Make Believe Melodies Vol. 52: Doki Doki ☆ Evening
Yui Mizuno, better known as YUIMETAL in the group BABYMETAL, has officially left the project. The news broke Friday night in Japan, and the reason Mizuno gives in her farewell note is that she "isn't in the best condition." She hasn't been with the group since last December -- you might recall earlier this year the whole "where is YUIMETAL?" saga that greeted their latest U.S. tour -- and this would seem to confirm that something is indeed wrong.
It's not the end of BABYMETAL -- perhaps to soften the blow, they released a new song shortly after the news arrived -- but it does at least end the group's existence as a trio, at least for now. And that means you can close that chapter on what was this decade's biggest global J-pop success story.
As is often the case with acts that manage to crossover to an unfamiliar music market, BABYMETAL initially felt like another bit of "weird Japan" ephemera. Most people not following J-pop or metal probably first encountered the trio with 2014's "Gimme Chocolate!!," a viral hit that landed them on all sorts of aggregate web lockers and earned them the honor of having YouTube goobers make funny faces in a reaction video. But they actually got a first wave of attention the year before, for videos like "Megitsune" and "Doki Doki Morning." Yet that felt short lived, something closer to Slippery Stairs than the launching pad for legitimate overseas success.
But...they did. BABYMETAL's peak days are probably over -- maybe premature, but also...nobody else came close this decade, no shame in being the most successful -- and I think they deserve a second hurrah. This group went from YouTube novelty to legit spectacle capable of playing biggie-sized festivals, attracting metal well-wishers (please ignore Lady Gaga starting this slideshow) and sparking debates in the metal community that could get fierce. Kim Kelly at Noisey wasn't super enthusiastic to see them in 2014 -- but still, was really fair to them! -- and she's basically now known as the American who doesn't like BABYMETAL in Japanese fan circles (despite coming around later). K-pop gets most of the buzz, mostly generated by what BTS has managed to do on the Billboard Charts -- but outside of those Bullet-Proof Boy Scouts, no artist from Asia has managed to beat BABYMETAL's Metal Resistance debuting at 39 on the album chart.
BTS haven't reacted to YouTubers reacting to BTS yet, now have they???
BABYMETAL fell squarely in the middle of the three Japanese acts to go massively viral in the 2010s, coming after Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (pure "whoa, zany Japan!" mutating into something with legit legs...and then being squandered by her ~radio signal fades out ~) and before "PPAP" (part of a moment when "#challenge" was needed for most pop songs to have legs). The lesson to take from them, though, was that you really need to commit to what you do. BABYMETAL started out with what appeared to be a pack of skeletons air-playing their instruments, a cheap way of adding some "metal" flair to their idol-meets-rock hybrid. But not long after, they created a real metal band, featuring an assortment of Japanese metal notables. And that decision to go all in was critical to their success. Remember, Japan's Cool Japan went to BABYMETAL to ask them how to achieve success in the greater world. Nobody has come close.
One last memory -- BABYMETAL were so young when they achieved all of this. I interviewed a pre-fame BABYMETAL back in 2013, at the artist area at the Rock In Japan festival. What I remember most from it is how they were just like the junior high school students I was teaching at the time. Most of all, I remember YUIMETAL talking about how the pop-rap group FUNKY MONKEY BABYS played the same stage they were about to play in the past, and how excited she was to harness their energy.
News And Views
Tokyo music venue SuperDeluxe is going to close in the near future, it's a cool spot that shall be missed. Also, I hope Jim O'Rourke can find a new place to play.
Johnny's doesn't want you referring to their ex-SMAP members as ex-SMAP members. Watch out, facts are about!
This week in "stay miles away from commenting on this one" stories: Jimin of BTS wore a shirt featuring a photo of what appears to be the mushroom cloud from the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima near the end of World War II. If you tweet about this, Twitter shuts down your account to protect you from...every side of this.
Daddy Yankee shared a Tik Tok video of Perfume dancing to one of his songs.
Pitchfork talked to CHAI this week! I rambled about this on Twitter, but quick reminder...this is a good path for Japanese artists to follow moving forward.
Avex is the first major label in Japan to strike up an agreement with TikTok, wherein they will license their music to the app. Serious talking point: the future! Less serious talking point: COME ON BABY AMERICA!
The actual biggest music story of the week in Japan -- which is to say, I saw it kick off TWO morning shows over the past week -- is the fact that Kenji Sawada (vocalist of 1960s Group Sounds juggernauts The Tigers) suddenly cancelled a show at Saitama Super Arena...like, literal last minute...leading to some real dissatisfaction from punters. Most importantly...he looks extremely similar to Colonel Sanders.
Oricon Trail For The Week Of October 8, 2018 To October 14, 2018
I feel like the newest Johnny's group -- King & Prince -- is way more popular than like the last four generations of boy bands, partially because their latest single sold over 400,000 copies and topped the singles chart easily. Damn, Sexy Zone squeezing into Fuller House really didn't help them out, huh? Anyway, even more sigh-inducing is Mr. Children topping the album chart again.
Perfume GAME (33 1/3)
My entry in the 33 1/3 Japan series is out now! Get a copy at Bloomsbury or Amazon. Or at Kinokuniya bookstores in the US.
Look At Me!
Wrote about how behind-the-times Japanese T (and...maybe...especially comedians) are in 2018, and how people are kicking back at them for The Japan Times. Don't use women as mops!!!!
Blog Highlights: I was out of it all week! I blame the dumb weather! Anyway....Applekid, Le Makeup, Homecomings
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
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