Today we’d like to introduce you to Honey T.
Hi Honey, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Tatiana Gicel, and I go by DJ Honey T. I am 24 years old and was born and raised in Dallas. I’ve been dancing for 9 years now and have been DJ’ing for 2.
There are different aspects of my life/work which have all led me to where I am today. The first part is dance. I began training/competing in hip-hop choreography in 2014. I was in a youth competitive team, then moved on to an adult competitive team which I also managed from 2016-2018. In 2019 I began my professional dancing career which included things like performing for the Mavericks halftime show, dancing in music videos with artists around the city, and dancing with Pharrell for Posty Fest and AstroWorld. I was actively pursuing my career in dance while in college. I graduated with my degree in Accounting in December of 2019. My love for dance and music has always been present, and it was incredibly important for me to find a balance and a way to make both things work.
In 2020, the pandemic hit. My dance jobs stopped, and I didn’t have a day job through my degree either. I feel like people don’t talk enough about post-college depression and the adjustment from going to having so much structure being provided to having to implement the structure for yourself. It was a tricky time personally when the lockdown first began (as it was for the rest of the world). Social media became the only form of communication we had. This is where my DJ origin story begins. Friday nights I’d find myself on IG live for “club quarantine” where I’d play music and just drink and interact with followers. That is a core memory for me; those were fun times. Those who know, know Haha! I hated the fact that I would have to abruptly switch the music if I didn’t want to listen to the whole song, though, I remember thinking, “I wish I could be mixing this”. Once I had the thought, I looked into beginner controllers and bought one, and got straight to teaching myself. This was May 2020. With the dance background, I naturally already understood music, so it was all about learning the buttons on the controller and how to make it sound cohesive. I eventually began making mini mixes and would post them on IG for my “Mini Mix Mondays,” which would feature a video of me mixing tracks for 3-5 minutes, and each mix was a different genre. I never intended to make money from it. I was creating mixes I wanted to hear, sharing them and people actually liked them! By October of 2020, things were opening back up, and I got my first gigs. Things started to pick up quickly, and I found myself playing at places I would go out to regularly before the pandemic, such as Stir Dallas. It was so crazy to me Haha. But I’m so grateful because I was receiving so much support.
April 2021, I joined The DJ School Dallas led by DJ Souljah and DJ Titan. Graduation was May 2021, and I will forever be grateful for how they took me under their wing as mentors. After that, I was blessed enough to be booked Fridays and Saturday nights up until about November 2021, all while being a full-time Accountant. Since then, I remain busy and fortunate enough to be in the position to choose when I’d like to work. I’ve been focusing more on giving myself down time from both jobs because if I slip, I can easily go weeks without having a day off and that affected my mental health heavily last year. I love the place I am at in my life currently, and I’m so grateful for all the beautiful people I’ve had the pleasure of connecting with along my journey.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I think the biggest struggle I have faced since starting my DJ journey has just been believing in myself and my craft. They say, “you are your biggest enemy.” I am luckily surrounded by such an amazing support system that doesn’t let me forget that I am indeed blessed and talented. Lately, I have been looking back at my early work and reminding myself why I started and that keeps me going. My biggest goal is to just continue remaining true to myself no matter who or what I encounter along the way.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a female Latina DJ based out of Dallas, Texas. I have played clubs, private events, corporate events, grand openings, fitness classes, and more. I think I’m finally finding the lane I want to be in as far as music styles and events I want to throw and I’m excited to finally start executing that. Music styles I find myself spinning more these days are Reggaeton, Baile Funk, Dancehall, Afrobeats, Amapiano, House, and of course, Hip Hop. I love spinning world sounds and including a little bit of everything in my sets. There’s something for everyone!
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I think we’ll be hearing a lot more world sounds more often, and I’m excited about that. The dancer in me is hoping to see a shift in the club/event culture that focuses on dancing and good vibes.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tatianagicel.com
- Instagram: @djhoney_t
- SoundCloud: djhoney-t
