BABYMETAL praised METALVERSE’s growth at SUMMER SONIC Tokyo 2026 and shared advice about overcoming nerves, trusting their preparation and developing an identity of their own.
BABYMETAL and METALVERSE met for an exclusive Rolling Stone Japan conversation after performing at SUMMER SONIC Tokyo 2026. The discussion brought together SU-METAL, MOAMETAL and MOMOMETAL with METALVERSE members MIKO, SAKIA and COCONA to reflect on the festival, the younger group’s development and what it means to carry metal into a new generation.
BABYMETAL praises METALVERSE’s growth
MIKO, SAKIA and COCONA admitted that they felt nervous before taking the stage, but wanted to show the audience a performance that belonged to METALVERSE. BABYMETAL noticed the progress they had made.
SU-METAL praised the confidence METALVERSE displayed onstage. MOAMETAL highlighted the members’ individual dance moments and the pressure involved in performing with a rotating live band and different collaborators. MOMOMETAL also pointed to their stronger singing, dancing and overall confidence after gaining experience through their own concerts.
Discovering their own form of metal
For MOAMETAL, metal has become part of everyday life. She described BABYMETAL as existing on the boundary between metal and sounds that are not traditionally considered metal, allowing the group to introduce the genre to listeners through music, fashion and collaboration.
The METALVERSE members said BABYMETAL provided their first major connection to metal. They are still discovering the style, qualities and strengths that can define METALVERSE as an independent project rather than simply repeating what BABYMETAL has already achieved.
MOAMETAL explained that BABYMETAL now feels a responsibility to help pass metal to younger generations. Curated festival stages and collaborations with other artists are part of that effort, creating new points of entry into the genre while respecting the artists who built it.
Advice for METALVERSE
SU-METAL encouraged METALVERSE not to let nervousness change the performance they had prepared. Even if only one person in the audience discovered and connected with them, she said, the show would have meaning. She also reminded the members to trust their rehearsals, their preparation and the team supporting them.
MOAMETAL added that METALVERSE should not try to copy BABYMETAL’s internal balance or stage dynamic. Instead, MIKO, SAKIA and COCONA should identify the qualities that make their own combination special and continue building from those strengths.
The conversation presents BABYMETAL not only as performers continuing to expand internationally, but also as senior artists thinking about how metal can remain alive, open and exciting for the next generation.
The complete Japanese-language interview and its accompanying photographs are available from Rolling Stone Japan.
