Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Honorebel. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Honorebel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea
I basically look at the Music Industry as a business just like anyone else suppose to. I Started lifting speaker boxes for different sound system in Jamaica in order to hold the mic and sing later in the night during the party. A little after that, while still in high school, my family migrated to United States. Then i joined two bands at the same time performing from Baltimore, Maryland to Ocean City, then started to record songs in the studio. I love what i was doing but now i had to figure out how to get paid from doing this. I relocated to Miami and thats where i formed my publishing company Caribbean Paradise Publishing LLC and record label Phantom Music Group. So here i am 10 albums later, signed to three major labels, 2x platinum and over 197 collaboration with different artists worldwide.
Honorebel, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
It’s apparent that in today’s Mainstream Music Industry, pundits of all shapes and sizes like to put an artist in a box. With all this labeling and defining the musician’s music, it’s often an industry breakthrough when one finds an artist that’s impossible to categorize. In walks HonoRebel, a name so fitting for someone who enjoys rebelling against the status quo.
Born Richard Bailey in the ghettos of Kingston, Jamaica, Honorebel is the youngest of six children who were raised by a single mother. He remembers his childhood as being a rough uphill struggle, often riddled with street violence and poverty. Amongst all the negative events that surrounded his early life, it was by fate that Honorebel was heavily exposed to music. In Honorebel’s own words, “I didn’t find music, music found me.” As his career began to progress, Honorebel, explains that the Honor comes from his
humbleness, while the Rebel is his Fighting Warrior Spirit. It was this very same spirit that took his musician status to the next level. Honorebel launched his Musical Career inthe late 90’s and soon found himself collaborating with Reggae Legends such as Sly and
Robbie, while infusing Hip-Hop Beats with producers like Scott Storch and EDM with Benny Benassi, Dj Snake, Afro Jack, Rune RK, Robbie Rivera and Tommy Trash just to name a few. Honorebel has colloborated with artist such as the queen of reggae/dancehall Lady Saw, Gyptian, Shaggy, Sean Paul, Pitbull, Sean Kingston, Akon, Flo Rida and Snoop Dogg just to name a few. It was inevitable that Honorebel’s music quickly morphed. He infused various styles to fit his deliverance, ranging from Roots Dancehall to AfroBeat, EDM to Pop Music, to AmaPiano to Reggaeton. Honorebel began to widen his musical catalog and his audience appeal, reaching as far as Russia, where he performed live at the Russian MTV Video Music Awards with Russia Pop Star, Julia Kova. His song “Now You See” ft Pitbull was release in 2009 through Ultra Records and has over 45 million views on youtube and went #1 in 24 different country worldwide, two million units sold, peaked #22 on Billboard Hot 100 and #43 on Billboard Hot 200. In the summer of 2015 Honorebel and Pitbull made another classic entitled “She’s My Summer” which went #1 on the Swiss Dance Charts and steadily held position in the top ten in nine countries worldwide. Honorebel songs are place in many motion picture such as Piranha 3D, American Reunion and television shows such as Californication and HellCats. Because of his diverse musical style, Honorebel found himself standing outside the music industry box. Unable to label him as just a traditional reggae singer, Honorebel was quickly initiated as a cross-over artist. Honorebel explains, “I’m not afraid to experiment with different genre of music. Reggae Music is my foundation, but I feel my creativity transcends beyond that. You can throw me into Hip-Hop, Soca, Latin, Dance, Classical, Techno, EDM whatever and I’ll deliver.” In Honorebel's own words: " I am
forever learning and improving to be the best I can. Education without morals, music without the message of love, true friends without loyalty is like a ship without a compass, sailing aimlessly at sea".
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
What build my reputation in the market place of music is my consistency, determination and the willingness to take chances.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I always felt like this Music Industry or being an Artist is more like a marathon and not a 100 yard dash. Its time when I feel like giving up because times or situations got tough and then something amazing happens and allow me to get that sudden burst of energy to keep going, so that’s why I never give up and I always encourages my fans and my team around me to do the same.
Look out for Honorebel new album “444” available on every platforms on September 8, 2023.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @therealhonorebel
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/therealhonorebel
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/honorebel
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HonorebelVEVO