Babymetal's Moametal says she was "scared of the audience and the way they looked at us" when the band became a duo

Babymetal's Moametal admits that she felt "uneasy" after her friend and bandmate Yuimetal (Yui Mizuno) quit the band in 2018, and says that she initially felt "scared" when the group began performing as a duo.

In this week's forthcoming issue of Kerrang! magazine, Moametal and Su-Metal look back over the first 10 years of their career, and look forward to the next chapter with the forthcoming release of new Babymetal album The Other One on March 24. In the interview, Moametal admits to concerns about the band's decision to continue as a two-piece following the exit of Yuimetal in October 2018.

"When we decided that it would be the two of us, I remember feeling scared of the audience and the way they looked at us," she recalls. "There were times when I would feel doubt in their eyes and I even started to doubt if the decision we made was a mistake. But discussing it with Su-Metal, we both agreed that it wasn't, and we shouldn't run away. We decided, 'Let's put in everything we've got and move forward. It would be a lie if I didn't feel uneasy at the time, but knowing that Su-Metal was with me gave me reassurance, and it wasn't just me that felt anxious. Su-Metal and I have always been there for each other, and we both know that this is what has allowed us to come this far."

Discussing the band's forthcoming album, Moametal singles out the track Metal Kingdom as the song that most accurately speaks to her.

She explains: "There's a line, 'No need to dwell on words that weigh you down and don't look back on the road you've travelled / Live tomorrow at that place where light is present.' It's my favourite, because I feel like it describes who I am. No matter what people around me may say, I've managed to pursue the direction that I believe is right... I believe that my future depends on what I am doing now, so I want to value being present and do the best I can."

The Other One will be released via Cooking Vinyl on March 24.

The new issue of Kerrang!, featuring Babymetal as its cover stars, is on sale from Thursday, February 23.

A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, played Angus Young's Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.