We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Breathless Aka Honey B a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Breathless, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
Music definitely runs in my blood, as my father is a singer and plays guitar. So I feel like it was a natural thing for me to get into the craft of singing and being a vocal artist. Then as I began to write poetry and create stories, I began writing songs and fell in love with the art of emceeing. For anything, I believe that the compounding of practice over time is what will make you better. So, the more I write, the more I rhyme and practice my rhyme schemes and delivery, the more it gets tighter and doper to hear and witness. I think researching songwriting and careers of artists I wanted careers like has been helpful in speeding up my learning process as well.
I have the desire to grow artistically, not only vocally, but in my songwriting, my performing and artistry overall. I’ve even started taking guitar lessons, purely for learning the craft. In the midst of it, I’m learning about music theory, which is really a game changer.
My own mindset has literally been the biggest obstacle I’ve had…imposter syndrome, lack of experience keeping me from showing up in certain spaces…etc. I’ve missed a few opportunities early on in my career because of my own fears or disbeliefs in self. Luckily I got through that and definitely take risks I’d never thought I would do!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Breathless, aka Honey B, aka Se7en. I’m a songwriter, performer, emcee, project manager, event curator and overall happy go lucky being!
I actually started emceeing by writing poetry…and once I heard Hip Hop for the first time, I got hooked on how clever the words were, and how they created such a vivid picture…plus the bounce! So I wrote my first rap song called “Reunited”. It was recorded over some beat I found somewhere and was the beginning of some really cool moments in my life. Since then I’ve gotten to do a lot of events, release a lot of music, and create a ton of art!
I’ve been privy to open for and rhyme with the likes of DMX, Too Short, Jurassic 5, Gift of Gab, Halluci Nation, Sa-Roc, Vel Nine, Grouch & Eligh, Suga T, Andre Nickatina & Young Gully, CMG of Conscious Daughters, Pam The Funkstress, Mack 10 and more!
I also do voice over work which includes the voice of the cartoon character “Carrie” on the series “Ghost Bus Kids”, and I’ve done a few modeling gigs which include some Official Mac Dre Clothing by Rapbay with Mac Mall and Davina. I am a fan of the arts in all the ways, so it shows up in the work that I do.
I’m really proud of all that I give out and thats because I know that I’ve definitely given all of myself to create it. I’m growing as a songwriter, I study, I practice, I’m learning new instruments, I’m understanding music theory in a whole different way…I’m proud of my immersion and what I see it emitting back out into the universe.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the ability to generate something from nothing. To take an idea that happened in your mind and transform that into a tangible, audible or visible thing is truly amazing to me. So I feel really proud especially when its something I’ve challenged myself with to accomplish…when I finally get there, it feels really good to have gotten one step farther as an artist than I was before.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
My goodness, this list is a super long list, so I’ll only give you a few here…but if you want more, email or DM me, because I would love to share some of the things that built my mindset.
One book I absolutely love is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. It really helps me when I need to transmute a seemingly negative situation into one that has a positive outcome. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle has been one of my favorites because it reminds me that while I can plan for the future and remember the past, it is always THE dopest right here, right now, in this moment. The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason taught me alot about financial decisions and choices that I can make that help make me a good steward to the funds I generate. All About Love by Bell Hooks is a staple item because I base all my thoughts, decisions and movements out of a loving mind and learning how to love self and then others and so much more!
Here are a few more books I love that impacted me that I think creatives should read: The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne,
Contact Info:
- Website: www.BreathlessMusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breathlessmusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BreathlessTheRapper/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brigette-wright-breathless/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/breathlessmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRealBreathless
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@breathlessmusic
Image Credits
Photo credits include: Sarah Arnold Photography, The Hivvve, Town Futurist Media, and 4Reel Productions