Recording artist honestav chatted about his 2025 solo tour and new music. He also opened up about the importance of mental health in the digital age.
‘No License’ solo tour
His 15-city “No License” solo tour will kick off on March 6th in Nashville, Tennessee at Basement East, with additional stops in Indianapolis, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Chicago and Pittsburg. “I love it,” he exclaimed. “I am going on tour in March. I love being out on the road, and performing live. It feels really good, so I am excited.”
The tour will wrap up on April 4th, 2025, in Lakewood, Ohio at Mahall’s. Special guest Damien Styles will join as support on all dates and recording artist Z will join for select shows.
This past year, he had the opportunity to perform at the Mercury Lounge in New York City, which he described as an “amazing” experience. “It was a dream come true to play that venue, as well as all the other venues I’ve played,” he noted.
“I want to keep releasing music, and I want to keep playing music in front of people. I can’t wait to share my story and to sing these songs with strangers; that is what I am most excited for in the future,” he added.
Music and songwriting inspirations
On his music and songwriting inspirations, honestav said, “I am inspired by life in general. Simply life is the biggest inspiration you can find. Musically, I grew up in a musical family. My brothers had bands. When I was little, they inspired me in my younger age.”
“These days, I am inspired by life, and experiences that I have, personally, and with my friends,” he added.
‘Growin’ Pains’ single and music video
He is looking forward to his “Growin’ Pains” single release and music video release. “That is a song that I wrote after a hometown show. It was sold-out, amazing, and I had the time of my life,” he said.
“At 25 years old, I started seeing the fruits of my labor, and there are millions of people that are listening to my music now,” he said.
“Once I sold out five shows in a row, I thought that was going to make me happy, but I realized that it’s never accomplishing things that will make me happy, it’s the family values,” he elaborated.
“In this song, I just really explain how growing up and growing apart from your old friends can be heavy on you,” he said.
“I am so stoked for the music video. We spent time writing the script for the song’s video, and relating it to the song. I went home to Missouri and I shot it with my best friends and my brothers,” he expanded.
“It’s a really cool music video, and I can’t wait to hear what everybody thinks about it,” he added.
In addition, he revealed that he will be releasing his “hara-kiri” deluxe EP. “I am getting better as an artist,” he admitted. “I am able to tell stories better, and I am in the studio every day.”
“Last week alone, I recorded 10 songs, and that included recording my favorite song that I’ve ever made. I am continuing to get better and to grow. Even though I’ve been doing this for a long time, I am still a baby. I just recently found my sound now; I am evolving and getting better each day.”
Importance of mental health in the digital age
“Mental health has always been super important,” he underscored. “These days, everything is magnified times 100. You can see anything on your phone at any given time whether that’s good or bad. I think it’s important to be true to yourself, and know what you want, and know what you are looking for.”
“Now, more than ever, talking about things that are going on in your life or your struggles is important,” he noted. “It is important to talk about both your struggles and the things that are going good in your life.”
“As we get older, and the Internet keeps on doing its thing, I think it is super important to talk about things,” he added.
Music as a safety net
In his personal life, he lost both his brother and his father, and expressed that music has been very “therapeutic” for him. “Music has always been my safety net,” he admitted. “If something was going on at home, or if my parents were fighting, I would always turn the music on loudly.”
“So, music has definitely been there for me in life during my times of living with loss. It is certainly something I lean on when I’m struggling,” he added.
Dream duet choices in music
He listed Olivia Rodrigo as his dream duet choices in music. “Olivia is pop but the reason I chose her is because she doesn’t do features… so I need to be Olivia’s only feature collab,” he said.
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of his life, he jokingly laughed, “This keep needs to start waking up before noon.” “I am ‘On the Way’,” he clarified. “I finally have my foot in the door, and it finally feels like I am starting to make my way towards that.”
Success
Regarding his definition of the word success, honestav said, “At the end of the day, success is being able to go home, and having the things that you want, and you are happy with your job.”
“Also, you go home and somebody loves you, and you are excited about the next day. I think that’s true success,” he concluded.
“Growin’ Pains” is available for pre-order on digital service providers by clicking here.
For more information on recording artist honestav, follow him on Instagram and visit his official website.
