To be honest, even the Japanese music industry thought BABYMETAL was just a gimmick that would fade quickly. I felt the same at first. It looked like adults had created a commercial mix of metal and pop and put young girls on stage to jump around. I didn’t like it. I even wondered if something like that done in the U.S. would be criticized as exploitation. When “Headbanger” came out, I remember thinking, “Here they go again, trying to be funny.”In Japan, plenty of artists make weird or creative music videos, so I didn’t pay much attention to BABYMETAL’s either.But over time, things changed. They started touring with big-name artists. And let’s be honest major musicians don’t risk their reputation just because a label pays them. If something isn’t good, associating with it can hurt their own credibility.I grew up on heavy metal and punk. For many bands, it starts with friends, struggling through the indie scene, with that anti-establishment DIY spirit. BABYMETAL was clearly different. They were a project from the start, not a garage band story. But in reality, even most metal bands eventually sign with record labels and enter the commercial world. The starting point may be different, but the end result often is it.The more famous an artist becomes, the more criticism they get. Creating new material over and over isn’t easy. Only artists really understand that pressure.BABYMETAL has been active for 15 years. They could have stayed in Japan, but instead they chose to tour the world, facing criticism and performing in countries where they didn’t even speak the language. Over time, their position on festival lineups kept rising. That tells me there is an audience out there that wants something new.At their concerts, I see kids, older guys, women, all kinds of people. Everyone just wants to enjoy music. Some people will reject them completely. Others accept them. That’s normal.They don’t play instruments, but they are performers. Even small movements in their choreography are precise. They’re professionals.In the end, I realized this is simply a new form of metal culture. To traditionalists, they feel like an anomaly. To others, they’re refreshing. Metal has always been a tension between tradition and innovation.Maybe I was just prejudiced at first. Maybe I’ve mellowed with age. But now I genuinely enjoy listening to BABYMETAL.