, known by her stage names Suzuka and Su-metal (both stylized in

all caps In typography, all caps (short for "all capitals") refers to text or a font in which all letters are capital letters, for example: "THIS TEXT IS IN ALL CAPS". All caps may be used for emphasis (for a word or phrase). They are commonly seen in ...

), is a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter and model. She is best known as a member of the

kawaii metal Kawaii metal (also known as idol metal, cute metal, J-pop metal or kawaiicore) is a musical genre that blends elements of heavy metal and J-pop that was pioneered in Japan in the early 2010s. The genre combines both Eastern and Western influence ...

band

Babymetal (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese kawaii metal band consisting of Suzuka Nakamoto as "Su-metal" and Moa Kikuchi as "Moametal". The band is produced by Kobametal from the Amuse talent agency. Their vocals are backed by heavy metal instrume ...

. She is represented by the talent agency

Amuse, Inc. is a Japanese entertainment company that provides artist management services. The artists include idols, musicians, and so on. Amuse produces TV and radio programs, commercial films, and movies. Other interests are in publication, music software ...

and has been a member of three musical groups formed by the company:

Karen Girl's was a Japanese three-member girl group formed in 2008 by the Amuse talent agency. The group performed songs for the anime ''Zettai Karen Children'' for the duration of the show. History Karen Girl's was formed from elementary school children a ...

Sakura Gakuin was a Japanese idol girl group formed in 2010 by the Amuse talent agency. The group's membership fell within the age range of Japanese compulsory education, typically containing between 10 and 12 members at a time who fall between the ages of ...

, and Babymetal.

Biography

In 2002, Nakamoto won the Grand Prix in the Image Girl contest for Jewel Drop, a line of

toy A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and pet ...

cosmetics Cosmetics are constituted mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources, or synthetically created ones. Cosmetics have various purposes. Those designed for personal care and skin care can be used to cleanse or protect ...

produced by

Bandai is a Japanese multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and Richmond ...

, subsequently starring in several Jewel Drop commercials. In 2006, Nakamoto was admitted to Actor's School Hiroshima (ASH). She studied with another future Sakura Gakuin member, , with whom she had been acquainted before attending the school. She also had a

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...

with

Riho Sayashi Riho Sayashi (鞘師里保 ''Sayashi Riho''; born May 28, 1998 in Hiroshima, Japan) is a Japanese dancer, actress, and singer. She is a former ninth generation member of the Japanese pop group Morning Musume, along with Mizuki Fukumura, Erina Iku ...

, future

Morning Musume , formerly simply and colloquially referred to as , are a Japanese girl group, holding the second highest overall single sales (of a female group) on the Oricon charts as of February 2012, with the Oricon record of most top ten singles with an ...

member and Babymetal support dancer, as they were considered the school's top two students at the time. In 2007, she was signed to the talent agency

after becoming a runner-up in the ''2nd Star Kids Audition'' held by the company. In 2008, her agency formed a trio called

, and Suzuka was selected to be in it. The group was introduced as a little sister of the girl trio

Perfume Perfume (, ; french: parfum) is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent. Th ...

and sang several theme songs for the anime ''

Zettai Karen Children ''Psychic Squad'', known in Japan as is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takashi Shiina. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from July 2005 to July 2021, with its chapt ...

'', disbanding on March 31, 2009, after the anime ended its run. In April 2010, Nakamoto became a founding member of

, an idol group created by her agency. The group members also formed sub-units called “clubs”, each of which released their own songs as a unit. Suzuka became a member of the , which released songs under the name

, which also included fellow Sakura Gakuin members

Yui Mizuno is a Japanese musician, singer, model, and actress. She is a former member of the kawaii metal group Babymetal and the idol group Sakura Gakuin. In October 2018, she left Babymetal due to an undisclosed illness. She is managed by the Amuse, Inc. ...

and

Moa Kikuchi is a Japanese musician, singer, model, and actress. She is represented by the talent agency Amuse, Inc. She is a member of the kawaii metal group Babymetal and a former member of the idol group Sakura Gakuin. Biography Moa Kikuchi was signed ...

. In the spring of 2013, Nakamoto graduated from junior high school and therefore had to "graduate" from Sakura Gakuin (which limits girls up to the junior high age). Her graduation concert was held on March 31 at the

Tokyo International Forum The is a multi-purpose exhibition center in Tokyo, Japan. The complex is generally considered to be in the Yūrakuchō business district, being adjacent to Yūrakuchō Station, but it is administratively in the Marunouchi district. Tokyo Int ...

. Suzuka now performs with

, which had been spun off from Sakura Gakuin following her graduation, under the stage name Su-metal. Babymetal's self-titled debut album was released in February 2014. Nakamoto ranked ninth place on the

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...

News ranking for “2018 Rankings for Anticipation of New Adults”, commenting on her "overwhelming singing ability".

Personal life

Suzuka is the youngest of three sisters. Her second sister,

Himeka Nakamoto is a Japanese mental health counselor, radio personality, author, and former idol. She was a first-generation member of the idol group Nogizaka46. Career In 2006, Nakamoto enrolled in Actor's School Hiroshima as part of the sixteenth batch, ...

, is a former member of the

idol Idol or Idols may refer to: Religion and philosophy * Cult image, a neutral term for a man-made object that is worshipped or venerated for the deity, spirit or demon that it embodies or represents * Murti, a point of focus for devotion or medit ...

group

Nogizaka46 is a Japanese female idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto, created as the of the group AKB48. They are the first group from the Sakamichi Series, which also includes sister groups Sakurazaka46 (formerly Keyakizaka46), Yoshimotozaka46, and ...

. They studied together at the Actor's School Hiroshima (ASH) and sang together in a duo known as Tween. Her mother works with

gemstone A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, ...

s and occasionally gives gemstone

accessories Accessory may refer to: * Accessory (legal term), a person who assists a criminal In anatomy * Accessory bone * Accessory muscle * Accessory nucleus, in anatomy, a cranial nerve nucleus * Accessory nerve In arts and entertainment * Accessory ...

to the Babymetal members as a gift.

Associated acts

(2008 — March 31, 2009) *

Musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

“Bōkensha tachi” (March 5–15, 2009. Rerun June 10–20, 2010.) *

(April 2010 — March 31, 2013) *

(2010 — present)

Timeline

Discography

With Karen Girl's

*''Fly to the Future'' (2009)

With Sakura Gakuin

*'' Sakura Gakuin 2010 Nendo: Message'' (2011) *'' Sakura Gakuin 2011 Nendo: Friends'' (2012) *'' Sakura Gakuin 2012 Nendo: My Generation'' (2013)

With Babymetal

*''

'' (2014) *''

Metal Resistance ''Metal Resistance'' is the second studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Babymetal. It was first released on , in Japan through BMD Fox Records, and on , worldwide through earMusic, RED Associated Labels (RAL), and Sony Music Entertainment ...

'' (2016) * ''

Metal Galaxy ''Metal Galaxy'' is the third studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Babymetal. It was first released in Japan on October 8, 2019, with an international release following on October 11, 2019. The album was released through BMD Fox Records in J ...

'' (2019)

Filmography

Anime

*2009: ''

'' (episode 40) - Herself (with Karen Girl's) (cameo)

Commercial

* 2012: "Oshii! Hiroshima"

References

External links

Official profile at Amuse Inc.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nakamoto, Suzuka Babymetal members Sakura Gakuin members 1997 births Living people Japanese idols Japanese women heavy metal singers 21st-century Japanese women singers Musicians from Hiroshima Kawaii metal musicians Amuse Inc. talents