The New Year’s Eve music spectacle on NHK will feature first-time acts such as idol group Fruits Zipper and long-awaited ...

When WOLF HOWL HARMONY took the stage at Music Matters Live in Singapore, the cheers were so loud that even the members were caught off guard. “It was crazy, and I got so excited,” recalls Suzuki, the ...

Even if you were staring into a crystal ball, nobody could have foreseen one of modern metal’s wildest innovations taking the form of three teenage girls performing synchronised dance moves. Decked ...

Key Takeaway: BABYMETAL is a Japanese kawaii metal band that fuses J-pop melodies with heavy metal, created in 2010 as a sub-unit of idol group Sakura Gakuin. Currently consisting of SU-METAL and ...

Kawaii Metal: A music genre combining cute J-pop elements with heavy metal instrumentation. Fox God (Kitsune-sama): The mystical entity in BABYMETAL's mythology who guides their destiny. The One: What ...

Misa Kimura was still a student from Tatebayashi, Gunma Prefecture, when she visited Tokyo’s Harajuku neighborhood for the first time. It felt like stepping into a dream. “Every kind of clothing or ...

As country, hip-hop, rap, and acoustic folk rock collide at Summerfest 2025, one band's music style certainly sticks out: kawaii metal, a genre that blends death growl metal and pop sugar vocals.

How would you describe to someone who has never heard of Babymetal and their “kawaii metal” genre? “They make J-pop mixed with heavy metal.” “They soundtrack final boss battles in video games.” “They ...

The Japanese icons have not only challenged our expectations sonically, but they have blazed a trail for many other phenomenal acts of under-represented demographics within the scene, such as ...

Cuisine and culture celebration Otaku Food & Anime Festival is returning to San Antonio this weekend. The free event’s Cherry Blossom Festival installment will take over Wonderland of the Americas, ...

The country’s objects and ideas, including matcha and emojis, that have had an outsize influence on the world. By Kate Guadagnino Illustrations by Ilya Milstein “J-pop” is an umbrella term ...