Singer/songwriter Evan Honer dives into the creative pulse and emotional terrain of his sweeping third album ‘Everything I Wanted,’ sharing how the places that shaped him, the production process that grounded him, and the discoveries he made along the way all come together in his most personal and authentic record yet.

Stream: ‘Everything I Wanted’ – Evan Honer

The morning light begins to dawn on the horizon a little past 7:00 AM Pacific Coast Time, as a cool California breeze moves through an open window above the monitor. On the other end of the screen, the sun was glowing through the gaps in the blinds, warming the room in the early morning for Evan Honer as he stepped into a new day in his sunlit Tennessee room.

As Honer sat down, preparing to share his story with Atwood Magazine, he warmly greeted, “I’m doing great. My family’s in town in Tennessee.” A couple of days prior, he performed at the Grand Ole Opry for the “Opry 100 Birthday Show.” Although he has been on the road performing, during our interview, Honer was able to pause and reflect on his time at home and with his family.

The Arizona native, with roots in Surprise, finds his environment deeply influences his music. He pulls listeners into the various spaces that have shaped his journey: The production of recognizable sounds found behind bars, the sharp, poignant cracks of pool table games filled with late nights, and the recall of “Arizona heat.” His music vividly paints a landscape with his acoustic guitar, voice, and lyrics, creating a work of art that reflects his authentic personality. “It’s hard not to write about what you’ve experienced,” Honer shares with a calm voice. “Music was just a hobby in college; it was kind of just finding it.” Honer is far from discovering; he has been evolving with the times, adapting to the narrative he’s lived while crafting personal meaning behind his words.

Everything I Wanted - Evan Honer — Born at home and brought to life on the open road, Evan Honer’s sweeping third studio album ‘Everything I Wanted’ is out now on Cloverdale Records

Evan Honer carries a meaningful heart, grit, and voice as a singer/songwriter and performer. His breakout in the music industry came early – and fast – when his cover of Tyler Childers’ “Jersey Giant” with Julia DiGrazia went viral (the track has since surpassed 200 million streams and earned RIAA gold certification). He simultaneously balanced college while beginning his journey in music. “I’m definitely very grateful for the audience I may have gotten from releasing that cover,” Honer admits. For the last two years, he has been on the road performing while writing. “It feels like I’m moving in a direction that I want to move in, and a direction that is possible because of the people that show up to my shows.”

For his “It’s A Long Road Tour,” he has partnered with the organization PLUS1 to support and promote hope for schizophrenia-related illnesses, with every $1 from ticket sales supporting this cause. His music offers more than just uplifting lyrics; it also demonstrates his support for his fans and creates a community that gives the songs a deeper meaning. Honer recalls the importance of physical health while being on tour and on the road: “I feel like I’m only in performer mode, but also in survival mode, of not getting sick and trying to save my voice.”

Since 2023, Honer has released three albums in quick succession: His debut, West on I-10; his sophomore album, Fighting For (2024); and his latest this year, Everything I Wanted, all released on Cloverdale Records. His albums have been an extension of his growth as a singer/songwriter. West on I-10 carries folk and country roots through his voice, with strings and piano, and debuted on his college graduation day. West on I-10 solidified his start with his audience. Fighting For continued similar themes in his lyrics, with a deeply personal, vulnerable approach, sharing his open heart in complete transparency, while remaining true to his signature sound and truth.

Truth, Resilience, & Longing: Evan Honer Finds What He’s ‘Fighting For’ With His Soul-Stirring Sophomore Album

:: FEATURE ::

**With his latest LP, Everything I Wanted, Honer encapsulates the organic nature of being human – humble and hopeful – grasping onto desires for the future.**

“It’s more on the alternative side than the folky/country side that I’ve been making,” he confides. “The previous albums – I’m very proud of those – and those were like a time and a place where it was just a different thing.” He leans more into sonic creativity and innovation through the sounds that were produced in his Nashville four-car garage. “Yeah, I think that being in my own studio that I built gave it a sense of comfortability,” he says, offering insight into the production and songwriting process at home.

When asked if he can describe Everything I Wanted in three adjectives, he responds with “electric,” “chronological,” and “real.” For Honer, “listening to an album chronologically is really important because it tells a story.” There is an undeniable energy and understanding of the emotional shifts that occur when listening. “The whole album takes you on a journey of my thoughts about a relationship,” he explains. “There’s a sense of real excitement when you just finish an album,” he shares, reflecting on the thrill of the process.

Evan Honer 'Everything I Wanted' © Harrison Hargrave — Evan Honer ‘Everything I Wanted’ © Harrison Hargrave

Everything I Wanted is an album that offers beautiful introspection and emotional rawness, taking listeners on a journey of what that road looks like to him as he finds meaning in the discovery to get to the destination. The LP opens with the title track, “Everything I Wanted,” which sets the drive in motion as the rearview mirror is adjusted, preparing for the long road ahead. Flying down the interstate, feeling the heat in the air, “Place I Hate” paints a landscape that reflects a sense of belonging. Enjoying the moment, “Long Road” arrives, sharing honesty about accepting things as they are while embracing the desire to be further along on life’s roadmap. Embracing the solitude, “Better Off Lonely” navigates relationship dynamics while finding inspiration towards hope.

Honer drives the listener deeper into the expedition; “Call You Back” carries radiant acoustics and horns, creating warmth that is equally endearing while connecting to joy. “Lose A Friend” expresses a raw conversation between songwriting and artistry. He interweaves vulnerability as a strength, which sets his sounds apart with a true sense of clarity in “Waiting Room.” The track connects a delicate layer into the production process, inviting listeners into a new perspective on the discovery. Up next, “Maybe For Once,” dives into themes of pushing past doubts in relationships.

Opening a “Curtain,” the tune illuminates a beautiful harmony, elevating the heart’s desire and electrifying an instant reply into a heartfelt cadence among listeners. Checking the dashboard, “Not There Yet” delivers a soulful song that connects to the idea of accepting or seeing the future beyond the distance. Just past the horizon, “It’s A Home” reflects the joy of the mundane and how the imperfect moments of daily life can be the most nurturing or meaningful. Rolling down the windows, “Finally Commit” encourages listeners to take steps toward the distance by getting closer to the future. Ultimately parking the car, “Wonder” sonically achieves the album’s end and destination while finding beauty in “see[ing] the morning light” after driving eighteen hours straight, sharing what it looks and feels like to him. He gains a new perspective by connecting with his desires, awakening to a new dawn as he finds himself at home.

**Evan Honer recently sat down with Atwood Magazine to share insights on his third LP, Everything I Wanted, and what his “junior” record means to him.**

For Honer, there has been joy in discovering and creating music full-time while navigating a shifting perspective on relationship dynamics. He shares this musical authenticity while documenting the recording process, how light can be part of the creative process, and breaking the silence of long hours with only six strings on an acoustic guitar, using his voice to create honest self-reflection.

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:: stream/purchase Everything I Wanted here ::

:: connect with Evan Honer here ::

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Stream: ‘Everything I Wanted’ – Evan Honer

A CONVERSATION WITH EVAN HONER

Atwood Magazine: Hi Evan, thank you for taking the time to chat with us!! Your third LP Everything I Wanted is out now, and your songwriting holds a beautiful clarity and a heartfelt sense of self as the album leads listeners on a journey. As I listened, I felt a strong yearning and introspection in your lyrics. What does this record mean to you?

Evan Honer: My third album means a lot to me. It feels like I’m moving in a direction that I want to move in, and a direction that is possible because of the people that show up to my shows, and the reason I’m able to do it full-time. I think the previous albums – I’m very proud of those – and those were like a time and a place where it was just a different thing. With this album, I had the resources to make it exactly how I envisioned it. Instead of maybe just acoustic. So that was really cool to make it exactly how I wanted it, and it’s more on the alternative side than the folky/country side that I’ve been making. So that’s really what makes me happy: when I make something that I’m proud of and that excites me. Making something different, I feel like this album feels and sounds a bit different, which makes me happy.

From moving from California to Nashville, do you find yourself in new places where you travel that shape your perspective when writing?

Evan Honer: Touring has changed the way that I write and the amount that I write honestly. Music was just a hobby in college; it was kind of just finding it. It was finding time to write, and now I do it full-time, which is different, but when I go on the road, it’s really tough. I feel like I’m only in performer mode, and writing is difficult because I’m in performer mode, but also in survival mode, of not getting sick and trying to save my voice. But then I get off tour, and I have a lot to digest and a lot of emotions to write about. So it’s on tour, I’m in that moment, and then once I get off, I’m able to digest and think about what just happened.”

Your song “Place I Hate” illustrates an inner and outer landscape of emotional belonging with strong resonance. This duality balances understanding of an inner conflict in self-reflection, as in the lyric, “I kind of miss the Arizona heat.” I share a mutual feeling about Surprise, Arizona, as I have family there. It always feels like a distant home. There is something about the desert and the air that brings a warmth of belonging to the place we find ourselves. How has your upbringing inspired or influenced you and your songwriting? Has your environment growing up in Surprise, Arizona, influenced your overall sound?

Evan Honer: I tend to write about things that I’ve experienced, or just the people around me. I think, where I grew up, I write about who I was in high school, which I didn’t necessarily like, and just about my friends and what I did there. It’s hard not to write about what you’ve experienced, and, surprise, surprise – Arizona definitely has shaped my sound and what I like to write about, for sure.

What instruments inspire you the most while on the road? Are there specific musical influences? What sounds or instruments particularly drive your creativity or songwriting process?

Evan Honer: My main instrument that I use is an acoustic guitar. I have written on other things, but I always go back to the guitar because I feel most comfortable with it. Recently, I have picked up the bass a little bit, and I love messing around on the piano and the banjo as well. I think having a different thing to write on sometimes creates something different, something that you normally wouldn’t create on the guitar. So that definitely inspires me.

As far as musical artists that inspire me, my music taste changes very fast. But there’s an artist named Truman Sinclair, who’s actually from LA. I’m a really big fan of him and Pinegrove. I’m a big fan of the singer-songwriters. I tend to obsess over a singer-songwriter for a while, and then, and then I move on, or, and then, or they stay with me forever. So on the road, this last tour was Pinegrove, and Truman Sinclair.

Turning back the clock a bit, your stripped-down Tyler Childers cover with Julia DiGrazia – “Jersey Giant” – sparked curiosity and admiration with more than 200 million streams, striking a chord with a global audience and revealing your warmth, your flair, and your authentic style as an artist; your version shares a story that you've carved your own grit. Has that song’s reach transformed your process, or changed how you see yourself releasing music? Do you see yourself doing more collaborations like this in the future?

Evan Honer: As far [as] collaborative, I don’t know if it has transformed. I would say this: I think I title Childers as one of my favorite artists of all time, and I’m a big fan. I know I knew every single song, and I knew this one. I was a big fan of it, and there wasn’t really a version out, so I thought it might be cool to put one out. I decided to put out my own version, and it did really well. Yeah, that was it. Then I just kind of moved on to releasing three albums after that, and I’m definitely very grateful for the audience I may have gotten from releasing that cover. I’ve released a couple of other covers of my favorite songs, including “Vincent” by Don McLean, “Operator” by Jim Croce, and “Don’t Think Twice” by Bob Dylan. If I really, really love a song, I might just put out a cover, because I play it all the time. I guess that’s what happened with that song.

When sharing your process, how do you maintain authenticity with your listeners? What ways do you enjoy connecting or documenting your creative journey?

Evan Honer: I think that’s so creative, you’ll hear a lot of songwriters that are interviewed about this, I feel like [they] kind of brush it over, [or] give a silly response to not actually say anything about it. Because [it’s] definitely sacred, and it changes for me. We recorded a documentary on the whole album. Every single day, my photographer was in the room recording the whole process, which I’ve never recorded – the process of creating something. So that’s very cool. We were so caught up in it that we recorded it in January. You don’t realize how much you’re in it. We were recording it from 10 AM to midnight to one straight for 18 days, and really didn’t go out of the house.

To look back at that and see [the] kind of process of it. That was pretty much my first time really sharing the creative process, as far as the recording process. I will share the writing part of it ever, because it’s a lot of times just me sitting with my guitar for hours and coming up with like one line. But yeah, very cool to share the recording process. It’s very cool for me to look back at it if no one else likes it, at least I can look back at it when I’m like, 80 years old.

It’s very cool for me to look back at it if no one else likes it, at least I can look back at it when I’m like, 80 years old

– Evan Honer

There is such a sacred part of songwriting, whether it's freestyle or just organically creating. You mentioned recording the album in a four-car garage in Nashville. Can you share more about the process of recording the album in that environment to call your own? Did that space allow creativity to flow more freely, to unwind and find freedom in the sounds you wanted to create?

Evan Honer: Yeah, I think that being in my own studio that I built gave it a sense of comfortability. We use the garage as the kick – just banging on the garage. We used my pool table for some sounds while playing pool. It’s nice to be like, “What if we use this lamp shade as a shaker?” Just random stuff completely. Which is what I find very fun about recording. If I were recording at a real nice studio, I wouldn’t be like, What if we use the wall as a kick?” That’s what’s really nice about doing it in my own space. I’m curious in doing that whole process, because I haven’t recorded an album like that ever. That was the first time in my house. I would be curious to see how it works at another place and see how I feel.

If you could describe the album in three adjectives, what would the words be? What do you hope listeners take away from this?

Evan Honer: I would say [the] first word is “electric,” because I feel like it’s more electric than anything I’ve released before, and then I would use “chronological” because [it] was my goal to take the listener on a journey. Listening to albums top to bottom is a lost art. I feel like a lot of people tend to just listen to a couple of songs. So listening to an album chronologically is really important because it tells a story. That was kind of my intent with the album. The last one is, I would say, “real.” The whole album takes you on a journey of my thoughts about a relationship. It starts with getting broken up with, and then songs are like “Better Off Only,” a hopeless view of having a relationship. Then it gets a bit more hopeful – once this will actually work – but it still shares doubts as the album goes on, because that’s definitely how I am. Sprinkled throughout are songs about being on the road and being away from home. It ends with wonder – a big explosion of sounds – and “why not give it a shot?

Listening to albums top to bottom is a lost art.

– Evan Honer

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Definitely, everything blends and narrates that road down through harmony and affection – a soulful tune of connection. So it's a really beautiful work in the joy of the mundane, but also the connection in this yearning for what you want. You even added some horns in the middle of the album, which come across as very bright and endearing. Where did you find you learned the most about yourself while creating Everything I Wanted?

Evan Honer: The whole process of making an album is waiting to put out the entire album. There’s a sense of real excitement when you just finish an album – at least, for me, I’m listening to the songs back a bunch of times every day, and it’s just that initial excitement. I’m at a different place where I’m excited about other things that I’m writing, other sounds that I want to make, and my next thing. But yeah, I think I’ve learned that my taste changes really fast, and that I’ve always, I always want to make the process different each time I think, maybe next time, I’ll do it somewhere else, or I’ll work with–not just one timeframe–I’ll do it separate. I think what I learned is that the process is so fun and that you forget what you did. That’s why I love having the documentary out, to remind me where we were at that time. The process is what really makes me happy, and making it different is how I get excited.

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