At Comic Fiesta 2024, we got to witness Suzuki Konomi and MYTH & ROID vocalist KIHOW’s Special Live Performance, which happened on the 22nd of December 2024. Co-organized by The Japan Foundation, Kuala Lumpur, Comic Fiesta and the Embassy of Japan in Malaysia, the event saw the highly anticipated Suzuki Konomi and MYTH & ROID vocalist KIHOW returning to the Comic Fiesta stage as the closing act. Their previous performances from Comic Fiesta 2022 and 2018 respectively had been met with resounding enthusiasm and a fully-packed audience.
This year, they captivated fans once more with their iconic anime songs from Re:ZERO – Starting Life in Another World -”, “Made in Abyss” and other beloved series. The special performance brought fans and newcomers together to experience the energy and emotion of Japanese pop culture.
During the event, we also had the opportunity to attend a media interview session with both Suzuki Konomi and KIHOW, transcribed below. This interview session would not be possible without The Japan Foundation, Kuala Lumpur, Japan’s only institution dedicated to carrying out comprehensive international cultural exchange programmes throughout the world. It has the objective of deepening mutual understanding between the people of Japan and the world.

Disclaimer: Some sentences have been paraphrased for ease of reading.
MC: MYTH & ROID vocalist KIHOW is well known for creating iconic anime theme songs such as for Overlord, RE:Zero, and Made in Abyss. How do you feel about your new song, NOX LUX? What does it mean to you personally?
KIHOW: The song NOX LUX is from the third season of Re:ZERO, which was newly released. It was the first time in a while that MYTH & ROID have collaborated with the Re:ZERO series. In the past, KIHOW wasn’t the vocalist for the prior collaboration, so it’s my first time lending my voice to the Re:ZERO series.
As my first endeavour, the members of the band held discussions over the direction they wanted to go with the music; whether it was to preserve the mythical theme, the vibe that they had established with the music involved, and how to tell the story of the new season of Re:ZERO through their song. We had to interpret the themes of friendship, companionship, and belief in your companions as typical of shonen anime. These were the concepts we had to consider, and keep in mind during the making of the song NOX LUX.

MC: Both of you have done songs for popular anime series. What is the process for preparing the setlist for the upcoming show tomorrow?
Suzuki Konomi: Since I had the experience of coming to Malaysia and having a fan meet in Comic Fiesta in the prior years, I was able to meet the fans on the ground during the fan meet. I was able to listen to what the fans liked about that setlist at the time and what songs the fans wished they could have listened to, that I could have performed.
So that was the sort of information we were looking for and because of that information, we could weave it into deciding the setlist for this time around. And we had a very difficult time choosing the songs to put on stage this time.
KIHOW: I also had the pleasure of performing in Malaysia in 2018. So considering the large gap in time between then and now which is 6 years, the band MYTH & ROID has released a lot of new music as well. So we approached the question from another perspective, what new things I can bring to the table, while also thinking of what I could not do the last time we performed. The setlist this time is full of both fresh and new songs, including songs that were performed the last time we were here.
MC: I think they’re both going to have a very, very amazing performance. For our next question, what can fans expect from your performance in Comic Fiesta?
Suzuki Konomi: First and foremost, the entire performance is something to look forward to. But even within that, the songs have come to represent the Re:ZERO series, as a form of music. So even while carrying Re:ZERO as a series into the performance that I will be putting out, it will be a sort of tapestry of the best of Suzuki Konomi’s repertoire.
This is the sort of music I want my fans to listen to and want the world to see. So do look forward to that.
KIHOW: The gap between my last performance in Malaysia and now is six years since 2018. Obviously, during that time, we hadn’t just been sitting down, jiggling our legs. We have been performing concerts throughout Japan. The experience we have gathered from repeating these performances and building up our repertoire in those six years means that I am not the same KIHOW from 2018. This is KIHOW 2024. As KIHOW 2024, I have a different way of performing than KIHOW from 2018.
Because of that, you can enjoy a very different experience than you would have had back in 2018, especially with the sort of sharpened knife of performance I have honed over the years. Bringing that sort of spirit means that the concert tomorrow won’t just be a concert that the audience will enjoy, but also a performance that I will be able to enjoy together with the audience. So do look forward to that.

MC: This question is for KIHOW. Your music has evolved over time and is very different from when you started. What sort of style would you like to portray as of now compared to last time?
KIHOW: As the band MYTH & ROID, compared to when we started obviously there’s going to be a lot of changes. However the most striking thing is that compared to when we first started, both the sound and the lyrical nature of the songs has gotten less complex and more simpler. In that sense, it is also more difficult to hide things from being complex. For KIHOW, myself, instead of deigning to appear cool or just singing for the sake of looking impressive to other people, now I sing for the sake of myself and experiencing my own sound.
MC: The next question is for the both of you. Is there a performance in your career that was particularly memorable or moving for you?
Suzuki Konomi: One of the most impressive performances that I had was when I had my concert two years ago in 2022 in Malaysia. Why is that so? In 2022, as you all recall, it was towards the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Japan, any concert done within the borders of Japan had to follow very, very strict SOP, including wearing masks, and social distancing. While you’re wearing masks, you weren’t allowed to project your voice and cheer. The concerts were quite surprisingly quiet at the time, from my own personal experience, which happened during that period of time.
So compared to the really strict conditions that I had to perform under in Japan, being able to come to Malaysia and perform, and actually have fans in the crowd was an unforgettable experience. To be able to cheer loudly, in a way that hadn’t been done in Japan for the longest time, really left a deep impression coming out of the pandemic for me.
KIHOW: MYTH & ROID does quite a lot of concerts and overseas engagements and we get many questions from our Japanese fans such as how are concerts overseas compared to concerts in Japan. Whenever I get this question, I will always think back to my performance in 2018 in Malaysia.
Unlike the concerts we had performed before, from the very first song I started singing in the concert, the crowd was singing with us. This is something I can say now, but the crowd was singing so loudly, I could barely hear the music myself! It is not just the volume of the crowd singing, it’s the fact that the crowd knew the lyrics to all of the songs on the setlist and they sang from the beginning until the final song I performed that night. Whenever I’m on stage anywhere, I will always think back to that sort of energy and I get a lot of courage from it and I would like to express thanks to the crowd out in 2018 for giving me that experience.

MC: Could you share with us some of the thought process and how it begins when creating songs for anime series. What sort of inspiration do you look at?
Suzuki Konomi: For my process, when I need to write music for a pre-existing series, I will read through the source material such as reading the manga from start to finish. Just to understand the world view the series carries and the sort of themes I can incorporate into my music. One good example is with the Re:ZERO series, since it is such a huge part of my history. Especially for the new song we released for the series, there’s a strong message “Kimi to Tomo ni Mirai wo”, which translates to “a future together with you” that is important in the series. I put many emotions into that because Re:ZERO is a big part of my history and I do believe that the Re:ZERO music will also be a big part of my career as an artist moving forward. I am looking forward to working not just with the series but with the people in it as well. So it is a process I think of, and also I take into consideration the thoughts and the feelings of the writers, as well as the production team.
KIHOW: MYTH & ROID follows the same level of process as Suzuki Konomi when it comes to producing songs for anime titles, in that we also read through the original series. If it is based on a manga, we will go through with reading it. However, while reading the manga, we pay attention to not just the feelings of the characters in the moment, or the sort of world view the world has, but also where we can slot our music into the story. We have to see the spaces we can use to create and to fill in the music, within the boundaries created by the original work. By getting into that space, we can fill it with the MYTH & ROID world if you would like.
MC: This is a question for Suzuki Konomi. You recently released a music video for Re:ZERO. Unlike your previous videos, you did a lot of acting in this one. What was the experience like?
Suzuki Konomi: So for context, this music video is the 3rd music video that I have produced for the Re:ZERO series. The current one is called “Reweave”, and the first one is “Redo”, while the 2nd one is called “Realize”. So while producing the music video, I thought, “I have already done 2 music videos, what else can I do which is fresh and new?” So I decided to bring a little bit of acting into the music video. Though with my inexperience in acting, until the day of the shooting of the music video, I was so nervous. My heart was basically pumping out of my chest. However, when we were filming the music video, I realised that through being able to incorporate a bit of acting into the “Reweave” music video, I am able to give the listener or viewers, especially to the people who have been with me since the first music video, a Suzuki Konomi that has never been seen before. That is how I approached the music video production.

MC: The next question is for the both of you. As an artist, both of your have had songs featured in the Re:ZERO anime series. How does it feel and how has it impacted your career?
Suzuki Konomi: When I heard that I was going to do the theme for the 3rd season of Re:ZERO, I was quite surprised; has it already been decided? So when we went into recording it, I thought back to my experience with the first two recordings of Re:ZERO theme songs. Funnily enough, the Re:ZERO series has such a big overlap with my journey. During the first recording of the theme song “Redo”, I was still studying while performing. At that time I had decided that I’m gonna stop studying and will be performing full time. Having the courage to do that somewhat overlaps with the main character of Re:ZERO, Subaru, and his sort of single-mindedness of “I will protect you”, which is part of the lyrics that came out in the 1st season.
Going into the second season, which was when we were recording “Realize”, I was having issues with my vocal cords. As someone who’s decided to do singing as her life’s work, damage to the vocal cord is basically a threat to your life. Again, in the second season of Re:ZERO, it was also overlapping Subaru, the main character. He was having doubts about the road he was following but, in the end, he decided “since I’ve picked this road, I need to pick myself up, buck up, and go down to the road I’ve chosen”. Which is exactly the thing that I had decided to do. I had to face my vocal cord problems head on if I was going to keep on singing, and today, here I am, still singing.
So, going into 2025, I decided I will be singing my heart out. We have concerts planned for every weekend of 2025, so if you’re going to go and watch me singing in a concert, 2025 is the year to do it!
KIHOW: My journey was from a very different place. I have been a very big fan of the series from the start, and one important thing to keep in mind is that I was not the first vocalist of MYTH & ROID. The previous songs for Re:ZERO that were recorded under MYTH & ROID were sung by a different person.
When I went to perform these songs, I felt as if I inherited something from a person before, and I was singing it through the spirit of whatever I have inherited, correct? I actually wanted to keep the style of the former vocalists, and how the music was created at the moment. I did not fully apply the KIHOW touch because I wanted to keep the spirit of the original incarnation of the song.
So in fact, it felt like it was singing a cover of the song. Through the process of recording and creating the new song that MYTH & ROID has made for Re:ZERO “NOX LUX”, when we finished recording and producing it and after we started performing it, it was then I felt a door had opened before me. I was not just out there performing songs written for other people to be heard by people singing it as KIHOW. I finally realized that, oh, this is what it feels like to have a song be for me, and to have a song that I had poured my heart into.
It felt like an awakening to me as this is how it should be to perform music when you are involved in the process of making it. This is because I am such a big fan of the series, being able to add my own personal touch in the process of making a song for the series that I love, and then going out performing it, it gives the emotions of the fans who love the song. Not for the fact that it’s a Re:ZERO song, but “NOX LUX” as a song written by MYTH & ROID with KIHOW in the process is something that I had created that had such an amazing reception from the fans.
It was really a very different experience, it is an experience that I will continue to cherish, and it makes me really touched when I think about it. It is also one of the biggest pushes for my passion, and I do believe it will be a very big source of passion for my music, even going forward.

MC: For the last question, do you have any messages for your fans, especially those from Malaysia?
Suzuki Konomi: There are lots of feelings that you can’t put into words when you are in this industry. To express a feeling instead is to choose a song to sing. Being Suzuki Konomi, singing is the one thing that has been consistent from the start of my career. I have always performed at concerts ever since my debut. To the point where it is my identity and I think there was probably not a year that I had not done a concert since debut.
People, or my fans, come to these concerts, meaning that they also listen to my music, and I know that they appreciate my music. I can’t really put into words how I feel. So, the best way I can express thanks to my fans and listeners is by performing and singing my heart out.
So, to everybody who’s coming for any Suzuki Konomi live, I really appreciate it. And I hope you enjoy the time you have there as much as you’ve let me enjoy giving you the songs that I have made. Thank you very much.
KIHOW: Thank you to everybody in Malaysia who’s listened to MYTH & ROID. Thank you for the love you have shown for our music and also listening to it in the first place. Thinking back, and I’m not just saying this as an artist, but everybody has bad days. Days where you have really big ups and really low lows and it becomes a cycle. When you are going through those really low lows, you sort of think back to the days where you have the really high highs.
One really significant high that I have personally experienced is, again, the 2018 concert that MYTH & ROID had in Malaysia. It is near and dear to my heart that even when I’m performing in other places, whether it is in Japan or otherwise, when I’m having a bad day, I sort of think back to that concert, you know. It is filled with faces and people in song who appreciate MYTH & ROID music and as I have mentioned earlier that it gave me the courage. It turns into a sort of way for me to push forward even on the really bad days. So, I’d really like to thank everybody for the support they had. Thank you very much.