HoneyLuv Is Not Rising Anymore. She Has Already Arrived.
HoneyLuv went from Navy drone mechanic to Defected Miami, Hï Ibiza, and a new single with Muni Long on Casablanca Records. She has already arrived. Catch up
Taylor Character joined the US Navy in 2016 as a drone mechanic. Her transition into music began in 2018 while stationed near Malibu, California, where she taught herself to DJ and produce music. The Navy was becoming a lot. She needed an escape. She would go back to her room and practice DJing and from there grew a love for it.
That is the origin story of HoneyLuv. And in 2026, that same woman is playing Defected Miami alongside Loco Dice, dropping a single with a GRAMMY-winning vocalist on Casablanca Records, running her own label showcase at Miami Music Week, and playing a b2b at Hï Ibiza this very weekend. The glow up is not coming. It already happened. You just might have missed it.
Where She Came From
Before her music career, HoneyLuv was a celebrated NCAA basketball player and later served as a skilled drone operator in the US Navy. Her mother was skeptical when she left the Navy in 2020 to pursue music full time, but as a house head herself, she began to appreciate what her daughter was building.
Her sound is groove-first, vocal-friendly, and built for the kind of night where strangers turn into a crowd. Her approach to house music is rooted in DMV go-go culture and shaped by a military mindset of discipline and self-belief. Time spent in Berlin deepened that further. Hearing local DJs with little online profile but extraordinary control in the booth pushed her to think less about presentation and more about what actually happens in the room.
Tracks like "Your Tongue," "365 (Thr33 6ix 5ive)," and "Sex and The City," a Seth Troxler collab, brought her new audiences at home and abroad. BBC Radio 1 named her a Dance Future Star. The New York Times highlighted her as an Up Next artist. Beatport and DJ Mag recognised her as one of the most promising emerging producers in the dance scene. Her breakout single "365 (Thr33 6ix 5ive)" surpassed 21 million Spotify streams.
That is not a rising artist. That is an artist who has already risen.
Don't Stop: The Record That Opens The Next Chapter
HoneyLuv's new single "Don't Stop" featuring GRAMMY Award-winning singer-songwriter Muni Long is out now via Casablanca Records.
Built around a driving four-on-the-floor rhythm, "Don't Stop" delivers crisp percussion, a pulsing bassline, and sleek production that bridges underground club energy with mainstream appeal. The track is designed for peak dancefloor moments while remaining accessible enough for repeat listening beyond the club circuit. At the heart of the record is Muni Long's commanding vocal performance. Her confident delivery adds emotional depth and warmth to HoneyLuv's polished house backdrop.
The single reflects the broader vision behind her label 4 Tha Luv, where she continues exploring new directions within house and tech-house while maintaining a strong connection to the culture that inspired her career.
She launched 4 Tha Luv because she felt something was missing. "A lot of labels don't have soul in their music," she said. "Especially the top ones that people go to on Beatport." That is why she built her own.
A Navy drone mechanic who built her own record label and then signed to Casablanca Records to release a single with a GRAMMY winner. The pipeline is insane.
Then She Flew Straight To Ibiza
Miami Music Week was barely over before HoneyLuv was on the next flight to the island. On Thursday 7 May she played the opening night of Defected's 23-week residency at Chinois Ibiza, sharing the bill with Dennis Ferrer, Eliza Rose, Manu Gonzalez, Olive F, and Sam Divine.
The opening night balanced legends and fresh exciting talent sharing the lineup, from Dennis Ferrer and Sam Divine to Eliza Rose and HoneyLuv, to Manu Gonzalez and Olive F. That is the kind of billing that tells you exactly where Defected sees her sitting in the house music world right now. Not as the newcomer. Not as the support act. As one of the names that makes an opening night worth showing up for.
Ibiza Spotlight put it plainly before the night even happened: "Seriously, we cannot speak more highly of HoneyLuv. If past performances are anything to go by, she is worth the price of admission herself."
Defected's 23-week residency at Chinois marks a significant move for the legendary house label, bringing together an incredible mix of house pioneers, contemporary heavyweights, and rising talent, and spanning the entire spectrum of house music culture. HoneyLuv was on the bill for night one.
Why You Should Be Paying Attention Right Now
This year HoneyLuv has played EDC Mexico, Drumsheds, Miami Music Week, and Defected Festival Croatia, with additional dates still being announced. She has a new single out on one of the most recognised labels in pop and R&B. She is running her own label and her own showcase series. She is playing Hï Ibiza tonight.
HoneyLuv is not a name to file away for later. She is an artist doing the most important work of her career right now, in real time, and the only question left is whether you are paying attention before everyone else does.
"Don't Stop" is out now on all platforms. Find out where she is playing next at honeyluv.com.
