We recently had the chance to connect with Lily Honigberg and have shared our conversation below.
Lily, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
I am a certified Inferno Hot Pilates instructor, and getting to teach when I’m off the road and home in LA has always been so grounding for me !
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I have been playing violin for 25 years now (how the time flies!) and along with being classically trained from a young age, I am deep in the fiddle world- country, Irish, Folk, and improvised music. I live in LA, and am currently on tour with Dasha, an amazing pop-country star I’ve been lucky enough to have been on the road with for over a year now. I love movie soundtrack music, and have also played on albums by FINNEAS, Shaboozey, Dasha, Denzel Curry, Ava Max and more. One of my favorite things about what I do is going into a session with an artist/producer and adding strings with the particular flavor that best elevates the song, whether that be string pads, fiddle lines, or something in between.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My family always have. My Dad saw me for what I was from the moment he brought home a violin when I was four years old- a hard working, unstoppable, go getting, ambitious and creative musician. I think he always expected me to end up in an orchestra like he did (a section cellist in the National Symphony Orchestra for 40 years), but was unbelievably supportive when I moved to LA about four years ago and pivoted more towards sessions with creatives, writing my own music, and touring.
My Mom also has seen me since the beginning. I recently turned 29, and on my birthday she told me that all of my career accomplishments, shows and touring are just extra, but what she is really proud of is the person I am and have become through it all.
And my sister keeps me real– she has one of the greatest musical ears and has never been afraid to voice her opinions, even though she didn’t go into music professionally. She sees me first as a person, and then as a musician, and will always tell me her honest opinions of situations and sounds.
In a lifestyle where a lot of settings I end up in are because of and defined by my work, I feel so lucky at how grounded my family keeps me, because they knew me before it all unfurled the way it has.
When did you last change your mind about something important?
I think the most important thing I’ve changed my mind about is having a career as a touring musician. I never imagined I’d be on the road as much as I am, and I spent 2.5 years in LA building a life as a violinist and fiddler working out of the city. It’s been a huge pivot, and has taken me about a year to be able to look at myself and say with confidence “I am a touring musician, and I am making it work.” I had to come to terms with the fact that yes, I would not be able to gig as much in LA as I used to during this season, and anything worth having is always a tradeoff, but I still have a strong connection to the session scene in LA and tour with a remote set up, so I am still able to record for artists when they ask!
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
I really admire my friend Danny Shyman. He’s an awesome producer in LA, and one of my earliest friends out there. He has worked on big records and with artists like SZA, and is very thoughtful about what he works on. I love hearing about sessions he is excited about- he still sounds like a kid in awe at a toy store when he recounts an artist who he has connected with and made something great with. It’s not about clout for him, and he is so community oriented. He has a regular gathering at his house for friends that focuses on a home cooked meal and improvised music amongst friends, even though so many of us do it professionally. It’s a place we can put our guards down and hang, play, and socialize off the clock, so to say.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Wow what a question!! In a world where so much of what I do is defined by number success (listeners, people at shows, followers, streams), this is a really tough one to answer. I have been extremely fortunate in all of the above, and honestly have spent a lot of time thinking about this. I have a fiddle artist project under my own name of tunes that I have written in an Irish/soundtrack style, and whenever I release that music, I don’t care if 1 or 1 million people listen to it. That music means so much to me in the way it unfurls, from creating it in my brain and soul to teaching it to my band, to choosing the artwork after recording and releasing it out into the world!
I searched for validation from my Dad a lot as a child since he was my number one inspiration in music, and I definitely think I have carried some of that into adulthood. I’ve gotten a lot more attention since I started playing with Shaboozey and Dasha, and that’s been really cool. And at the same time, some of my favorite moments as a musician are when I’m sitting alone in a room with my violin and playing for no one but myself. I feel like every time my instrument is in my hands, I am not “trying” to *give it my best* per say, but always honor the sacred relationship between me and my violin, which happens quite naturally no matter the setting.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lilyhonigberg.com
- Instagram: @lilybelknap
- Youtube: @lilyhonigberg752
Image Credits
Christina Bryson, Petie Sjorgen, Kalyja Rain
