Mmm… I don’t wanna hear such things (Please)
Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme chocolate!! (Please)
Go! Go! Go! Go!
Well… how many people actually listen to metal for the lyrics, right?
As of today, Babymetal has released 4 studio albums and over 80 songs (including various alternative or cover versions):
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/tW3t5gF0GxCswab9jchcZHg/htmlview#
They’ve collected a bunch of awards from MTV Music Awards (Europe, Japan), Loudwire Annual Music Awards, or even Vogue. Their most recent one was in 2020, though with a different lineup. In 2018, Yui Mizuno left the band due to health reasons. She was replaced by Momoko Okazaki aka MOMOMETAL (born March 3, 2003), and the band kept going. Momoko first joined in 2019 “only” as a dancer, officially becoming a full member in 2023. Of course, Babymetal continued performing even without her, though perhaps their biggest challenge for a while was how to place Suzuka in the center when there were only two performers. The answer is simple, you can´t so you won´t. What a drag.
Now back as a trio again, they performed f. e. in Warsaw (June 2024), and their latest collaboration with Germany’s ElectricCallboy is an absolute glorious madness. Fourteen years on the scene, ten years ago it was “ATATATA” (see “Gimme Chocolate!!” video), in 2024 it’s “RATATATA”—and the ponytails live on.
DONKEY’S SPECIAL:
– If none of the songs mentioned here caught your attention, it’s probably not worth continuing the conversation. Otherwise, I highly recommend diving into the web—there’s a whole internet full of Babymetal. 🙂
-mj-