PETALING JAYA, June 2 ― English electronic band HONNE was only formed in 2014, not imagining the success that they now enjoy.

Andy Cluttterbuck and James Hatcher eat and sleep music ― writing material whenever they can and creating new beats almost every day.

To Hatcher, practice makes perfect and music is a way he takes a short time off the reality of daily life.

“Music is an escape for me. When I put my headphones on, I get lost in the music.

Advertisement

“There is so much feel in music, it is hard to describe what I really love about it, but I guess it is about the sound and emotion,” he said.

Fame has always been secondary for HONNE.

The duo put in so much effort put in to every song that it was no surprise their fan base grew quickly, with more than 100,000 fans across social media platforms and close to 100 million plays on Spotify.

Advertisement

Through hits like Day 1, Me & You, Someone That Loves You, Warm On A Cold Night and Woman, the pair have combined heady emotions with synthpop ― or as Hatcher puts it, a story of their journey on the way to the top.

He added that Warm On A Cold Night (debut album) was not as great as they wanted it to be but promised that Love Me/Love Me Not will show the fans that they have more in them.

“We are trying to show the fans that there is always ups and downs, indeed, these struggles and successes have led us to where we are today.

“The new album consist of more beats with strong hip-hop influence. Emotions vary from song to song

“But what I love about it is that there is so much more sentiment in this upcoming album, especially in the lyrics,” Hatcher said.

The album is so special that two tracks will be released at every end of the month to tease their fans.

Sometimes, 306, and Location Unknown have already proven to be hits and Malaysian fans can experience it first hand when the band takes to stage during the Toyota Good Vibes Festival 2018 on July 21 and 22.

“I know it has been a long time coming. We’ve seen messages from Malaysians asking us to come here as we have played in Philippines, Indonesia.

“They were telling me: ‘You surely can stop by… come on!’ And it is happening.”

Hatcher said Asia has always piqued his curiosity, but a show in Jakarta last year overwhelmed him.

“The performance we had in Jakarta was amazing. It was the loudest singing audience we’ve ever played to.

“We really like to spend more time in Asia — Thailand, Japan and wherever.

“People here seem to appreciate music so much and this is why I can’t wait to perform in Malaysia. It’ll be a whole new experience for us,” he told Malay Mail.

HONNE in Japanese means “true intention”, and Hatcher believes their intention at this year’s Good Vibes Festival is clear.

“Intention? We want to let people feel our music. We want them to be happy, sing along and have a great time.”

Little did the two university pals from London thought their love for Japan and a mixture of beats will give them success but they will take every opportunity as it comes.

Despite huge success, performing at Coachella, Lollapalooza, Osheaga, Summerwell and WayHome Festival, the simplest of things matters the most to Hatcher.

“There is so much going on during every set and nothing puts a bigger smile than hearing people sing along to your songs.

“It is by far the best feeling in the world.”

A band with a bit of funk, soul and Brit-pop has found a sweet spot with the music they have to offer.