BIO
Going viral with over 500,000 views in under 3 days, singer-songwriter and NYU graduate, Honey Ribar captured the hearts of fans both domestically + internationally. She balances a successful YouTube channel of 4 million+ views, with numerous live performances including Madison Square Garden, the Xcel Energy Center, and the Nassau Coliseum. Honey has placed in the top 3 of major worldwide competitions on popular music websites including RyanSeacrest.com, BuzzFeed, and many more.
After the release of her debut singles "Plastic" & "Have Mercy" Honey exploded into the music scene with a distinct Pop sound. In 2020 Honey entered recovery and shifted perspective and genre to identify as Christian based. In 2021 she was nominated into the Recording Academy, was considered in numerous categories, and has constantly been writing and releasing new music. While in recovery, Honey spent time writing and focusing on the 8 dimensions of wellness, in which she was able to process her emotions and dig deeper into the root of her pain and past trauma. Honey's new music takes us on her journey of recovery and showcases extreme emotional depth with songs like "Oh Lawd" and "Sleeping Ugly".
Her single "This Time", produced by Italian DJ Teo Mandrelli (feat. yesh) received radio play throughout the UK and has been featured on Spotify's discover weekly, along with her recent singles "Be My Vision (Hallelujah)” and “Earthquake (Singing Your Praises)”.
TESTIMONY
If you would’ve asked me a few years ago where I see myself… I certainly never thought it would be here. My life has taken many turns and finally, I am on the road I am meant to be on. So thank you for being here and for giving me the opportunity to open up to you, dear reader.
My name is Honey Ribar, I’m a singer-songwriter, a worship leader, an addict in recovery, a sister, daughter, and child of God. My question is… Who are you? What brought you here to this moment, to this place, in this time?
It’s not by coincidence that you’re here… no. God brought you here for a reason… and I want you to leave this site today having a deeper understanding of that reason because that reason is part of why you are here in existence. The Lord knew there would be a pulse inside your heart when you began the beautiful, crazy, heartfelt journey that you’re on. And I’m just here to share my experience of living messy, to emphasize the importance of letting go and trusting the Lord, and to implore that you approach uncertainty in this life with freedom rather than fear.
A little backstory on my life… I was raised in Eagan MN, 3 brothers, 2 parents who love the Lord.
I found my passion for singing at only 5 years old when my principal of our elementary school heard me sing the song “Tomorrow” from the musical Annie. I belted out the song for my kindergarten class and the next week, little, 5 year old me was standing on a stage in front of 500 people singing. Now mind you I was a very planned and rehearsed child. I practiced that song 20 times a day. I didn’t feel ready enough. I didn’t feel good enough. But after I got off that stage, singing for my entire school, there was a feeling in me unlike anything my little 5-year-old self could even comprehend. And it was then that I first heard a glimmer of the Lord’s voice within my soul. That feeling… It truly is indescribable. Have you ever had it? It’s peaceful, overwhelmingly joyful, and you experience a gratitude unlike any other. It’s a feeling that no worldly thing can give... it is holy. Singing was just the action that I had discovered a love for… it was the intention that the Lord helped me discover later in life. Later, after living a life of messiness.
Now… we’ve all been blessed with gifts. Some of us discover them early on, others later in life. It doesn’t matter when or where on the journey you discover this gift, it’s what you do with it once it’s discovered that is the important part. Part of the reason you are here.
Growing up in church I attended Bible school every Tuesday night, alter served 10 years every Sunday, attended Billy Graham speeches, worship concerts… I felt very wrapped up in the spirit as a child. I didn’t really know what I was doing all the time, but I understood the feeling it gave me to serve the Lord. It felt good.
As a teenager I knew the Lord, I knew myself, and I knew what I wanted… to be a recording artist and Broadway star! Throughout the chaos of living within the entertainment industry, I developed an eating disorder at 15 years old. Eventually the world got inside my head, and I allowed it to. I had to be thin, I had to dress a certain way, I had to choose the right song… it was very exhausting, yet somehow, I felt like being able to micromanage calories and my life like an online scheduling app would allow me to feel more in control.
At 18 I moved to New York where I graduated from NYU’s Tisch school of the Arts program. I was in a conservatory of 30 students who were hand selected throughout the country. Major “celebrities” graduated from the program so I felt like if I didn’t step up, I would miss my chance of ever fulfilling MY dream. I graduated a year early, continued with my eating patterns, and developed depression and anxiety that began to disassociate me from the plans I had made for my life. I was taking on too much and constantly comparing myself to others. I found myself coming home after auditions wanting to escape the feeling of constant rejection from both the world and myself. Eventually, I turned to alcohol. At first it was just to relax, but once I moved out to Los Angeles in 2013, everything changed.
I signed a recording contract, bought a new wardrobe, and changed my hair to blonde and black stripes like a honeybee to stay on brand… I was trying to be a version of myself that the world wanted me to be. I was eating minimally, drinking, partying too much, crying myself to sleep. I didn’t know what was wrong with me… “what are you looking for?” I asked myself… “you have everything you could’ve ever wanted… you moved to LA, are accomplishing your dreams, you’re the thinnest you’ve ever been… why aren’t you happy? What else will fulfill you?”
The only escape for me was to numb… to blackout. I’d go out every night, drink until I passed out, and head to work the next day. I fell asleep in vestibules, woke up in hospitals multiple times, I misplaced cell phones, money, laptops, and went places I knew the Lord wouldn’t want me to wander. I was a barely-functioning addict, existing from day to day, performing for the world. It wasn’t until I hit rock bottom that I decided I needed to move back to Minnesota. Maybe my family would ground me? Maybe they would help me find myself again.
My parents would attend church on Sunday mornings and depending on if I was hungover or not, I would join. Every time I found myself in worship, singing praises to our Lord, I found peace… and eventually found myself.
My Mom talked to the head worship leader and asked if I could have an opportunity to sing with the team. 2 weeks later, I was leading worship. Now mind you, I’m still in the midst of addiction, working through my messiness. And shortly after joining the team, I was under arrest for a DUI. I found myself in solitary confinement up at Hennepin County jail… this was the beginning of covid. I remember looking out the little window in my space, seeing the sunlight rise after what truly was a nightmare. I heard God through the rays… “you’re no longer a slave to fear, just let go”. I got that feeling again… that feeling of peace. Of gratitude. Only He can give it, and He gave it to me that day. “Thank you for keeping me alive”… I thought. I’m here for a reason and I’m ready to start living now.
I knew I needed help. I knew I needed to let go of the worldly things that had taken me down. My life had become so messy yet worship showed me a glimpse of the cleanliness and joy I knew my heart could experience… and I knew in that moment that only the Lord could clean up my life. Only He could make this mess beautiful. And I had to put my full trust in Him. I knew I needed to look fear in the eye and stop believing the lies. That if I stopped drinking I wouldn’t be fun anymore, that I wouldn’t be able to relax or enjoy my life. They were all lies! I went to my parents, had an analysis, and a few weeks later entered River Ridge’s recovery program. It’s now 2024, and I will be celebrating 4 years sober on July 5th.
Psalm 34:4 “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.”
God is good folks…. And He has a plan. My whole life, I thought He was calling me to sing, but really, He’s always been calling me to worship. If I hadn’t lived a life of messiness, or laid it in His hands, perhaps I would’ve never experienced this freedom! This discovery of knowing that the Lord has full control over my life and that I am living with purpose. Worship revived my soul. And He knew it would once I let go of control, once I let go of the “image” I was trying to please the world with. So I did… and I’ve clung to Him ever since. I know as Christians we like things buttoned up and certain…. uncertainty and lack of control tend to make us uncomfortable, and sometimes we retreat to living out of fear rather than freedom of not knowing all the answers.
Some of the most rewarding things I’ve learned in recovery are to let go… to sit in the discomfort of not knowing, and to have no fear. I think I spiraled so hard because I constantly feared rejection, not being enough, and letting myself and others down. Now I know that I am enough because He says I am. And Every time we fear, we let the enemy win. Psalm 56:3-4” When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?”
My greatest fear used to be death… the death of a relationship, death of a routine, death of a being… Ever noticed one thing about God?... He will never die. So He is the only constant, and really the only true existence I can fully rely on. And I have found that death for me has been the most liberating experience I’ve yet had. Death has given me new life found in Christ. So here I say death to being buttoned up, death to being certain, death to being in control… and while the Bible clearly states that self-control is a gift (and I agree – especially with my life’s circumstances), I’m referring to the death of control that is out of our power. God already has control. Until I laid the old me to rest… the me that listened to and believed the lies… I suddenly welcomed freedom, truth, transparency, and found the path that I was meant to be on and the path that best serves Him. I am a worship leader, uncontained from the 4 walls of any church. I know my purpose is to make music so hearts can turn toward the Lord.
He has walked with me hand in hand during this journey. I felt Him as I sang “Tomorrow”, I knew He was with me as I would blackout and miraculously find my way home, I knew He was with me when he saved my life on multiple occasions, and probably even more than that. I knew Him then, but now… our relationship is unlike any other. Whenever I start to feel anxiety, depression, or fear begin to creep up, the first thing I do is talk to you.
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
I didn’t need to change who I was, I needed to listen, to submit, and trust in the Lord so that I could grow into who I am becoming. And as I know the Lord more, I know myself more. I see people differently than I once did, I see the journey through a fresh lens, and my heart is pointed in the direction of why the Lord brought me here. Are you listening? Are you fully submitting? And my question, from the beginning of this evening is… Who are you? What brought you here to this moment, to this place, in this time?
We have meaning and purpose not only in who we are, but the actions we carry out in this world. Each step, and each word makes a difference. And by being fully present and taking it one day at a time, doing everything with intention, rather than worrying about what’s next we are choosing to live in faith and trust that the Lord has the next step ready for us. And He does! We waste precious energy on fear when we could be using it where the Lord is needing us. So stop worrying! We’re all here on purpose. The Lord created that passion within you to carry out, to give Him glory, and let Him speak for himself through your unfolding story. So go tackle it, get messy, and trust that He has your hand as you walk your path fearlessly… “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Timothy 1:7
Full transparency… fear crept up on me last night. My fear was that my story wouldn’t be enough for you… and the expectation that God would show up here tonight. But that fear has dissipated like it always does, because God shows up everywhere, every moment, of every day. We cannot breathe without Him, we cannot find peace without him, we cannot exist without him. He’s here. He’s always here. It’s us that need to be here, it’s us that need to wake up. It’s us that need to open our eyes, trust the Lord, and see all that He has made. See yourself, this life, and others the way He does. Everything happens in its place, and time, for a reason. And sometimes painful circumstances occur, that’s not to be ignored, rather embraced… pain shows us that we are living. Pain also gives us the opportunity to grow and to find gratitude in the joyful moments. And by living messy within the Lord we actually clear the clutter of the worldly things, and they no longer cloud our view of what’s important.
Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
You are meant for this time and place. You are strong enough, smart enough… YOU are ENOUGH! God molded you, placed you here, and had a vision for you, and my prayer is that you walk this earth seeing through his eyes. Live with compassion, love, gratitude, and a heart that listens when spoken to. Life gets messy. We’re not perfect, that’s why Jesus came. To guide us. So let us follow.