Interview with Ryo Enomoto

On October 11th, a mysterious new band called MISTRESS OF THE DARKROOM released their debut single MY RAVEN BLACK on digital platforms. The dark and ominous track featured a surprising guest vocalist, none other than Ryo Enomoto, an ex-member of the rock idol group WILL-O'. Recently, JaME had the opportunity to ask Ryo a few questions about her involvement with this unique project and her plans for the future.

To start the interview off, could you please introduce yourself?

Ryo Enomoto: Hi everyone, This is Ryo Enomoto. It’s my pleasure to meet you!

You recently appeared as a guest vocalist on the debut song from a mysterious new band called MISTRESS OF THE DARKROOM. How did you become involved with this project?

Ryo Enomoto: I was contacted from overseas one day. A foreign musician saw me singing on YouTube and contacted my management office and the translator told me that they wanted me to sing. That's how I got involved.

You wrote the lyrics for MY RAVEN BLACK together with MISTRESS OF THE DARKROOM’s Aina Le Sombré Romanov. Is there a message you wanted to covey with this song or a theme you had in mind while working on it?

Ryo Enomoto: It was explained to me that this song is inspired by a poem written by Empress Elizabeth of Austria. "Each time I set out on a journey, a flock of seagulls followed the ship. Among them, there was always one dark-colored almost close to black-colored seagull. The black seagull sometimes accompanied me all the way while I was moving from a continent to another continent. I think the bird was my destiny..."

Aina, who wrote all the English lyrics, replaced "seagull" with "raven". Regarding the Japanese part, he told me to just write it however I wanted to write it, so I expressed it in my own way. I came up with the idea that the heroine of this song is a girl who is in despair and wants to escape from this world. She looks up to the sky and then the raven whispers the portent of doom.

What was the process of recording the song like? Have you had a chance to work together with the band members in-person, or was the song mainly completed online?

Ryo Enomoto: I tracked my vocal part in Japan and sent the files to the band. I think it mixed very well.

MY RAVEN BLACK has a darker sound than fans of WILL-O’ are likely used to hearing from you. Do you usually listen to dark and heavy rock/metal music yourself, or was this a new experience for you?

Ryo Enomoto: Actually, I don't listen to metal or heavy music very often and I've never sang metal in my career. That being said, my fans might never have heard me singing this kind of hard and dark-sounding song. It was a new experience and it was challenging for me. I really had fun singing it!


Do you have any plans to work with MISTRESS OF THE DARKROOM again in the future? Can fans look forward to seeing you perform live together someday?

Ryo Enomoto: I can't tell you details right now, but I may have a chance to appear again!

We’ve heard that MISTRESS OF THE DARKROOM will be working with vocalists from all over the world. Are they also looking to perform overseas in the future?

Ryo Enomoto: As far as I'm concerned, I'd love to sing abroad and play live overseas. If the band is planning for a world tour, I'd love to join!

You have some solo cover videos up on your YouTube channel. Are you planning to release original songs in the future as well?

Ryo Enomoto: I'm currently writing original material with enthusiasm. I hope everyone can listen to it soon! I had a show on October 10th and played a special edited version of a different original song that I'm also working on. I'm looking forward to releasing them!

Are there any other projects or activities fans can look forward to from you in the coming months?

Ryo Enomoto: I'm based in Japan and appearing at multiple live events. I have my YouTube channel called "ENOMOTOcom", there you can see live footage and cover videos. I also do live streams there. Please check it out!

Please leave a message for JaME’s readers.

Ryo Enomoto: Thanks so much for reading the article. It may look like a slow pace of releases, but I'm challenging myself to do new things and working hard towards to my dream. So please expect more from me!

JaME would like to thank Ryo Enomoto for this interview opportunity.

Links to download and stream MY RAVEN BLACK on various online music platforms are available here.

MISTRESS OF THE DARKROOM consists of four mysterious members, each of whom wears an ominous plague doctor mask. The line-up consists of Aina Le Sombré Romanov on programming and synths, Nocturne Y. Wilhelm on guitar and bass, Miseria De La May Fernando on keys, piano and orchestra and Franz AKM Drudenhaus on drums. Fans can keep an eye on MISTRESS OF THE DARKROOM's Twitter account for updates on their future activities.

Fans can follow Ryo Enomoto on Twitter and subscribe to her YouTube channel to stay tuned for more music from her.

Live footage of Ryo covering Ringo Sheena's Ariamaru tomi and Kenshi Yonezu's Hien can be viewed below.