[JPOP] What do I think of BABYMETAL?

First some background (warning, this part is long but it is needed to fully qualify my response to this question).  Prior to 2007, I used to write extensively about Japanese popular culture (more specifically the music industry).  To be even more specific, from 2000 until around 2007ish, I was involved (event staff) with the anime seiyuu and singer, Shiina Hekiru.  Much of it was on the side (my involvement with tech overlapped the digital audio and video space where I was involved with prototype testing Yamaha’s PM1D (a modular digital mixing and control system which was officially released in December 2000 (helped roll this out for her 2001 summer concert tour).  Will have a separate posting about that.

Digressing, the accessibility aspect of Japanese music (ongaku) has changed dramatically in recent years due to the rapid uptake of social media (especially by newer acts and their management who have been far more open to using this medium) as well Japanese national broadcaster NHK actually making JPOP more reaching with specific english speaking programming like J-Melo that was targeted to audiences outside of Japan via NHK World.

Musical interests wise, I listen to a lot of different types of music ranging from JPOP/JROCK, enka, jazz, to western rock and metal.  I also enjoy listening to classical music but this actually isn’t that surprising.  Music is fundamentally about notes that are put together and presented in some fashion (both audibly and visually).  This leads to variety of styles that results in more defined categories and genres that makes it easier for commercial marketing purposes.  Personally for myself, I’ve had a long interest in Japanese music since childhood since it was a part of growing up (watching NHK’s Kohaku Uta-gassen for example) with local broadcasters in California and Hawaii specializing in Japanese television programming (licensed from Japan) for the issei/nisei population in the US.

While it wasn’t actual viral marketing per se, that aspect always gave me an appreciation for my own cultural heritage that didn’t really reach fruition until after I graduated from college.  But this also made it far easier for me to embrace Japanese music (as well as other music from other countries) early on.

Western pop music (by this, I mean commercial friendly/bubblegum pop type) never really interested me but I cannot say the same for JPOP and KPOP as an example.  Speaking from a JPOP perspective, there’s always been this interesting blend and mix where various genres tend to mix and cross boundaries.  The only JPOP that makes my ears bleed are ones with the typical high nasally vocals on every single song.  Thus I tend to shy away from the majority of the mainstream idol groups (which as most anyone knows, is highly manufactured and utilizes over the top cuteness with high-pitched nasal vocals as part of that formula).

Using my prior involvement with Shiina Hekiru for example, she wasn’t what I would classify as someone who performed hard rock or pure pop music.  Nor was her image anywhere close to the “kawaii idol” style that characterizes the likes of Morning Musume or AKB48 (and even there are differences here which goes beyond the scope of this posting).  She also didn’t have particularly strong vocals compared to many other singers (and was one that I would say was an acquired taste); see the following concert digest as an example:

Instead, it was a mix that I only remotely classify as hard pop rock.  But what always piqued my interest were the live performances of singers and groups that became my favorites.  We’re talking high energy and an extremely engaging performance.  True, there are groups that much more easier to identify with the usual genres (X Japan and Loudness are perfect examples of Japanese metal bands that most traditional metal heads could identify with and get into inspite of the language barrier).  But the same cannot be said of groups that have a musical range that crosses over between the likes of hard rock, metal, and pop) like LUNA SEA and SIAM SHADE as examples.  Both of these groups formed and drew inspiration from bands like X Japan and Loudness.  X Japan in their earlier years though were also part of the whole visual kei subculture movement (marked by wild hairstyles, elaborate makeup, and equally wild costumes); groups like LUNA SEA, GLAY and SIAM SHADE (as well as L’Arc~en~Ciel) were originally all visual kei at the start but quickly shed that image as it grew out of vogue commercially in the mid-90’s.

But the visual style itself hasn’t completely died out; part of it continues while part it has evolved in terms of its use where one of my current day favorite J-Rock/Metal bands (since at least 2003ish) Onmyouza (陰陽座), utilized Heian-era clothing and Japanese mythology based lyrics as part of their entire concept.If this visual style sounds the same as the whole Los Angeles glam-metal movement (with bands like Motley Crue, Poison, RATT, etc), it was similar but also different.  Glam metal not only had the appearance, but the metal inspired music itself reflected the free wheeling sign of those times; to have fun and party.  This is in contrast to visual kei where even though the appearance was wild, the music still transcended that facade (some of it being as dark as hell).  There is absolutely nothing wrong with the former; I still remember the “hate” that occurred with glam metal by the so-called hardcore metal listeners.  To be honest, I really didn’t care about the whole image thing; I enjoyed listening to the stuff.

I do realize that I’m overgeneralizing because there is far more depth to this (but it all goes beyond the scope of this posting – I’m just trying to summarize the background for my opinion on the subject matter).  So what do I think of Japan’s BABYMETAL?

I’ll be absolutely upfront about this.  My initial impression was a huge WTF is this shit?  I’m not talking about the misleading type of “what’s your reaction?” type of videos that cherry picks clips that  doesn’t give a completely accurate representation of something that requires a wider look to actually form a more solid opinion.

I’m talking about seeing their first PV – ド・キ・ド・キ☆モーニング (Doki Doki☆Morning).

It’s just typical JPOP d-tuned with more bass/drums without the electronic signature at the forefront than the usual bubblegum stuff.  But it was nothing out of the ordinary – you had three young girls (around 11 and 13 years old at the time) singing and dancing to that d-tuned pop.  My first impression was that it missed the point completely.  But that isn’t my exact answer to the question.  (The following goes off on what looks like a tangent to fully answer the topic of this post.)

It’s not like this idea is new either; there have been attempts in the past with the whole “band-dol” concept starting with chee’s for example (a sub group of Checkicco).  The term band-dol should be obvious; it’s about taking idols, putting instruments in their hands, and making like they are a bonafide band playing JPOP.  But rarely are they formed like most “real” bands are where there is this thing called member chemistry which accounts for the intangible aspects of what makes many bands work in the first place when writing and performing music.

Checkicco themselves were a large girl idol group formed by Yasushi Akimoto (the same one who is behind AKB48).  Akimoto also founded Onyanko Club in the 80’s.  All his groups that he created and produced had a common format; large groups (10+) with those girls splitting up into smaller sub-groups with differing themes.  Almost every other large school of idol manufacturing in Japan has ended up following this approach (some with more success than others).

Onyanko Club did quite well during the 80’s but Checkicco (late 90’s) was rather short lived.  The chee’s sub unit was what I would call one of the first attempts at the band-dol concept (again, giving girl idols instruments to play in a band format).  Their music was poppy with a punkish short of twist (their most known song was ガラガラゲッチュ).

While Checkicco ended, the group had enough of an interested following (myself included) that it continued on as a spinoff.  The girls despite being thrown together, actually had chemistry due to working with each other in Checkicco as a whole.  But the changing tide of JPOP in the new millennia (to be dominated by the likes of Hamasaki  Ayumi, Utada Hikaru, and South Korea’s Kwon Boa as well as Tsunku’s entire Hello! Project with Morning Musume) eventually doomed the group to where it was suddenly disbanded in 2001.

While the girls in the group had no inkling of the disbanding, looking back now, it was clear that Akimoto was again ahead of his time (concept wise) but didn’t have what Tsunku had during that same timeframe; this penchant for songs, image, and merchandising that would appeal to large demographic of male and female fans.  Tsunku’s Hello! Project was a machine that outdid Akimoto in every single facet until he found a different formula with AKB48 (idols that were seemingly more accessible given the way their shows/appearances were structured in Don Quixote in Akihabara) which is now a juggernaut larger than Hello! Project.

Interestingly enough, two of the original members of chee’s (Rika on bass and Mami on drums) ended up reforming the group in 2010 (calling for auditions) with a new third member (Animo on keyboards) called blue chee’s.

But that’s another topic….

RunTime Music Entertainment in Sapporo were putting together a dance unit of girls’ one which morphed from a 8 member dance unit to a 4 piece girl band that became known as ZONE in 1999.  Unlike chee’s, there were still heavy idol influences incorporated into ZONE where their indie performances included a mix of playing as a band, while also doing the usual choreographed singing/dancings (sans instruments).  The group would later infuse some of the simpler choreography into their band performances.

Their music was naturally very commercial friendly which had broad appeal.  Sony Music Entertainment Japan eventually signed them to a major label deal where they became an immediate success.  Even with original guitarist Ookoshi Takayo leaving in 2003 (replaced by one of the original girls; Nishimura Tomoka who was cut from the 6 member roster), the group remained popular until they made the decision to disband when drummer Mizuho Saito, made the decision to leave the band in order to further her studies and work in the hospitality industry (*).

(*) Now people who don’t understand the Japanese entertainment business (especially the music industry) will wonder why someone would choose to leave behind celebrity and fame in this manner.  To make it simple (since this too goes beyond the scope of this post), most major label music contracts in Japan aren’t like the way it is in the west.  Most times, they become regular employees (paid a salary) with access to the resources of the music label for production and promotion purposes.  There isn’t money fronted based on the premise of delivering x-number of albums (which that fronted money must be properly managed to cover all those costs involved).  Instead, the record music industry in Japan is a well oiled machine (which is why the fixed costs of Japanese singles and albums are high – all those salaries including administrators/staffs have to be paid).  You have to literally be at the top as an established artist to command the kind of money that performers in the western music world makes.

Then there’s the business entertainment side when it comes to on-air appearances (which their talent/management agencies get a sizable cut from), fan meetings, photo and video shoots for merchandising purposes, and the obligatory live concerts.  When you consider rehearsals and the fact that many idols are still school aged (thus attending school and/or receiving tutoring until at least junior high at which point, some decide not to go on and complete high school at that time), most have their plates full.

Furthermore, idol entertainers in Japan are a dime a dozen; there are talent agencies and schools that teach the basics from an early age and crank them out.  Most idols nowadays (besides the obligatory looks) have to not only be able to sing and dance, but also have to be able to play an instrument.  The more talents/skills they have, the more potential they have for digging out a niche in the geinokai.  Idols also have a relatively short life span due to the “demand” for keeping things fresh/new.  Thus from an employment/career perspective, someone who starts off as an idol has to be able to carve out a niche for themselves in what is a cutthroat business.

This is why we tend to see a large amount of gimmicks used (thus often times, things are not what they appear to be; every avenue is used including using street performances, the whole “struggled to reach this point” story, posing as “amateurs” on social media including YouTube or Nico Nico Douga, etc).  There’s a large amount of formula at play to sell an image and the ones who do it well, often take it to the next level (like Brand-new Idol Society for example with the atypical idol concept.).

But there also isn’t a shortage of talent (for anyone who goes out on a typical weekend to Yoyogi-koen or outside of JR Akihabara Station) when it comes to street performers looking just to get an indie deal (often times there are street performances signed to an indies contract but continue to do street performances as part of their thing; singer/songwriter Mori Megumi who is an actual artist did this and still does her street lives even after a major label deal with avex).

When you’re twenty something and can potentially avoid the mundane rat race of the countries rigid workplace norms, even an indies deal would look appealing.  The salaries are fairly decent considering their young ages to where funding a future college education isn’t an issue.  But getting into the larger entertainment companies (or signing to any one of the myriad of sub labels) brings about better salaries, benefits, and accessibility to resources.  But as one gets older (in the idol world), it becomes more problematic because the preference is for young.  Thus it’s a key reason why you often times see this sort of decision made as an idol gets older to complete their education; it’s a smart move.  Others leave because the above completely burns them out where it ends up affecting their physical and mental health.  But this is going way off on a tangent on what is already a tangent so I’ll stop.

Digressing, the ending of ZONE in 2005 left a vacuum in this whole band-dol niche in terms of signed groups.  Not to say there weren’t a shortage of street performers (there were lots but obviously,  not many caught the eye of scouts who usually tend to go check out such performances).  But as I always mentioned, nature abhors a vacuum and knew there would be something else to eventually take the place of ZONE.

In Osaka, an all girl group known as SCANDAL formed in 2006.  They would do street performances in the area (mainly Osaka and Kyoto) as well as show up every weekend at Shiroten on the park grounds outside of Osaka Castle (some pictures and video clips from around 2007ish).  Unlike ZONE, SCANDAL had less of an idol style influence in terms of their music as well as image (which costume wise, started off with seifuku types of tops and skirts – but eventually gave way to a broader fashion style).  Musically, it was what I call rockier/rougher/raw and again, had that mix of genres associated with it – but with an edge.

They eventually signed with an indies label (Kitty Records in early 2008) which paved the way for more activities; the biggest one probably being the decision to play in the US on the Japan Nite Tour in spring 2008.  This led to what I call valuable exposure beyond the safe confines of the Japanese music industry and helped fuel major label interest back in Japan.  The girls have a high energy live performance which helped them connect with their audience regardless of language barrier (even though they had basic english banter, it was pretty much rudimentary stuff like “We are SCANDAL, we are from Japan, do you like sushi?” sort of communication).

Unsurprisingly after completing that overseas tour of the US (which later included the Sakura-con anime convention in Seattle, Japan Expo in France, and ACGHK (Anime Comic Game Hong Kong), they were signed to a Japanese major label contract.  This afforded them unparalleled exposure on the main music shows and resulted in a sort of critical mass that propelled them upwards beyond any of the previous band-dol type acts; except they weren’t really formulated from that same mode as they started off as a band.  True, most of the girls went through the same idol grinder in terms of early training/development (I know that Sasazaki Mami and Ono Haruna attended such an agency together when they were younger as there are old photos and selfie videos which they posted up before SCANDAL was formed; they both are from Aichi in Nagoya) but as far as I know, their band development wasn’t something put together by a talent agency.

Which FINALLY leads me back to BABYMETAL.  As noted, there was no real initial impression back in 2011.  The group was of the same mode as other girl idol units; a sub-group formed in 2010 out of a larger whole (Sakura Gakuin) which had their own twist on how to keep things fresh (all girls have to “graduate” out of Sakura Gakuin once they graduate from junior high) compared to Morning Musume or AKB48.

None of the three girls had any idea of what heavy metal was all about when they were placed into BABYMETAL.  None of them really knew each other that well either outside from being a part of Sakura Gakuin.  And that in my opinion, is actually what makes BABYMETAL work especially as the whole concept evolved (rapidly) along the way.  As noted, their Doki Doki ☆ Morning PV (a DVD single released in 2011) didn’t leave me any sort of unique first impression.  And it didn’t help that there really weren’t any live performance clips of them either at the time.

Their first indies CD single in 2012 didn’t change anything.  What I mean is it sounded like I was listening to harder anime themed music played by a metal band with a young female idol singing; nothing unique as there are a ton of JPOP and anime songs that have the same sound and song structure.  The critical changing point though was with their July 2012 single release of “Headbanger!!” or more specifically, the promotional video for it.  Once I saw that, BABYMETAL made a whole lot more sense.  It’s a humorous take on what any metal head can associate with.