Ena Mori believes you have a place in this world
Seeing how Ena Mori commands the stage, it can be hard to imagine she used to be a reserved child.
Before she created synthpop anthems dressed like a kid’s drawing come alive, the Filipino-Japanese artist lived in a Tokyo suburb. Her peers were often more cruel than kind.
“Memories are carried by sound, like when you smell a scent that brings you back to a certain memory. I remember what I was listening to in third grade and the memory I hold from that particular moment,” Ena tells The Philippine STAR. On tougher school days back then, she blared feel-good music on her headphones, finding companionship in music.
Ena’s 2022 album—the critically acclaimed “Don’t Blame the Wild One!”—would be right at home in her younger self’s playlist, each track carrying its own powerful affirmation and titled with an exclamation point. Because it is in music that she sought comfort, it is through music now that she tries to fold time and reach back to the Ena growing up in Tokyo. “I’m the king of the night… All you need is a crown in our heads, all you need is yourself,” she sings in one of the album's singles, King of the Night!
“I find myself thinking about my childhood often when I’m writing,” Ena, now 25, shares.
Still, Ena admits she didn’t set out to be a songwriter, training in classical piano since age six. “I had a fear of trying something out of my comfort (zone) and I don’t consider myself a good communicator with words,” she says, adding that it’s the challenge she enjoys most in songwriting.
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Her background in classical piano now helps her “give depth to any contemporary and unconventional ideas”—after all, one must study the rules before meaningfully breaking them.
As she grows older, Ena continues to use songwriting to rediscover herself. Her latest single Heartache Generation, out last March, is about her fear of getting older and feeling overwhelmed with a life that changes quickly. The music video was shot with Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and takes viewers through a birthday party that takes a strange turn.
We all just want to be united, and music is such a magical medium that connects anyone.
Ena’s songs about the terrifying passage of time and wanting to speak for the quiet ones naturally draw young listeners. Her fans find companionship not only in her music but also in her live shows, with Ena being one of the mainstays of the country’s rich gig culture. “Having my songs be part of someone’s life is always mindblowing,” the singer says. “I don’t really expect people to see me, but if my songs can live within someone, whatever that means, that is the ultimate goal for any songwriter.”
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On why so many young people seek out the catharsis and community of local gigs, Ena says, “I think we all just want to be united, and music is such a magical medium that connects anyone from any background, language, and perspective. Art is the only universal language, and music moves bodies. Many of us feel so, so so lonely at times, and we need live music.”
And of course, to any person out there who feels like an outcast, Ena has an invitation: “I would love for them to join me and my musician friends. Come to the show and let’s have a moment where we can forget about everything!”
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Ena Mori’s latest single Heartache Generation is out now in all major streaming platforms via Sony Music Entertainment.
