THE JAPAN NEWS
 

Rie Kaneko and Rei Kuromiya, two of the former members of Ladybaby, have made their major-label debut as The Idol Formerly Known As Ladybaby.

The new single is titled “Sanpai! Goshuin girls ☆” (King Records) — “sanpai” meaning “worship visit” and “goshuin” meaning stamps visitors can receive at temples and shrines. They cheerfully sing about how attractive shrines and temples in Japan are.

The lyrics include such phrases as: “Omikuji shite, omamori mite, nante shiawase!” (Choosing omikuji paper fortunes, looking at omamori amulets, how happy we are!) It is a kind of cheerleading song for Japan in the spirit of the government’s “Cool Japan” initiative.

The duo will release their second single in April.
They previously performed as Ladybaby, a trio they formed with cross-dressing performer and wrestler Ladybeard from Australia.

“I had a big fear when it became just the two of us, but now I think it’s all right because we can share the things we want to do with each other,” Kuromiya said.

The two met at an audition for pop idols and were spotted by a management company, which led to them forming a group with Ladybeard.

“At first, we weren’t told we were going to sing, and things started without us really being aware of the situation,” Kuromiya said.

They have produced works in the “kawaii death” style, combining elements from J-pop and aggressive death metal music.

The duo has won popularity on video streaming sites and other media, and have successfully performed overseas as well.

“I hope we can get across good things about Japan by adopting the pop feel of idol songs and the coolness of death metal,” Kaneko said with a sparkle in her eyes.