Source: Promo Image
Believe it or not, the members of Babymetal weren’t always advocates of the ‘kawaii metal’ movement.
Not too long ago, the ladies of Babymetal were connoisseurs of a very different genre. Su-metal, Yuimetal and Moametal—or Suzuka Nakamoto, Yui Mizuno and Moa Kikuchi as they were known back then—were all part of the popular J-pop group Sakura Gakuin.
The group – whose name translates to “Cherry Blossom Academy”—is made up of 10 to 12 members at any given time, all of whom are between 10 and 15 years old. Sakura Gakuin is somewhat of a training group for young girls who want to work in music, with members ‘graduating’ from the group when they leave junior high.
Sakura Gakuin even hosts an annual ceremony for these graduating members, and a video of the event is released alongside their annual album. Despite their sound having done an enormous U-turn, Nakamoto, Mizuno, and Kikuchi all found their feet as members of Sakura Gakuin.
Want to compare the two? Check out Sakura Gaukin’s cheer extravaganza ‘Heart No Hoshi’ and Babymetal’s ‘Karate’ below.
Sakura Gakuin – ‘Heart No Hoshi’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf0w3XfQhKs
Babymetal – ‘Karate’
