Chilling With HoneyLuv In A Dingy Bar Basement Was 100% On Our Bucketlist

February 2, 2024 | Written by Sierra Madison

Every winter, Igloofest brings together thousands of electronic music fans who are ready to brace the cold and dance under the stars at Montreal's Old Port. This year I was lucky enough to catch sets from the likes of Laurence Matte, DJ Holographic, Floorplan, Karim Olen Ash, Syana, and one of my favs, Chippy Nonstop. But by the time the festival was over, my night was just starting, as I rushed over to Francesco’s for the official Après Ski AfterParty and to chat with HoneyLuv.

The venue was a quick 15 minutes away from Jacques-Cartier Pier, where Igloofest was taking place, in the Old Port of Montreal. Despite the sudden snowy weather, the walkover transported me to a different place, a small European town perhaps? The cobblestone roads and tiny alleyways make it hard to resist the city’s charm, even in the middle of a brisk winter.

I met up with HoneyLuv right before her set, around 12:30 AM. The staff at Francesco’s was quick to bring us down to their green room. The bar basement was giving indie sleaze, and HoneyLuv was quick to express how much she loved the vibe. As we settled in for our interview I felt like I was catching up with an old friend and not a budding DJ whose rise to fame was quick and unexpected.

Taylor Character, better known as HoneyLuv, is a Cleveland native who found her passion in DJing and music production after experiences in basketball and serving in the Navy. Rapidly rising in the house music scene, she's known for her vibrant sets blending classic elements of early house with a contemporary twist. HoneyLuv has gained recognition on lists like BBC Radio 1's Dance Future Stars and won DJ Mag's Breakthrough Producer award. She’s toured with the likes of Kaytranada, MK, and Kevin Saunderson, and she's collaborated with notable artists across genres.

We're here at Francesca's for the Après Ski Afterparty for Igloofest with HoneyLuv. We're so excited to talk. Thank you so much for making the time. So, your transition from the basketball court to the Navy to a successful DJ showcases such a strong sense of dedication and it seems to be a trait that is a core part of your approach, especially since DJing wasn't your initial life goal. Could you share how your experiences in sports and the military shaped this mentality and how these roles have influenced your DJ career?

Well, yeah, with both of those, with basketball, you had to practice to be good. With the military, you had to do drills and practice to be able to do your job when it came down to it. And I guess having those be the setup for that in my life until now, whereas DJing is all about dedication, hard work, and just being consistent. I think it really helped shape my work ethic for this life in DJing and it worked out.

Adding on to that last question too, a lot of times when people start something, a new challenge, they kind of tend to fall off after the first sign of difficulty, where you kind of seem to embrace that learning curve, despite the discomforts of it. Could you shed a little bit of light on where this source of resilience comes from? Is that something innate within you or just a mindset you've developed over time?

I think I've always been like that since I was little, to be honest. Even if I fail at something, I'll always get back up and try again. If it turns out that it wasn't for me, I'll move on and find something else that is. So I just think I’ve always had that mindset, even when I was younger, and still as an adult. And I've just learned how to evolve that in a way.

The house music scene is deeply rooted in the experiences of black and gay communities in the 1970s and 80s in Chicago. How do you as a black woman artist preserve and honour this rich heritage in your music while also confronting the genre’s appropriation, particularly by white male artists?

I mean, it’s facts! But year, just by doing my own stuff, creating my own parties, whereas people who I put on those parties wouldn't really be getting on those main stages. They wouldn't have those opportunities. So it's just finding those people, those core people who really, really love the music and who have really educated themselves and just love the music. And that's why with my new label that I’m doing, and the new party I'm doing For The Love, it's just going to be based around that, just bringing on new people that never get the opportunity.

That's amazing. What does music represent for you personally - how do you use it as a tool for empowerment and inspiration? And could you describe your vision behind your music a bit?

Oh yeah, that's a good one. Music for me, honestly, it was just a lifesaver. It kept me out of really dark places. And just music in general, it makes you happy. There are songs for every mood. And I feel that it’s always been like that for me since I was younger, just with music. And with how I approach my music, it's just basically the feeling that I get. Like I don't just go in and make whatever. I literally have to have that feeling to go in the studio and create something, because then I put my all into it.

Yeah, it's really powerful. What key skill or lesson do you think you learned from your basketball court days that you applied to your DJ career?

Honestly, just preparation, because I literally set myself up for, you know, the DJ career. I thought I was going to have to be doing it a lot longer — you know, just the groundwork before I got to where I am now. And I was ready to do that. I was just ready to put in the work. I think from basketball, having to practising every day, I was willing to practice for years and years just to get to where I am now. But, you know, things happen and it all happened a lot faster than I thought it would.

Looking towards your future, what are your goals and aspirations in the DJ career? I know you shared recently on Instagram that you're sort of questioning the current path because you just weren't sure if you, you know, loved it as much or had the same love for it that you use to. Could you share a bit about where you see yourself heading now and what you're manifesting next?

Well, now it's just, you know, riding the wave and seeing where it takes me. And, you know, I've set the groundwork for where my future can go and the longevity that it can have. So it's just basically wait and see and just, you know, doing what I'm doing and not stopping and just let it play out.

Reflecting on your beginnings in high school where you produced hip-hop beats and blended them with poetry, how has your artistic expression evolved to where you are now? Do you still incorporate poetry into your work? And in what ways does it influence your current music style?

Music in general is poetry. Lyrics are poetry. So it's just, you know, I guess the structure of it, making it more catchy and stuff like that. So it's really not a big difference. It's just structured for, like, radio play, sort of. You know, it's not a real big difference at all.

So you're playing the Après-Ski Igloofest Party tonight. What are you most looking forward to in your set?

Oh, just the vibes. I love dark rooms, small rooms. Those are the best where the parties literally thrive. So I'm really excited to see, you know, how the night plays out.

Yeah, do you kind of take, like, the energy of the crowd?

I don't prepare anything. I just go on, I feel the energy, and then whatever, you know, it's being reciprocated, that's what comes out.

Production: Christine Bradshaw

Photography: Sierra Brown-Rodrigues