Honey Dijon’s name has been buzzing since she appeared on Beyoncé’s Renaissance album but the dance music veteran is more than 20 years deep in the world of house music. Her pedigreed status starts with her beginning as an avid clubgoer in her native Chicago where house music gets its beginnings. She later became an underground DJ and started working as a producer in 2000. Black Girl Magic is her sophomore album. The ride which is eight-minutes shy of an hour shows Dijon’s house heritage and her ability to stretch out with disco and New Jack Swing. She has company with guest appearances from Chicago house producer Mike Dunn and Detroit vocalist Rimarkable, like Ramona Renee. She started writing the album in 2019 with thoughts about her early days as a new house music fan. Her days at the Music Box listening to legendary DJ Ron Hardy is remembered on “Downtown.” She also pays homage to Grace Jones with “La Femme Fantasique. The death of George Floyd and the subsequent rise of Black Lives Matter became an unexpected influence on Black Girl Magic. Dijon, who is a transwoman, felt it was important to advocate for love and for people to support their own beliefs and those things inspired the songs “Love Is,” “Love Is A State Of Mind” and “Stand.”
Dijon told Forbes in regards to the title of the album, “Liberation for Black women is liberation for all women. Liberation for Black people is liberation for all people. Liberation for trans people is liberation for all people. When one of us is free, all of us are free, so what all of these movements are about is fighting for our humanity.”
