P&P Spotlight: himynameshoney

It takes a lot to be this honest at just 16, but Honey has never held back from writing about exactly how he feels. His debut single, “Music Stuff,” started as a rough voice recording in his bedroom on GarageBand with nothing but his guitar and his thoughts. What began last September finally comes to life now, after months of re-recording and figuring things out his own way. “Music Stuff” is a raw look into the doubts that come with chasing a dream, and Honey hopes it reminds anyone listening that they have time and that they’re not alone.

Honey’s creative process might seem simple - recording under a blanket to keep the noise out - but the feelings behind “Music Stuff” are anything but simple. He brought in his friend Amelie Kalia for background harmonies, adding another layer of honesty and connection, and those bedroom recordings and DIY fixes are part of what make this first single so special for him. Away from the mic, he keeps things just as personal too. Recently, he and his best friend Phoenix spent nearly ten hours hand-painting tote bags for a special giveaway to celebrate the release of his debut single. For Honey, fans are not just listeners; they are part of the whole journey.

Ahead of the release of “Music Stuff,” Playlists & Polaroids caught up with Honey to talk about the song, his writing process, and where he hopes to take his music next. We’re proud to be here at the start of Honey’s journey, and we have a feeling this is just the beginning. Keep reading for our full conversation with him!

Image credit: Natalie T., graphic created by Karly Ramnani

YOU'LL LOVE HIMYNAMESHONEY IF YOU LISTEN TO: Jake Minch, Gigi Perez, Lizzy McAlpine, Jensen McRae, Phoebe Bridgers, mxmtoon, Gracie Abrams, Hozier, Noah Kahan, Taylor Swift, Abby Powledge, Alix Page, Grace Enger

What artists did you grow up listening to, and who's on your playlist now? How do all of these names influence your craft? 

When I was a kid, I listened to so many pop stars like Ariana Grande, Shawn Mendes, Becky G, and Camila Cabello. Now, all the music that inspires me is more indie pop. Artists like Audrey Hobert, Yana, Ruby Plume, Mori, Jake Minch, Conan Gray, and Lizzy McAlpine. They really shape what I’m making right now. I feel like my music will always be a mix of both because of everything I grew up listening to. I want my songs to lean more pop, but still hold on to that indie side that makes it feel real and true to me.

Speaking of Jake Minch, you recently got to sing on stage with him! How did that opportunity come about?

It's honestly such a fun and crazy story. I actually met Jake in February this year and told him I wanted to open for him in San Francisco or sing with him in some capacity, and he said he’d be down. After that, I started emailing his manager multiple times - even before George On Tour was announced - basically begging to open for him. I literally said in the email, “I would do anything to perform, I just wanna be on stage.” But I never got a reply. So, the night before the show, I was like, “I have to get on stage somehow. I just don’t know how yet.” My friend Carly pushed me to make a sign, so I did. Then I asked all my friends to tell me what songs he usually played right before “fingers and clothes” so I could time it right. Luckily, I was in the front row, so he heard me. I yelled, “Jake, read my sign,” and the rest is history. The sign said, “Can I be the Alix to your Jake and sing ‘fingers and clothes’ with you?” It was such an unreal experience—I fully manifested that moment. I’m endlessly grateful to Jake and his band for letting me share the stage with them. And for the record, I was the second person ever to do that!

How long have you been writing songs, and how has your process changed over time?

I’ve been writing songs since I was twelve. Back then, my vocabulary wasn’t that great, but it got better once I started taking it more seriously. I’ve always been really honest in my songs because I write exactly how I’m feeling at that moment. Every song I write, I try to use a word I’ve never used before, even if I don’t know what it means at first. I’m really intentional about building my vocabulary and finding new ways to say what I want to say. To help with that, I have this deck of cards called Untranslatable Words that I found out about after watching musician Jensen McRae write songs from it. It has words from German, Spanish, and other languages with English translations. Whenever I’m stuck or feeling uninspired, I flip through the cards. Some of the words have meanings that are kind of vague, but they help me broaden my vocabulary and what I can say while adding new layers to my songs.

Why did “Music Stuff” feel like the right song for your first release?

“Music Stuff” is about my fear that I might never actually have a music career. It’s just a song about knowing this is all I’ve ever wanted to do with my life but also feeling like I’m going to have to get an office job and go to college and do all these things I never imagined myself doing. The whole song deals with self-doubt and feeling like maybe I’m not good enough to reach my dreams. I chose this as my debut single because of the outro line: “But I have to be somebody that makes a difference and I will spend my whole life doing it.” For me, it’s the perfect way to start my career. It’s like a promise to myself and anyone listening that I’m going to spend my life making a difference through music.

What made you feel like now was the perfect time to finally share your music?

Honestly, I’ve been wanting to release songs for so long. “Music Stuff” was actually supposed to be released in March, but the release date had to get pushed back. I recorded the whole song by myself on GarageBand in my room, but I messed up the vocals by standing too close to the mic. I ended up having to rerecord my vocals and sent them to my brother, who was supposed to mix the song for me since he has experience. That didn’t work out because I didn’t like how it sounded. My brother is really good at mixing hip-hop music, but it didn’t match the vibe I was going for. I spent a lot of time looking for someone who could help me finish it in a way that felt right. Eventually, a friend referred me to someone who helped me wrap it up, and once the song was at a place I really liked, I knew it was time. That’s when I finally set the new release date for August 8th.

Image credit: Natalie D.

How would you describe your music to someone who's never heard it?

I would say it’s really sad. In my songs, I talk a lot about internal battles. I’m only 16, so a lot of my songs are just about being a teenager and all the things you feel at this age. I write about not being happy with the way I look, not being happy with the things I’m doing, and I talk a lot about my family issues and my family history too. At my recent show in LA, a fan came up to me and described my music as “haunting.” I still don’t know if that’s a good thing or not, but I kind of like it.

Who do you think people might compare your music to? Any artists you'd say you sound like?

I think about this all the time. Anyone who has ever asked me this question, I always say Jake Minch. Just because of the vibes that his music has and he talks a lot about family issues and all of his internal battles. His music is super sad, and I just love his melodies and his songs tell such great stories. He puts a lot of intention into the way he writes, and I just really try to be like that, too. A lot of people tell me I sound like him too. Another artist is Gigi Perez. I strive to sound like her too. I just love the way she belts and how powerful her voice is, and I also see so many parallels because she writes about her family a lot. She’s just so powerful and I’m always trying to be a better singer like her.

Did growing up in the Bay Area have any effect on your music?

When I was sending out a bunch of demos to my friends, one of them who lives in LA and is also from the Bay Area told me, “This is the ultimate Bay Area kid’s song. Like someone trying to get out of the Bay Area and trying to make music and stuff.” That really lit a fire in me. I feel like I have a lot of drive because there aren’t many people doing indie music in the Bay. There are rappers and other artists like that here, but it is really hard to find other indie musicians. That makes me want to work even harder and be the best I can be.

How does “Music Stuff” reflect where you’re at in life? Is there any other song you’ve written that shows where you are right now?

The bridge of “Music Stuff” really shows what I’m dealing with right now, especially when it comes to family not being supportive. The lyric, “I thought that I could do this. Dad, don't be disappointed. I thought that I could do this. Please don’t be disappointed,” is about knowing that music is the only thing I want to do with my life, but it’s hard when a lot of my family doesn’t support it. It’s really difficult because I don’t know what else I’m supposed to do. I can’t picture myself doing anything else.

I have another song called “Siren Sounds” that touches on something similar. I wrote it about feeling like everything I’m doing right now is the reason I might not succeed. Things like bed rotting, waking up really late, and other unhealthy habits make me feel like if I fail, it will be because of what I’m doing to myself. I’m super self-aware about those things, and I think that honesty comes through in my songs.

Image credit: Natalie D.

When someone hits play for the first time, what do you hope they feel or take away from your songs?

I really want listeners, especially people who are younger or my age, to feel like they don’t have to rush through life. I hope when someone hears my songs, they feel comforted knowing that they have time to figure things out. A lot of my lyrics are me saying how badly I want music to work out, but also showing how scared I am that it won’t. I’m always feeling like everything is moving so fast and I have to have my whole life planned out right now, but that isn’t true.

If someone listens to my song and thinks, “Wow, someone else feels exactly like I do,” then I know I’ve done my job. I want my songs to remind people that they don’t need to have it all figured out yet. Life moves so quickly, and there’s so much pressure to make big choices so young. It’s like you’re a kid learning how to tell time and then suddenly you’re expected to know your career and where you’ll go to college. I just want people to hear my music and feel like it’s okay to slow down and breathe. There’s time.

Who was the first person you shared your music with? What was their reaction?

I write all my songs in my bedroom, so the first person to ever really hear them was my brother. He always walks into my room for no reason and sometimes tells me to stop being so loud, but other times he’ll sit down and actually listen. He used to make music too, so if he likes a song, he’ll sing along or tell me it’s a good one. So I think, inevitably, my brother was the first person to hear my songs because we live under the same roof.

Other than him, I don’t really share my songs with my friends directly. I get kind of nervous that they’ll think it’s bad, so most of the time my friends hear my music for the first time when I post it or perform it live. I haven’t posted a lot of my originals yet, but I did a “writing a song every day” series on TikTok, and it did the best on my page and people really loved it. That reaction made me feel like I should actually put something out.

What’s next for you? Any more songs or shows coming up?

Right now, I’m mainly focused on releasing “Music Stuff” and making more music. I’m always looking for more opportunities and trying to plan shows whenever I can. There’s this open mic event near my city that I’ve been going to every week, which has been really fun and good practice.

I’m also working on the idea of an EP. I’m hoping to release another song in October and it’s called “I’ll Pray Everyday.” It’s about my grandpa’s passing when I was younger and how I dealt with losing him. He’s the only person I’ve lost in my family so far and when I was little, I didn’t really know how to cope with that. Now that I’m older, I see how much anxiety his passing brought into my life because it made me really aware that anything can happen so fast. It makes me worry about losing other people I care about.

Finally, the P&P classic! What’s a lyric from “Music Stuff” that stands out to you? Walk us through the process of yourself writing it, and how does it speak to you personally?

One lyric that really stands out to me is “teen years down the drain, what have I gotten?” I wrote the first and second verse of "Music Stuff" all in one night back in September 2024, but that line took me a long time to get right. I went through so many versions and it never felt right until I landed on that one. It sums up the whole feeling of the song for me. Just wondering if I’m wasting my time and feeling like I’m giving everything to music but not getting anything back, even though it’s all I want to do with my life.

When I write songs, I usually start by finding a chord progression I like on guitar. Then I just sing whatever comes out to find a melody. A lot of the time, the words just come out naturally and I build the rest of the song around them. I can’t really write all the lyrics first and then match them to music later, it all happens at the same time for me.

Also, I just want to mention my friend Amelie. I actually met Amelie through TikTok and we became friends. When I posted "Music Stuff," she really liked it and I asked if she wanted to do harmonies or maybe write a verse. She said yes right away, and I’m so grateful she was part of my first song. A few other people asked to be part of it too, but in the end Amelie was the perfect fit. She’s probably one of my closest friends in the music industry and it means a lot that she added her voice to this song.

Image credit: Natalie D.

“Music Stuff” marks a bold first step for Honey’s journey as an artist, and we’re so excited to watch him grow from here. His honest songwriting and raw teenage perspective make his music easy to connect with and impossible to forget. We know we’re not the only ones ready to hit repeat on his next release. While we wait, here’s a playlist we’ve put together that pairs perfectly with Honey’s sound and spirit - enjoy!