Asbury Park native Honey Bxby brings R&B grooves and mythic hooks to her music

Chris Jordan, Asbury Park Press
·4 min read

What's the secret to landing a major label deal if you're an R&B performer from Asbury Park?

“Be delusional,” Honey Bxby said, laughing.

Bxby, aka Ajaysiya Byers, knows the terrain. She has signed to Atlantic Records imprint Rebirth/ART@WAR, and is currently on tour with Sexyy Red. Bxby also just made an appearance on the BET Soul Train Awards, singing her torchy rhythmic banger “Touchin’ ” on the Amplified stage for emerging artists.

There is hope for R&B and hip-hop acts from Asbury Park, a city known more for its rock 'n' roll in recent decades.

“I just convinced myself that no matter where I came from, that everything was going to work out,” Bxby said. “It was already planned out for me. Growing up (in Asbury Park) around a lot of different types of music, around a lot of different type of people, definitely helped me become the person I am today and make the music that I do make today ... ”

Honey Bxby is the first R&B musician from Asbury Park to sign with a major label since Billy Brown of Ray, Goodman and Brown signed up with Polydor Records in 1979.
Honey Bxby is the first R&B musician from Asbury Park to sign with a major label since Billy Brown of Ray, Goodman and Brown signed up with Polydor Records in 1979.

Bxby's the first R&B musician from Asbury Park to sign with a major label since Billy Brown of Ray, Goodman and Brown signed up with Polydor Records in 1979.

Honey Bxby's R&B flow, which includes plenty of raps, has pop appeal, street smarts, sexy sizzle and grown folks grooves. Case in point, Bxby drops a few classical references on her quiet storm jam “Poseidon” from her debut EP, “3 Words, 8 Letters.”

“I'm a big fan of Greek mythology,' Bxby said.

Her hooks are mythic, and her voice is full and rich. You'll be singing along after a couple of bars.

“Growing up in Asbury, it shaped me to have really thick skin and just not give up about anything,” Bxby said. “What I mean to say I’m going to say it and not have a care in the world about somebody's opinion on me or how they’re going to feel about it or how they’re going to feel about the things I’m saying.

"I feel like a lot of people overthink their process and overthink they’re art and overthink the things they want to say with music," she continued. "Music is definitely a way for us to open up and be vulnerable and say the things we don’t want to say out loud. It’s kind of like a diary."

Bxby has been making music online since 2019. The Rebirth and Art@War team spotted her music on Instagram in the summer of 2022, and she signed that August.

Atlantic Records came on board in January of 2023.

“It doesn't happen to a lot of people,” Bxby said.

Since then it's been writing, recording, making videos, promotion and media. Bxby co-writes her songs.

“I wrote 'Trouble' and “Poseidon' even before I was discovered,” Bxby said. “The other songs are linked to different people I've been in touch with, different producers, different creators. I'm working in the industry instead of just working in my bedroom.”

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“Growing up in Asbury, it shaped me to have really thick skin and just not give up about anything,” said Honey Bxby.
“Growing up in Asbury, it shaped me to have really thick skin and just not give up about anything,” said Honey Bxby.

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Bxby moved out of Asbury Park when she was 21 and now lives in Jersey City. She still has lots of family in A.P. but has yet to perform here.

The majority of venues in the area are dedicated to rock music.

“It’s crazy, too, because you see a lot of people go to Asbury to see shows and things like that, but for the people who are from there, or the people from Monmouth County, there’s not a lot of places that are open for up-and-coming R&B and hip-hop artists,” Bxby said. “There definitely should be places open for artists who are coming up in that area.”

Bxby wants to open doors.

“I want to put more light on the city and the people coming out of there,” Bxby said. “There's a lot of amazing artists not only in Asbury Park but Monmouth County in general. I'm definitely praying that I can make a difference.”

Visit www.instagram.com/itshoneybxby for more on Honey Bxby.

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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; cjordan@app.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Asbury Park native Honey Bxby signs with Atlantic Records