Ever since the early days of the Internet and the worldwide expansion of anime, Japan’s cultural exports have gone far and wide. Notably, Japanese rock is gaining notoriety among music fans as well. This unique genre, which was largely confined to the island nation, is now capturing the attention of English-speaking fans worldwide. In recent years, Japanese rock has burst onto the global stage with electrifying collaborations featuring Western artists. While K-pop exploded into international fame almost overnight, J-Rock’s rise has been a slow-burning phenomenon—steadily gaining momentum and building a passionate following over the decades.
Part One: Kawaii Kickstart
This is the first installment in a series that will take a deep dive into these fascinating collaborations. Here is some recent history: as of two years ago, several Japanese bands began building bridges with their counterparts in America and Europe. Certainly, collaborations between East and West bands have had one-off moments sporadically in the past. Such as the unusual and almost forgotten song from ten years ago, YUMENO UKIYONI SAITEMINA [夢の浮世に咲いてみな], by Japanese pop idol group Momoiro Clover Z and American over-the-top rock band KISS. Was that the first collaboration for Kawaii metal?
By the way, regarding that term, “Kawaii metal” is the combination of heavy metal and J-pop styles, as it originated from Japan in the early 2010s. That brings us to an exhilarating launchpad for our exploration into genre-defining collaborations with BABYMETAL—the trailblazers who were more than part of the movement, but ignited it!
BABYMETAL, Racking Up Collabs
The metal band from Tokyo has been on a tear lately and was spotlighted in a previous article here. In August 2023, they lit the fuse with legendary guitarist Tom Morello, shredding on the final stanzas of METALI!! [メタり！！]. Yet, that simple start led to surprising drops from then to now with bangers featuring Western artists. Last year, a significant collaboration, RATATATA, combining a 50/50 blend between BABYMETAL and Electric Callboy. Truly a bold, heavy-metal party song with the German electronicore group that blasts through sonic boundaries!
Then, in April, worlds collide when an American artist, also considered part of the kawaii metal genre, Poppy, provides screamo and sings in from me to u, a song like a mish-mash of electroclash and metalcore. When she growls over the chorus, BABYMETAL’s lead vocalist, Su-metal, juxtaposes with a melodic alto that creates tension, building harmony. Moreover, in August, came the hard-hitting My Queen featuring Canadian heavy metal band Spiritbox. For sure, this one slams like Goku going super Saiyan as Courtney LaPlante belts out scream after scream.
Additionally, BABYMETAL kept the collab train going with a few artists closer to Japan, Russian deathcore band Slaughter to Prevail on Song 3. Plus, India’s folk metal group BLOODYWOOD for last year’s song Bekhauf and then Kon! Kon! which debuted during the BABYMETAL NORTH AMERICA 2025 TOUR.
All of this was leading up to their new album released on June 27, Metal Forth, containing ten tracks, including many of these songs and a few more. Definitely a step up from their 2019 album METAL GALAXY, which also featured collaboration songs with well-known musicians such as Polyphia. Interestingly, Tim Henson and Scott LePage, who contributed to Brand New Day on Galaxy, returned on Forth with Sunset Kiss.
If this is a trend, then this author (and fan) hopes it’s a long one. Especially now, when the previous duo with Bring Me The Horizon on Kingslayer garnered over 60 million views on YouTube! It no longer looks like a one-and-done fad, but the beginning of a long ride that should catch more eyes and ears as East meets West in the world of metal. Yet, as the lore of BABYMETAL prophesies, we do not know what the future holds; only the Fox God knows.
Check back for the second article in this series.
Update
They have done it again! Just announced on September 5th, BABYMETAL was invited to record with Five Finger Death Punch. The song, The End feat. BABYMETAL, is part of FFDP’s 20th anniversary album BEST OF VOLUME 2. If any more collaborations drop, then this list will need to be updated—again!
