It's Saturday night and three girls with a love of R&B and in possession of uplifting voices are driving home from a night's clubbing. Little did they know then that they were on their way to stardom. Three angel-voiced women now called Honeyz, set to become a new force in R&B. You're gonna hear a lot about them.
Honeyz are Heavenli, Celena and Naima, three "sistahs" who have got their act together and hit the global stage. They've come a long way home from those nights at London's Hanover Grand. But the journey's only begun.
The Honeyz story begins when Londoner Celena was in Paris performing Disney songs in a downtown revue. Naima went backstage one night and they got talking, a kinship that led Naima to England when Celena returned. "I didn't want to sing 'Everyone Wants To Be A Cat' anymore", admit Celena.
Back in the UK the two friends bumped into Heavenli while out and all three realised their common thread - singing - was leading them forward. Soon the three found they were enjoying live performances at various family gatherings.
"We had the best time", Celena remembers. "It brought us so much closer". And it helped their songwriting. All, three loved the ballads of Whitney Houston, the street soul of Mariah Carey and the greats of Motown. As well as learning about each other, they spent some time writing, singing and building Honeyz into something special. "It was a great learning experience", recalls Heavenli. "It really made us understand each other". They also discovered their voices fitted perfectly into the most gorgeous of harmonies.
The Honeyz have got their different flava. Naima (French born, North African father and half-Spanish mother) is a gym freak. She loves opera on a Sunday morning and her vibe brings the very best to Honeyz' heartfelt ballads. Heavenli - loves Janet Jackson, adores TLC - favours the funkier up tempo numbers. Celena meanwhile - a George Benson kind of Sunday person - likes to slow it down. "It's just three different people with different ideas coming together and making it work", describes Naima.
And working together's easy when you share your experiences. Honeyz are proud to showcase their songwriting skills and with the help of legendary Culture Club producer Steve Levine, their's is a brand of classy, soulful R&B they can call their own. Celena reveals how songs like "Finally Found" will touch a chord with everyone who's friendship has turned into love. Although when the song was written neither Heavenli or Naima knew the mystery man's identity. "It was happening to me all the time", Celena says, shyly. "It was so secret so...". "We didn't know who it was", adds Heavenli. "But when she told us the plot, we figured out who it was".
Away from the sweeping emotion and soaring harmonies of "Finally Found", there's the street party jam "Summertime", the deep and funky "Wonder No.8" and the sexy "I Know". And the girls aren't afraid to visit life's darker moments when love moves ever closer to breakdown.
For now, Honeyz can only dream about those Suturday nights out - but each has their own perfect occasion in mind. Heavenli wants Hawaii, some music and her man; Naima looks to a beach "away from mobile phones!" and Celena votes for a family get together with "great soul food".
So now you know a little more about the skills and the songs and personalities that Honeyz have to take on the world with. Heavenli promises "sassiness" and Celena cites their "emotive lyrics. Every song is going to mean something to someone out there".
Source: http://bounce.to/honeyz
