Reports suggest that Yuimetal, one third of popular Japanese pop metal group Babymetal, has left the band.
Taking to the stage in Kansas City for the first date of their brand new world tour yesterday (9 May), Babymetal’s Su-Metal and Moametal performed as a duo alongside their backing band and dancers, with Yuimetal nowhere to be seen for a third successive live show. Watch fan-filmed footage of Karate below.
Yuimetal previously missed two live shows in Hiroshima in December 2017 due to supposed illness, although her absence on the first date of the band’s US tour suggests that there may be more to her non-inclusion than first thought. She has also not appeared in any posts on social media since November, with the band’s label and management not addressing the absence either.
The first date of Babymetal’s world tour saw the group perform 11 songs, including new single Distortion, which came out this week. The tour will further take them to Austin and Dallas this week, before shows at Rock am Ring, Rock im Park and Utrecht’s TivoliVredenburg (with special guests Dream State) take place in June.
Watch the new video for comeback single Distortion below.
