Richmond musicians find unexpected Japanese fame after singing theme song to 'Resident Evil' video game

Colin and Caroline Healy are known around Richmond for their indie acoustic-folk music.

Now they've got a fanbase that knows them for something entirely different.

An unsolicited email led to the duo, who perform as Colin & Caroline, singing the theme song for the recently released video game "Resident Evil: Requiem." The song is titled "Through the Darkness," and represents a departure from their usual folksy sound.

Composer Koyo Sonae, who has worked on a number of video games with his company, Teddix, reached out to the duo, telling them their voices would be perfect for the role.

"We just didn't know how big of a deal that is," Colin said of their initial reaction.

Colin & Caroline recorded their portion in Richmond, while working on Zoom with producers in Japan.

The journey ultimately took them across Japan, where they played a series of concerts with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra celebrating the video game franchise's 30th anniversary.

"Being in Japan, and seeing the different people, different ages, all walks of life in the audience who appreciate this game, we kind of realized we were part of something very special that we didn't realize going in," Caroline said.

The duo, who are married, keep plenty busy outside of music as well. Caroline (formerly Mauck) is an artist, while Colin is a co-owner, along with his family members, in local restaurant group Housepitality. They've also got two young boys.

Still, they knew the opportunity was too good to pass up.

"The people in Japan are unbelievable," Caroline said. "The magic and respect that they show artists and performers when they're visiting is unmatched."

It's also not the duo's first brush with soundtrack fame, as they had an original song featured on the Netflix show "13 Reasons Why" in 2017.

As part of the Resident Evil tour, Colin & Caroline debuted an acoustic version of the song that more resembles their traditional fare.

"I think we've had a lot of really fun, cool opportunities throughout our career, and so it doesn't feel like this will change our lives overnight or anything, but it just kind of adds excitement," Colin said. "It adds something new and fun."

The group will perform locally on Sunday from 3-5 p.m. at Cirrus Vodka in Scott's Addition at the tasting room's one-year anniversary party.

They play regularly around town and post shows to their Instagram page and will be releasing new music in the next few months.

Caroline said the adventure has reignited their passion for what they do, and inspired them to continue making music.

"Since Colin and I are parents of very little kids, its easy for us to get in our routines and to put aside things," she said. "We don't play music at the same capacity that we used to prior to having kids, but it brought back this new fire of inspiration to keep doing it, even when we're exhausted. So we've been writing a lot more since then."

Contact Michael Phillips at mphillips@richmonder.org. This article has been updated.