# Ladybeard
**Ladybeard** (レディビアード) is the cross-dressing professional wrestler and heavy metal singer persona of Richard Magarey, an Australian entertainer from Adelaide who became well known in Hong Kong and Japan performing in a frilly dress and pigtails while singing a blend of J-pop and heavy metal known as kawaiicore.[1](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/ladybeard.html) • [2](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3130401/japanese-pop-star-drag-ladybeard-his-chinese-fans-and-his) • [3](https://pocketmags.com/au/dna-magazine/dna-223-the-grooming-issue/articles/shhh-ladybeard-domination-is-coming) The South China Morning Post spells his surname Margarey; DNA Magazine spells it Magarey.[2](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3130401/japanese-pop-star-drag-ladybeard-his-chinese-fans-and-his) • [3](https://pocketmags.com/au/dna-magazine/dna-223-the-grooming-issue/articles/shhh-ladybeard-domination-is-coming)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1982, Australia; raised in Adelaide[1](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/ladybeard.html) • [2](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3130401/japanese-pop-star-drag-ladybeard-his-chinese-fans-and-his) |
| Persona | Bearded, muscular performer dressed as a young girl, usually in a two-piece cheerleader-style outfit[1](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/ladybeard.html) • [2](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3130401/japanese-pop-star-drag-ladybeard-his-chinese-fans-and-his) |
| Hong Kong years | Lived in Hong Kong from 2006 to 2012 as an actor, martial arts stuntman, and professional wrestler; the Ladybeard character was created there[2](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3130401/japanese-pop-star-drag-ladybeard-his-chinese-fans-and-his) |
| Bands | LADYBABY (from 2015), Deadlift Lolita (with Reika Saiki), and BABYBEARD (formed August 2020)[2](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3130401/japanese-pop-star-drag-ladybeard-his-chinese-fans-and-his) • [4](https://www.bold7.jp/artist/ladybeard/) • [5](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/interviews/2021/8/19/interview-ladybeard-introduces-babybeard-the-kawaii-metal-pop-idol-group) |
| Chart peak | BABYBEARD's first single "Nippon Kara Konnichiwa" reached Number 1 on the J-pop charts in Germany and Finland, Number 2 in Australia, and Number 34 in the US in April 2021[5](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/interviews/2021/8/19/interview-ladybeard-introduces-babybeard-the-kawaii-metal-pop-idol-group) |
| Acting | Played the villain Rambo in the 2011 Hong Kong wrestling comedy *The Fortune Buddies*[2](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3130401/japanese-pop-star-drag-ladybeard-his-chinese-fans-and-his) |
## Background and the birth of the character
Magarey studied acting and practiced martial arts growing up, a path that led him into stunt training and then professional wrestling.[1](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/ladybeard.html) He attended St Peter's College, a private all-boys school in [South Australia](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-australia).[3](https://pocketmags.com/au/dna-magazine/dna-223-the-grooming-issue/articles/shhh-ladybeard-domination-is-coming) He has described coming from an academic family made up largely of doctors and lawyers who supported his career path, especially his younger sister and older brother.[1](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/ladybeard.html)
**The persona was born in Hong Kong.** Magarey lived there for six years from 2006, working as an actor, martial arts stuntman, and professional wrestler.[2](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3130401/japanese-pop-star-drag-ladybeard-his-chinese-fans-and-his) He had worn a dress to parties in Australia to get a reaction, but found it created more of a stir in Hong Kong, so when he started wrestling there and needed a character, the choice was obvious: put on a dress and call himself Ladybeard.[6](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1895996/how-cross-dressing-wrestler-ladybeard-was-born-hong?module=inline&pgtype=article) • [7](https://www.journeyman.tv/film_documents/7267/transcript/) At a wrestling event at the end of 2009 with no scheduled opponent, he announced a third passion after fighting and dancing, singing [Cantonese](https://www.edgepedia.org/cantonese) pop songs.[8](https://metropolisjapan.com/ladybeard/) His screen work in Hong Kong included the role of the villain Rambo in the 2011 wrestling comedy *The Fortune Buddies*.[2](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3130401/japanese-pop-star-drag-ladybeard-his-chinese-fans-and-his)
## Kawaiicore bands
Since 2013, Ladybeard has performed with a series of kawaiicore bands, a genre blending elements of J-pop and heavy metal.[2](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3130401/japanese-pop-star-drag-ladybeard-his-chinese-fans-and-his)
**LADYBABY.** The trio paired Ladybeard with two younger Japanese pop stars, Rie Kaneko and Rei Kuromiya, and made their European debut in October 2015.[1](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/ladybeard.html) • [9](https://2019.hyperjapan.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/PRESS-RELEASE-Ready-to-experience-Kawaii-death_1310_FINAL.pdf)
**Deadlift Lolita.** This duo with wrestler and idol Reika Saiki took its name from the weightlifting deadlift. In interviews, Ladybeard has said that for him the theatrics and performance of a live show are, in many ways, more important than the music.[10](https://www.invisibleoranges.com/interview-deadlift-lolita) A DNA Magazine account describes two exhausting weeks in which Ladybeard and Saiki learned two difficult new Japanese songs, rehearsed demanding new choreography involving lots of jumping, and performed a song's world premiere live on film, ending in an accident that was hard to tell was real or, in the tradition of pro wrestling, showbiz.[3](https://pocketmags.com/au/dna-magazine/dna-223-the-grooming-issue/articles/shhh-ladybeard-domination-is-coming)
**BABYBEARD.** In August 2020 Ladybeard formed the idol unit BABYBEARD, an extension of the Ladybeard concept into a three-person formation.[4](https://www.bold7.jp/artist/ladybeard/) • [5](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/interviews/2021/8/19/interview-ladybeard-introduces-babybeard-the-kawaii-metal-pop-idol-group) The 2021 lineup comprised Ladybeard, SUZU, and KOTOMI; the group's current profile lists Ladybeard, SUZU, and MIZUKI.[5](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/interviews/2021/8/19/interview-ladybeard-introduces-babybeard-the-kawaii-metal-pop-idol-group) • [11](https://www.tunecore.co.jp/artists/BABYBEARD?lang=en) The covid pandemic kept the trio from live performances early on, but viral social media content spread their music abroad: their first single, "Nippon Kara Konnichiwa", released in April 2021, was Number 1 on the J-pop charts in Germany and Finland, Number 2 in Australia, and Number 34 in the US in its release week.[5](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/interviews/2021/8/19/interview-ladybeard-introduces-babybeard-the-kawaii-metal-pop-idol-group) The group has since toured internationally, with a European Maximum Kawaii Chaos tour announced for October 2026 including dates in Como and Rome, Italy.[12](https://www.metalhammer.it/2026/10/05/babybeard-in-italia-per-due-tappe-del-tour-europeo/)
## Performance style and audience
Ladybeard performs pop and heavy metal versions of Japanese pop songs while dressed as a young girl, a contrast that defines the act.[6](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1895996/how-cross-dressing-wrestler-ladybeard-was-born-hong?module=inline&pgtype=article) He has said the most important thing is performing for the audience, whether at a live show, a DJ set, or a wrestling match, giving them a happy feeling.[13](https://encount.press/archives/534403/) He also observes a difference between audiences: Japanese fans try to copy the group's dance moves, while overseas fans invent their own dances and are freer.[13](https://encount.press/archives/534403/) In Japan, his pronoun among fans is "Beard-chan", a consequence of Japanese not using pronouns the way English does.[5](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/interviews/2021/8/19/interview-ladybeard-introduces-babybeard-the-kawaii-metal-pop-idol-group)
Famous Birthdays notes that his Ladybeard character invites comparison with the *Futurama* episode in which Bender, voiced by [John DiMaggio](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-dimaggio), wrestles as the cross-dressing Gender Bender.[1](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/ladybeard.html)
## References
1. [Ladybeard – Age, Bio, Family, Famous Birthdays](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/ladybeard.html)
2. [Japanese pop star in drag Ladybeard on his Chinese fans, and his teenage kawaiicore bandmates in Babybeard, South China Morning Post](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3130401/japanese-pop-star-drag-ladybeard-his-chinese-fans-and-his)
3. [LADYBEARD, DNA Magazine #223, The Grooming Issue](https://pocketmags.com/au/dna-magazine/dna-223-the-grooming-issue/articles/shhh-ladybeard-domination-is-coming)
4. [レディビアード – 株式会社ボールド artist page](https://www.bold7.jp/artist/ladybeard/)
5. [INTERVIEW: Ladybeard Introduces BABYBEARD, The Kawaii Metal Pop Idol Group, Crunchyroll News](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/interviews/2021/8/19/interview-ladybeard-introduces-babybeard-the-kawaii-metal-pop-idol-group)
6. [How cross-dressing wrestler Ladybeard was born in Hong Kong, South China Morning Post](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1895996/how-cross-dressing-wrestler-ladybeard-was-born-hong?module=inline&pgtype=article)
7. [Big In Japan transcript, Journeyman Pictures](https://www.journeyman.tv/film_documents/7267/transcript/)
8. [Ladybeard, Metropolis Japan](https://metropolisjapan.com/ladybeard/)
9. [HYPER JAPAN press release, 13 October 2015](https://2019.hyperjapan.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/PRESS-RELEASE-Ready-to-experience-Kawaii-death_1310_FINAL.pdf)
10. [For the Fun of It: An Interview with Deadlift Lolita, Invisible Oranges](https://www.invisibleoranges.com/interview-deadlift-lolita)
11. [BABYBEARD, TuneCore Japan artist profile](https://www.tunecore.co.jp/artists/BABYBEARD?lang=en)
12. [Babybeard, in Italia per due tappe del tour europeo, Metal Hammer Italia](https://www.metalhammer.it/2026/10/05/babybeard-in-italia-per-due-tappe-del-tour-europeo/)
13. [ゴツい女装外国人が愛するニッポンの魅力とは, ENCOUNT](https://encount.press/archives/534403/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Professional wrestlers and stables*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license