The fifth time is still a charm; Andy Clutterbuck from HONNE speaks about keeping things fresh for fans at the upcoming Neon Lights Festival 2019.
Who else is psyched for Neon Lights Festival 2019? If that’s you, that makes the three of us. Me, you and Andy from HONNE, whom we had the opportunity to speak with before they return to sunny Singapore as a headliner for the festival.
ZYRUP: We are so excited to have you back in Singapore again for Neon Lights. With it being your 5th time back in Singapore, surely there must be some love for our city. What are you most looking forward to this time around?
Andy: I love Singapore. I think everyone there is great, really amazing people. And the last two shows we played there were so much fun; the crowd was great and gave so much energy so I’m really looking forward to being back. We’ve got a new fresh thing so yeah, it’s gonna be so much fun – I can’t wait.
How do you feel being one of the headliners of Neon Lights 2019?
Yeah, it’s really fun! It’s amazing and it’s a privilege to be asked. It’s been a while since we’ve done a show and obviously, we are coming to Asia for a tour. Hopefully, it’s gonna be a smooth operation when we get there. I can’t wait.
You have also performed in Singapore a couple of times before this so how are you changing things up to keep things fresh?
Since we have last stopped on the show , I have taken it upon myself to start creating visual content. I’m not sure why but it seemed like a good idea at the time *laughs* We’ve created new intros too. It’s a lot of fun. It makes sense to me and hopefully, it makes more sense to other people in the audience who are watching the show.
You have grown and evolved so much over the years since your first debut. What other sounds are you looking to branch out towards in the future?
This is kinda what we are currently experimenting at the moment. We are working on the next record and everyday, we are in the studio trying to figure out exactly where we take it.
We are at the stage now where we are just writing songs and then, we are seeing what they turn out like regardless of the direction. We don’t really want to limit ourselves to anything right now because you never know what might happen. Yeah, so we are at that stage but it’s really fun; it’s the best part really because we can just do whatever we fancy.
So yeah, it will change. That’s maybe taking somewhere different, but just not totally sure where yet. But we will get there!
Talk us through your creative process! Do you write lyrics or come up with a tune first?
It’s always been music first then lyrics just set on top. Not as an afterthought but you know, whatever comes to mind. But now, I’m starting to think about the lyrics way before any music even happens. Yeah, so I kinda have got a clear idea of where it’s leading lyrically and everyone will be pleased to know that it’s still quite romantic — nothing’s changed there. I think being on tour, it’s also hard to write your thoughts. I’ll be writing lyrics [then] and maybe just go back and listen to music and see what happens.
What are your sources of inspiration when you write lyrics?
It’s just people or things that are in our lives. Obviously, we try and write about something that means either something to myself or James. And well, I got married in the last couple of months so there will be some songs about that potentially.
Which song do you like performing the most?
Good question. I quite like a mixture of songs. ‘Day One’ is one of my favourites because it’s upbeat and everyone sings along. There’s also ‘Sometimes’ which is the other direction; it’s very sad. ‘Location Unknown’ – I think it’s a good one [to be played] live as well.
How do you choose who to collaborate with? So far, we’ve seen your collaborations with BEKA and RM.
Most of the time, it’s just people that we want to work with. BEKA is our backing vocalist and she’s incredible. She’s starting up a music career of her own so she’s gonna be one to watch over the next year or so. We know her very well because she is our good friend so that’s where it came about.
And RM from BTS. We have just been chatting with him for years and it made sense to work together on that song. So yeah, it’s a mutual thing. We try to build up the relationships ourselves and make it work from there.
One last question, could you say something to your fans in Singapore for your upcoming Neon Lights performance!
Hi guys, it’s Andy from HONNE here. We can’t wait to come back and play in Singapore at Neon Lights Festival. It’s gonna be great. Please bring your dancing shoes and sing along. We will see you in a month or so!
Find out more about Neon Lights Festival 2019 here and check out Andy’s favourite songs on Spotify.