It's been a stunning year for Andrew Hozier-Byrne, as he played festivals and high-profile TV shows across the Western World and saw his self-titled debut do great business on both sides of the Atlantic. With that in mind, there was no question that the 24-year-old would be the right choice for the cover of the Hot Press Annual 2015, on sale now.
Inside, the Wicklow artist chats to Olaf Tyaransen about everything that's gone on in his 2014, including the online nod he received from one of the biggest pop stars out there.
Taylor Swift recently tweeted some very nice things after one of his American shows.
“Yes!" Hozier says. "She’s very cool, very nice, very encouraging. She’s excited about new music, excited about other people’s music. Very cool. She came to the show and came backstage afterwards.
“I’ve been very fortunate this year," he continues, "getting support from some very, very well-known artists and celebrities,” he muses. “Taylor Swift is excellent, she’s a lot of fun – and she's a very funny person. Adele came to the show at the KOKO in London and, thank god, I didn’t know that she was there until after we'd finished. She’s fantastic: incredibly funny and easy to talk to. Colin Farrell came to the LA show and I got to talk to him backstage as well, which was really, really cool. As well as the adjustments on the road between now and this time last year, meeting those people is about as surreal as you would imagine. But it’s a very good feeling.”
Looking ahead to next year, he's particularly excited about being on the bill for Slane.
"To be on the same bill as the Foo Fighters is just unbelievable," he enthuses. "Also, for as long as I can remember, Slane has been an institution for live music in Ireland. It’s an iconic stage to play. I remember seeing the Rolling Stones there in 2007 with my brother and my uncle. So I’m really looking forward to it."
The Annual is in shops now and available to purchase online here. Enjoy!