Honey Bxby has more to say.
The rising R&B singer, who released her debut EP, 3 Words, 8 Letters, last June, is back with a deluxe edition. The expanded set, released April 26 on Atlantic Records, includes all the tracks from the standard version plus six new songs.
3 Words, 8 Letters, which represents “I hate you, I love you,” explores the hot and cold of a relationship. Honey Bxby says she came up with the title when selecting the tracks.
“I came up with the idea of the 3 Words, 8 Letters based off of the songs that were picked for the EP because some of them were a little bit snappier or me being romantic and others were very much like, ‘I want to kill you guys,'” Honey Bxby tells Rated R&B.
Honey Bxby released 3 Words, 8 Letters in June 2023. The six-track set included the standout second single, “Touchin’.” The infectious groove samples Seals & Crofts’ “Sweet Green Fields,” also sampled on Busta Rhymes‘ “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See.”
“When I first heard the beat, I went in the studio and freestyled some things, took that freestyle and put it into words,” says Honey Bxby. “I decided I was going create a story about being in the club and seeing somebody that you want to take home, but you don’t want to keep.”
The New Jersey native had the opportunity to perform “Touchin” at the 2023 Soul Train Music Awards. It was her first time performing on national television. It was such a surreal moment,” Honey Bxby reflects. “It was my first time performing on TV, so seeing myself perform on TV was crazy. I was like, ‘What the f**k is going on with my life right now? Like, is this real life?” She adds, “I definitely was nervous as f**k.”
After making her television debut, Honey Bxby joined rising rapper Sexyy Red on her Hood Hottest Princess Tour last fall. “The tour was amazing,” she reflects. “The tour was absolutely insane. It was a really dope experience. I got to gain supporters along the way.”
Circling back to 3 Words, 8 Letters (Deluxe), the expanded project features Busta Rhymes and Kaliii, who appear on separate remixes of “Touchin’.”
Honey Bxby says the expanded set will give fans and listeners an even broader scope of her artistry.”[It’s] just to show the different sounds that I can play with and to have people hear me a little bit more because they were introduced to me with only six songs, and those six songs wouldn’t necessarily describe my whole entire sound,” she states.
Below, Honey Bxby unpacks bonus tracks from 3 Words, 8 Letters (Deluxe).
“Basic”
“I love ‘Basic.’ I worked on ‘Basic’ with Drü [Oliver] a couple of months ago. The beat was actually made in the studio while I was there. I think that was one of the first times somebody created a beat for me in front of me. It was fun. It was like, ‘Yo, what are we about to sit here and talk about?’ And that’s what came out.”
“Violent”
“While making ‘Violent,’ I was in a place of heartbreak. Just having so much love for someone while they constantly treated me horribly, it’s like, ‘Damn, why me?’ I gave you my heart for you continuously break it and that hurts. Now I want to hurt you so you can feel how I felt.'”
“Fkn Him Too”
“I went to LA to make that song. I went in with WorldwideFresh and Blush. It was actually a song that was brought to me. I just thought was so dope because it’s reality. A lot of girls won’t admit it, but it’s real life, especially when you’re young. You go through a lot of things as people, and you tend to be in the same circle as people, even if you don’t want to be. The inspiration behind the song was more so like, ‘All right, I get you with this man. I don’t know what he’s telling you, but girl, I’m f**king him too. And I don’t know if he is your man or if he nobody’s man, but I’m still going to be with this man. So what you wanna do about it?'” (laughs).
“Touchin'” featuring Busta Rhymes
“So, I never actually got to work with him in the studio. The feature was kind of like an amazing surprise. After that though, I was able to vibe with him and really chop it up, which is super dope! He’s so amazing; his energy is insane and for me to be able to build with an og, a legend is so surreal. Love him! He’s the best.”
“Touchin'” featuring Kaliii
“The collab came about in the process of figuring out who would sound good on the remix. Kaliii was one of the people that my team thought would sound really good. We gave it a try, and it ended up going really well. I thought it was dope. I was f**king with it.”
Stream Honey Bxby’s 3 Words, 8 Letters (Deluxe) EP below.
