BAROQUE's Ryo Announces Retirement

Visual kei vocalist Ryo, the frontman of BAROQUE and kannivalism, has announced his retirement from music.

In a statement on BAROQUE's website, Ryo apologized for the sudden announcement, which has led to the cancellation of the duo's imminent tour. The singer was at pains to stress that the decision was taken for entirely personal reasons, and there is no antagonism with his BAROQUE bandmate Kei, who will now resume his solo activities.

Ryo first performed with BAROQUE in the early 2000s. He and Kei went on to revive their earlier band kannivalism until 2011, after which they reformed BAROQUE as a duo. In 2009, Ryo published the book "Utsubyo Rocker" in which he recounted his struggles with adjustment disorder.

The music video for STAY, a song the duo produced in the midst of lockdown and released in April, can be watched below.