Q&A: Honey Gentry Talks Mythical, Escapist “HG” & More
☆ By PATRICK ZAVORSKAS ☆
WITH A CINEMATIC MIX OF OLD HOLLYWOOD, MYTHOLOGY, AND SURREALIST WRITING — Honey Gentry’s music is shrewd with mystery, creating a scope of work that eases itself in and out like a hallucination or the lines of a Sylvia Plath poem. Contemplative and deeply nostalgic, her work draws emotions of the pastoral and the Gothic, dancing between the themes of a long-lost Kate Bush song and the sounds of an early-era Lana Del Rey (Lizzy Grant). In a similar setting, Gentry paints herself almost as elusive as her predecessors, living between the present moment and a longing for the past.
In 2020, Honey Gentry released her first full-length LP, HG, and earned her place among those that paved the way for Old Hollywood’s golden era. But what breaks her from the mold of those who come before her is that her work does not romanticize pop culture and Americana, the way we are used to. Instead, her songs detail mental illness, the feelings of being trapped, love and heartache, and the nightmares that accompany the motives behind the “Hollywood Dream.” In the end, Gentry faces the reality of life in one that often lives inside of its own.
Read on to learn more about Honey Gentry, her music, and her love of nostalgia and Americana in the interview below:
LUNA: Hello Honey Gentry! It is a pleasure doing this interview with you! We are absolutely huge fans of your music, and we are thrilled about getting the opportunity to discuss more about yourself and your work today. But first things first — how is everything going? What is going on in the world of Honey Gentry?
GENTRY: Hi Luna Collective — thanks for chatting with me! Everything is good here, thank you, and I hope for you guys too.
LUNA: Of course, and thank you too! Things have been well! Hopping into the interview, you released your debut album H.G. back in 2020. Did you find it more difficult to release music during a pandemic than before?
GENTRY: I would say the most challenging aspect of it was actually the emotional side. 2020 was a challenging year, and at times, it did feel like spending more time on social media to promote myself was counterproductive. I felt like any time I was on social media, I would rather be contributing to a more important, bigger discussion than my next single. I just tried my best to balance that. As for actually creating the album, I have always been a DIY artist, pretty much operating the entire thing from my laptop at home — from producing the music to distributing it to promoting it — so I actually didn’t find any of the process different. And in fact, I welcomed the solitude and disruption to my routine, most of the time.
LUNA: Completely understandable! Diving into talking about your music, for those who are unfamiliar with your work, is there a specific genre you would say you fall into? Do you think there is a need for that “label”?
GENTRY: Most broadly, I would call myself a singer-songwriter. I like to create my own little world, so I would say I lean pretty heavily into escapism [and] attempts to be cinematic. Although, how that translates to a music genre, I’m still trying to understand.
LUNA: Something that I was immediately drawn to — even before listening to your music — was your name. I have to ask, do you know the country/folk singer Bobbie Gentry (I am a huge fan of hers)? Is there any relation to her with your name? How did it come to be?
GENTRY: I love Bobbie, [though] sadly no earthly relation! What immediately struck me was the opening line of her song, “Ode to Billie Joe” — It was the third of June — which is my mother’s birthday. Combined with Bobbie’s striking voice and style, I immediately searched her up, read all about her and became fascinated by her story. The idea that she had essentially quit fame and vanished into thin air was something I was really interested in. I love the idea that she had reclaimed her life in that way rather than staying in a place that wasn’t right for her.
LUNA: Diving now a little deeper into your music and work, I am curious about how you go about actually writing a song? Do you have a specific process that you use?
GENTRY: Most times, I’ll start with an idea or an image I’ve had — something I’ve seen or read, or maybe written in another form — and I’ll try and craft a story from there. Often they come from real experiences; other times it’s pure imagination. Many songs I’m most fond of are the ones that come out easily, all in one sitting. Other times I’ll start with a concept in mind — this is what happened with “Valentine” — or, in very rare circumstances, I’ll set poems to music which is how “Aphrodite” came about.
LUNA: With your songs and their composition, it seems that you are rather interested with the Gothic literary genre, mythology, and poetry. For example, you have a song called, “The Bell Jar,” titled after the great Sylvia Plath’s novel. What draws you to these specific genres or stories?
GENTRY: I think most broadly I would say I am drawn to women writers and voices, and this — mythology, confessional poetry, diarists — just seems to be where they can flourish, particularly looking back through history.
LUNA: I’ve noticed as well that — specifically within your own music videos or Instagram — that you are very drawn to a very vintage aesthetic. I wouldn’t necessarily categorize it as solely ’60s or ’70s, but rather a diverse mix of Americana, cinema, and art history. Do you find that there is something rather alluring about the past?
GENTRY: I’ve been interested in media, music, film, etc. from the twentieth century pretty much my whole life. There’s absolutely a relationship to nostalgia within that. I like to think about defining moments in history and see that there’s so much to learn from the past — to me, it’s important to learn from the past in order to contribute to and improve the present. Or also just to feel human. The twentieth century is particularly fascinating to me because I only remember it through the rose-tinted memories of childhood. I vividly remember “the new millennium” and me thinking the whole world was going to change on NYE 1999! And obviously in many ways it did, so there’s a visceral feeling for me in the difference between the twenty-first and twentieth centuries, even though it’s shaped by that childhood perspective. As for aesthetics, I suppose it’s just an extension of my interest generally, a visual manifestation of that strange yearning.
LUNA: When it comes to the past and these aesthetics, I feel like there is a deep sense of nostalgia within your music that compares to these themes. Do you feel that nostalgia goes hand-in-hand with that work you want to create?
GENTRY: I would certainly say nostalgia is a key part, primarily because I have come to understand that for me — songwriting is a way that I tend to process the life I have lived so far, rather than the life I am living today. With the breathing space of time between what I’m writing about, and the time I write the song, I can find clarity that helps me not only write a song but come to understand myself more fully.
LUNA: Is there a certain catharsis in this approach to your songwriting, in bringing in nostalgia and past influences? Do you find that composing a song is an act of self-care for you?
GENTRY: Catharsis, absolutely. The self-care side for me actually comes in the form of not pushing it when it comes to songwriting. I’ve only recently started properly writing again after a period of about six months. After I put my album out I just really felt like I needed a mental break. But I started to panic as it got to the fifth, sixth month of not writing anything worth revisiting. I felt like the year stuck indoors had finally caught up to me. So I decided that I would just allow myself to properly take a break from it for however long I wanted — take six more months off if I wanted to. And almost immediately after deciding that, the songs started to come back to me. I just try not to force it, not to wrap my identity up in my productivity (tough for a Virgo!) and just let myself be for a little bit.
LUNA: Do you feel that you have learned more about yourself and who you are after releasing the music that you have?
GENTRY: Totally. I would say it is akin to a therapeutic process sometimes, but I’m an avid diarist as well, so I tend to view most things though the lens of potential self-discovery or self-examination. So, I look at the lyrical content and with the passage of time I uncover more meaning.
LUNA: If there is one thing that you want people to know about you, without necessarily knowing about your music, what would it be?
GENTRY:I kind of love picking up hobbies — my latest one is quilting. I made a very wonky baby quilt last year and I’m still working on my second one very very slowly. I just watch YouTube videos and try to learn that way.
LUNA: On a lighter note, for two fun questions : 1) If you could create the perfect day, what would you do? And 2) If there is anyone you could collaborate with, whether living or dead, who would it be?
GENTRY: On my ideal day, I would wake up in one of those houses on the PCH that sit right on the beach. I’d have some avocado toast in the morning sun, I’d go for a walk, I’d write a song. I’d maybe go for a drive through the hills. In the dream I’d have my family and loved ones with me on this little holiday and we’d all explore my favourite places together. I’ve thought about this a lot, especially throughout 2020!
If I could collaborate with anyone, I’d love to do a duet with someone like Jeff Buckley or Hope Sandoval.
LUNA: Lastly, is there any upcoming news or projects you would like to share with us?
GENTRY: I’m working on the follow-up to H.G. so watch this space :)
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