Sloe Honey
Growed up in the 1980s and 1990s, she was a goth who always had her nose in a book. She fell in love with poetry as a child and began writing her own as a pre-teen. She soon grabbed a tape recorder and sang melodies to her poems, which was a natural step for her since her parents and her uncle were professional musicians. Once she started recording herself, there was no no way to stop her!
Who is the "human" behind the artist Sloe Honey and how did you get into music?
I am a healer and a humanist. I make my life decisions around connection with other humans. I want to help people and heal people. I was born into music. My parents were musicians, and I grew up listening to all kinds of music and got a first hand look at the process of creating and performing music.
"Stuck on you" creates an amazing atmosphere, what was your inspiration, what's the story behind the song?
Thank you! My inspiration for the song is being in love. When you first fall in love, it's like a mild obsession with the other person (sometimes it's not mild) and you really think the sun shines out of their bottom! Hahah! So, I wrote this song in that stage of a relationship where I felt like they could do no wrong - yet I was aware that there are probably some serious things I'm missing in my love-drunk, cloudy haze.
I have read about an upcoming album, what can we expect?
My upcoming album is called, "Lovesick". It's a collection of 8 songs that are about longing and heartbreak, but also about how I managed to transform my pain from these relationships, and turn it into art that people can listen to and relate to on a deep level. Most of the songs on this album are actually over a decade old. But, two of the songs are newer (one written in 2019 and the other written in the summer of 2022).
What was in your opinion the last big turning point in music history/industry?
For indie musicians? Definitely streaming. Streaming has changed everything for us, and it's even harder for independents to earn income from music we release. And now even touring has become difficult to nearly impossible due to the economic landscape. I wish we as a society would all agree that music and art is what holds us together, and we should value the arts much more than we do now.
What do you prefer, a live gig or a studio session?
That's a tough question! Almost impossible to answer! Haha. I like both for very different reasons. Playing live is always such an adventure. I never know what is going to come out! I'm always very excited and sometimes a touch fearful about how I will express the emotion of my songs at any given time while playing live. And it's a wonderful conversation to have with people when I am playing live. We communicate with each other in an almost telepathic way and it's pure magick!
Studio recording feels a lot safer because I can re-do something as many times as I need to, which is nice. But, I always feel slightly held back while recording in the studio. Usually my goal is to capture a great performance, but that ends up being limiting. But, since studio recording is part of the creative process, I love it very much.
If you take a look back on your creative process, what are the most significant changes from when you started to now?
The biggest change in my creative process from when I started to now is that now I am totally open and willing for change! I used to have very specific, ridgid ideas of what I wanted out of my songs and now I have realized that the songs have their own desires and I need to be open and sensitive enough to "hear" them.
I am now willing to change things, to re-write things, to try things in different ways, and to trust myself and the collaborators I choose to work with.
Let us know your most useful talent besides music!
Besides music? Well...as I said, I am a healer, and I have found that being a skin therapist really suits me. I've been a licensed esthetician for 11 years. I like to focus on the aspects of the beauty industry that are positive and empowering. People feel good about themselves when their skin is healthy and beautiful.
What’s next for you?
After my album, "Lovesick", I am planning to launch right into my next project! I'll be focusing more on experimenting, songwriting collaboration, and supporting the evolution of my sound. I'm very excited about the future!
