Interviewed by Brian Rademacher
Date: February 2010

Brian Rademacher: Hello Angelica and welcome to RockEyez.com

Angelica Rylin Hi Brian! Thanks for having me.

Brian Rademacher: Congratulations on THE MURDER OF MY SWEET’s Debut release "Divanity"… Was the original name for the band MURDER MY SWEET and changed it to THE MURDER OF MY SWEET because of copy writes to the 1944 movie?

Angelica Rylin We have always been named THE MURDER OF MY SWEET.. We were however inspired by the movie Murder, my sweet because we found the title so intriguing and we were fascinated about how cool it sounds to have the two words murder and sweet in the same sentence. It is an interesting name and draws attention.

Brian Rademacher: In 2004 did you work on a Christmas release called "Play Around The Christmas Tree" and if so can you tell me anything about that?

Angelica Rylin Yes I did. I did some backing vocals on that album which a friend of mine, Christian Svensson mixed and produced. It’s really funny because I never actually received a copy of it and wasn’t sure if it was ever released. Comparing to the work I put in on Divanity that session was really nothing. We did it in like one evening or so and on Divanity we worked for almost two years. It’s a huge difference when you are the artist yourself.

Brian Rademacher: Were there any other projects or bands you worked with before?

Angelica Rylin I played around with a couple of friends when I was younger, like so many other music lovers, but THE MURDER OF MY SWEET is the first serious band that I am truly involved with and to have a world wide release on that premises feels really great.

Brian Rademacher: Is there any symbolic meaning to the red gloves you wear in both your videos "Follow the Rain" and "Bleed Me Dry"?

Angelica Rylin Well, those two videos were intended to be in black and white and only the gloves were supposed to be in color but when we were finished we thought that it looked better as it was shot. The videos were also only intended as promo videos in search for a record label and we wanted to give them a sort of modern film noir look seen in films like Sin City and The Spirit.

Brian Rademacher: Did you have any vocal training because you have great control over your voice?

Angelica Rylin I’ve been singing and dancing since I can remember but it wasn’t until 2001 that I came across a vocal coach and started realizing that I could sing. I have taken a few classes with different coaches but most of all I have developed by listening to music and singing along to songs that I like. Trying new ways to sing and pushing your boundaries and just having fun with it is the best way to develop. My parents listened a lot to Pat Benatar, Kim Wilde, EURHYMICS, and QUEEN when I grew up so those bands were my first introduction to music and so they were the first singers I listened to and sang along with.

Brian Rademacher: What was the first concert you attended?

Angelica Rylin The first concert I attended was Whitney Houston in 1992 here in Stockholm. My older sister brought me along and I was amazed! Whitney Houston was my great idol at that time.

Brian Rademacher: With glam bands being so popular in Sweden THE MURDER OF MY SWEET went into a different direction with keyboards and more symphonic. Was it always the intentions for the band to follow that direction?

Angelica Rylin I guess that was something that grew on us as we wrote and recorded the songs. We come from all different backgrounds as musicians and our sound as THE MURDER OF MY SWEET is a sweet blend of all our influences. Daniel Flores is, worth to mention, a fantastic composer and should really do score music so it wasn’t a too far stretch to have these huge strings and horns arrangements.

Brian Rademacher: Are there any vocalists that you admire?

Angelica Rylin Of course. There are a lot of great vocalists out there and I admire both Bono and Celine Dion as well as Richard Page and Skunk Anansie.

Brian Rademacher: What are your feelings being compared to Amy Lee EVANESCENCE and Sharon den Adel of WITHIN TEMPTATION?

Angelica Rylin They are both very talented and beautiful women with lots of experience and a huge following and I am truly glad to be named amongst them. It would be cool to play or do something together in the future…who knows? Maybe we could.

Brian Rademacher: Do you feel that being a female front woman that having a sexy front woman like yourself sells in the music world?

Angelica Rylin This is a crowded industry today and it is hard to stand out but I really believe we manage to do that and that we bring something new and fresh in rock. I don’t think it’s all about me being a female, more about how it’s all wrapped up together with the sound, the songs and of course the visual. We live in a vane world and I think it would be hard if I didn’t wash my hair and wore make up and pretty clothes. Playing music and acting isn’t too far from each other and it is important how you perform both visually and musically.

Brian Rademacher: Do you think that with the music that THE MURDER OF MY SWEET plays you will be able to reach out to different genres of music such as Christian, Goth and others?

Angelica Rylin We seem to attract all different kinds of listeners and we have a broad fan base on MySpace. Both the heavy metal guys, the electro dudes and the pop princesses seem to love the songs and the concept and I personally am very glad that we appeal to so many. I guess that is an odd thing to do but we did it.

Brian Rademacher: The band started in 2006 and the release came in 2009/10 what have you been doing in between those three plus years?

Angelica Rylin We weren’t complete until late 2007 when I joined the band and at that point we started writing and recording the songs. We then wrote over twenty songs for the album along sides looking for the right record label. It is a long process that follows when you actually decide to sign with a label, making agreements and deciding witch songs to put on the album and so on, so that took some time as well. But it’s been a great journey and we have really gotten to know each other and grown as a band.

Brian Rademacher: Have you started work yet on the next release? And it’s mentioned that you will be working with Jesper Strömblad from IN FLAMES on some of the tracks?

Angelica Rylin We wrote a song together last summer that we hope to put on the next album and hopefully we will write more songs with him. Jesper is a very talented songwriter and a really cool guy. We have a lot of cool ideas and a couple of rough demos for new songs but our main focus the next couple of months will be on promoting "Divanity" and hopefully getting on tour.

Brian Rademacher: The music on "Divanity" is pretty heavy in the vein of the Christian band SKILLET but when you add your vocals in, you get aggressive music with acclaimed sweet vocals. The songs are catchy and the music is very powerful. So when the band first got together in 2007 were the initial demos just as strong?

Angelica Rylin Since we worked on the songs for such a long time most of them were fully produced and almost as heavy as they ended up on the album. We have made some small adjustments here and there but it’s not that far from how they sounded as demos.

Brian Rademacher: Tell us about your first rehearsals?

Angelica Rylin Well, what can I say? The guys are professionals. It was like a walk in the park rehearsing and I am so happy to be in the same band as them.

Brian Rademacher: Are you at all surprised how much the music world has taken to your debut release and the band?

Angelica Rylin I had no expectations at all when I joined the band, only big hopes and dreams and today all of them are exceeded. I couldn’t be happier, I mean you can never know how people will feel about your music, and it’s so individual.

Brian Rademacher: Will the next release also be on Frontiers Records and when Serafino heard THE MURDER OF MY SWEET what was his reaction?

Angelica Rylin Next album will for sure be on Frontiers. Serafino was obviously floored… maybe that’s a better question for him to answer ;)

Brian Rademacher: Will the band be playing any dates in 2010 in The US?

Angelica Rylin I really hope so. I don’t have any confirmed dates but it is a big dream of mine to tour in America. If enough people buy the album maybe the opportunity of us to come over increases.

Brian Rademacher: Angelica congratulation once again on the new release "Divanity" it’s a killer CD and I hope fans support it. Would you like to say anything in conclusion or talk about anything we might have missed?

Angelica Rylin Thank you for taking the time to read this interview. I hope I woke your curiosity and that you will visit www.myspace.com/themurderofmysweet and www.themurderofmysweet.com. I would like to say –support the bands that you like, it means so much to us to know that you’re out there so drop by our page and leave us a comment and if you like our song please buy the album.