Irish Artist of the Year: Hozier interview

When Hot Press last spoke to Andrew Hozier-Byrne, midway through his string of high-profile international summer festival dates, the prodigiously gifted singer-songwriter had yet to release his self-titled debut. Sure, the portents were pretty good – his EPs Take Me To Church and From Eden had both been chart and radio hits – but even he had no idea of just how phenomenally successful his album would ultimately become.
It wasn’t until a few weeks after that interview, when Hozier played the main stage at Electric Picnic to a record crowd, that it first began to dawn on the 24-year-old Wicklow native that something really special was happening.
“Electric Picnic was amazing,” the softly-spoken singer recalls. "At the time, I could see that there were a lot of people there, but it wasn’t until the following day that I realised just what the turnout was like. There was a lot of support there. I don’t experience that very frequently, so it really felt good.”
Was that the moment he realised that his album was going to be really big?
“Even then, I didn’t know,” he admits. “I don’t think my head was focussed on the album. I remember seeing the drone footage of the crowd that the Irish Times had up the following day, but I don’t know where my head was, really, at the time. It’s been like that with so many things this year. It’s very hard to process it all, but it was a very, very good feeling.”
Released on Island Records just a fortnight after that memorable Picnic gig, Hozier crashed straight in at No 1 in the Irish charts, comfortably stayed there for several weeks, and ultimately went on to achieve double platinum sales - and rising. International sales were almost as impressive. A hit in almost all the important territories, the album debuted at No 2 in the US Billboard Album Charts, No 5 in the UK, and No 2 in Canada.
Hozier was also responsible for keeping U2’s Songs of Innocence off the No 1 slot in Ireland. He laughs, modestly.
“Obviously, I’m just amazed and thrilled that the album did so well. I think these things don’t happen by design, and it’s great, but it’s a special case, too; U2 giving that album away for free – and so, of course, the charts would only reflect their physical and actual sales. That was part of what happened. But still, I’m thrilled that the album did so well.”
U2’s iTunes giveaway was one of the controversies of the year. What was his take on it?
“People complaining that they've been given something for free was just ridiculous," he proffers. "I thought U2 received a lot of unfair criticism for it. People have agreed to iTunes giving them automatic downloads and stuff like that, so what's the difference? A lot of the time, people seem to enjoy taking a shot at Bono. Genuinely, I thought being given a free album was a pretty cool move.”
Since the runaway success of his own album, Hozier genuinely hasn’t had a spare moment.
“Really and truly, there isn’t any time, no,” he says, sadly shaking his head. “I do get days off here and there, but a day off is spent catching up with emails or you might have a bit of promo to do. If I have a spare moment, I try and think forward to the next album, the next set of songs. It really has been all go.”
Has any moment since topped the sheer visceral excitement of Electric Picnic?
“I’ve never had a moment like the one at Electric Picnic. For a festival, a turnout like that – there has been nothing quite like it. But there have been other moments that I’ve really loved, like doing Newport Folk Festival. So many of my influences came through there and there’s so much history to it. To have played there to such a nice reception was really encouraging. Similarly, doing Saturday Night Live: that’s a dream come true for any musician.”
He’s been gigging relentlessly over the last few months and making appearances on similarly influential TV shows, including The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Letterman Show, Late Night with Seth Myers and Later... with Jools Holland.
He’s been turning up in slightly more unusual places, too. He performed at a Victoria’s Secret fashion show alongside Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and Ariana Grande. There was also an American TV ad for Beats By Dre.
“That’s true,” he chuckles, as if he can't quite believe it himself. “There was a Beats tie-in with LeBron James (US basketball megastar). He was returning to Ohio, re-joining his home team, and they used ‘Take Me To Church’ for that.”
Having spent years anonymously honing his craft in the attic of his family home in Wicklow, being thrust into the spotlight has been a sharp learning curve.
“Everything to do with touring is a learning curve,” he admits, “between articulating the music onstage and performing and touring and adjusting to life on the road. You just have to learn as you go and find a balance. You hit walls a lot of the time, but you have to figure out what works for you – and keep going! As you go on, it gets more normal. Although maybe normal is not quite the right word! It never feels normal.”
Has the response to the songs surprised him?
“A little bit, yeah,” he shrugs. “I’m always amazed at how quiet the crowds can be for stuff like ‘Cherry Wine’ and ‘In A Week’. That's a real compliment. It’s encouraging, too, because there’s a hell of a lot more of that softer stuff.”
He’s not been short of celebrity fans, either. Taylor Swift recently tweeted some very nice things after one of his American shows.
“Yes!" he says and you can sense the genuine excitement. "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.”
Is that kind of thing happening a lot?
“I’ve been very fortunate this year, 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.”
I'm sure it is...
The last time we spoke, Hozier was looking forward to checking out some of the legendary Chicago clubs once frequented by the inspirational blues artists he’d grown up listening to. Has his schedule allowed him to stretch his wings?
“No, sadly,” he sighs. “Not yet. It’s still the way that any given day is full of promo; you do your soundcheck, you do a few more interviews, you do the gig, and then you wake up and drive overnight to the next city – and you have 40 minutes to walk around at lunchtime or something. It's something you're not aware of till you do it, but touring is incredibly time-consuming. I haven’t had the chance to visit those places yet, but I’m really looking forward to it. I want to check out Chicago and take a tour of the Delta, down south.”
The stunning video for his gospel-inspired breakthrough hit, ‘Take Me To Church’, referenced the brutal oppression of homosexuals in Russia. So what are Hozier’s thoughts on the upcoming Irish marriage equality referendum?
“When you’re dealing with the equal treatment of people, I don’t think it’s a controversial subject at all,” he says, shrugging. “It’s a shame to even have to discuss it. When you have the institution of marriage, and it’s only available to some and not available to others in the eyes of the law and the eyes of the State, that’s a clear injustice and a clear issue for civil rights. Genuinely, if you’re dealing with the equal treatment of people, it’s more than a civil rights issue, more than a gay rights issue. It’s a human rights issue. Ensuring that all people are equal in the eyes of the State is basic.”
Hozier's 2015 is starting to take shape: as we speak, he’s just been confirmed as one of the support acts to Foo Fighters at next year’s Slane concert, and is up for a 'Best Song' GRAMMY with 'Take Me To Church'.
“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.”
Given all that’s happened for him in the last few months, it’s hardly surprising that Hozier has no great demands from Santa Claus this Christmas.
“Genuinely, I want nothing!” he laughs. “I’ve had an amazing year and there’s nothing I really want or need. I just want some time to veg out. It's really, really simple. Believe me, catching up with friends is what I’m looking forward to most.
“I will be at home this Christmas. I’m going to spend time with my family, who I haven’t seen for ages. I’ll be catching up with friends. So it’ll be very, very quiet. I may just switch off the phone and actually do nothing, have real days off, which will be great.”
As for his resolutions for 2015...
“I really don’t know,” he admits. “I’m still trying to find my feet with touring, still figuring a lot of that out. I’m looking forward to next year having a bit more of a balance. If I can fit in more writing on the road, depending on the schedule, I’ll be thrilled. I’m looking forward to, if I can, getting a small project out. Just a little offering like an EP or something. But there’s no New Year’s resolutions that I can think of otherwise.”