It has been just over a year that British group
Odyssey had the opportunity to speak with James and Andy about their incredible success.
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"It feels really really great, this is something we have wanted to do for a very long time," group singer Andy said. "And to now be getting some recognition is
Their debut single has done remarkably well, with well over 4 million listens on Spotify and a track that they attribute came relatively easy to them, finishing the lusty, electro-R&B song in about a day or two.
"And the intro on 'Warm On A Cold Night,' a lot of people think it came from an actual radio," Andy said. "But it's actually one of our housemates, who is a very good friend of ours, who came down one morning, very hungover. But he's got the most incredible voice. It is very deep and like just a room shaking bass and we did it in pretty much one take on the fly."
"Yeah, he had no script, he just made it all up," producer James said.
The key to HONNE's new-born sound seems to be their ability to work apart from each other, and then come together collaboratively at the end.
"So quite unusually we write apart almost entirely," James said. "But yes quite often we start with me starting with the music and then I send it to Andy and he'll write the lyrics and melody on top."
For some of their singles, including "Coastal Love" they simply began with the title of the song and let it grow from there.
"It's really conceptual, I guess in a way," Andy said. "From starting with the title, then making the song that sounds like the title. I actually had a lot of fun writing that one. Then at the end, we always get together and finish the track off. And that's it."
They also enjoy bringing other artists into the mix to bring in new perspectives and keep things interesting for their listeners. They were very happy with their single, “No Place Like Home” featured singer JONES.
“Right from the very beginning we wanted to collaborate with other artists, who we think are really talented and JONES is one of those people,” Andy said. “Her voice is really really great.”
James also promised a new collaboration coming out in the next few weeks featuring a really hot UK singer at the moment that they are excited to show fans.
Kendrick Lamar also came into discussion, the duo laughed that in a perfect world, “if he could come do a rap on our songs that’d be really great.”
The name
"(Our music) is very emotive, so I think it gives our listeners a chance to express themselves and reflect on things that might have happened in their lives that they have kept to themselves"
They explained how they find inspiration from various personal happenings not only in their lives but their friends and family. "Gone Are The Days" was a tribute to Andy's sister who had been going through a tough relationship, and Andy used the song to tell her that everything that was happening to her then wouldn't matter because she is a great person and will find someone better.
"(Our music) is very emotive, so I think it gives our listeners a chance to express themselves and reflect on things that might have happened in their lives that they have kept to themselves," Andy said. "I think a lot of people sometimes use music or songs to show their partners or other people how they are feeling. In particular guys, I think use (music) to get back in the good books."
This sound and the way Andy and James have been able to perfectly capture personal moments in the lives of their listeners is translated on stage as well.
“So it's like we have a full band with drums, bass player and Andy sings and I play keyboard,” James said. “So what we try to do is make the music come alive a bit and give people an experience they won't get from a record.”
That doesn’t take away from the positive and party vibe coming from their crowds, though. Andy explained that is London, “people from the first song are on each other's shoulders."
Andy and James are also fans of social media and the way they are able to connect with their fans on a more personal level. However, they are wary of letting the trend take away from their music and do their best to manage an even balance between tweeting and making music.
They dabble with Twitter, Instagram and enjoy responding to all their fans on Facebook messenger.
“And also, we just today made a Snapchat account so it's going to give James and I the opportunity to be silly boys and just do stuff,” Andy said.
So now fans can follow James and Andy as they embark on the rest of their tour, as well as tap into all their new, future music and collaborations. Listeners can also look forward to their debut album which is set to come out in July.
