Our #AOTW segment this week presents, the Irish musician, singer, and songwriter – Hozier

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Andrew John Hozier-Byrne (born 17 March 1990), known mononymously as Hozier is an Irish musician, singer, and songwriter born in Bray, County Wicklow. His music primarily draws from folk, soul, and blues, often using religious and literary themes.

As a child, Hozier self-identified as a “class clown” and an “unfocused student”, calling school a “monotonous nightmare”. He once worked a job scrubbing toilets at a golf course, which he described as a “good experience of hard work”. He began writing songs at the age of 15. He taught himself guitar and sang in his school choir.

Four: From Eden

“From Eden” is a song recorded by Irish singer-songwriter Hozier for his 2014 eponymous debut studio album. It was released on 9 March 2014 as the second single from the record and peaked at number two on the Irish Singles Chart and number fifteen on the Billboard Hot Rock and Alternative Songs Chart. It garnered over 56M views on it’s official music video on YouTube.

Three: Almost (Sweet Music)

“Almost (Sweet Music)” is a song recorded by Irish singer-songwriter Hozier for his second studio album, Wasteland, Baby! It garnered over 16M views on its official music video on YouTube. It was released on 16 January 2019 as the third single from the record, peaking at number eight on the Irish Singles Chart. The song also peaked at number six on the Billboard Rock Digital Sales Chart.

Two: Swan Upon Leda

His most recent single released in the 7th of October, 2022 garnered over 755k views on its official audio on YouTube. It also peaked at the number 33 spot on the Irish Singles Charts.

Currently: Hozier announced on the 31st of December 2021 on his upcoming album which he released snippets on the lyrics on social media. He also announced on February 23, 2023 that a new EP, Eat Your Young, would be released on March 17, 2023.

Controversy: Hozier is also known for his activism but in 2016, an organization he is part of illegally took over an office building in Dublin to house 31 homeless families. And On May 22, 2021, Hozier signed an open letter calling for Irish Americans in President Joe Biden’s cabinet to stand with Palestinians.

Awards and Nominations

  •  “Take Me to Church” was nominated at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards for Song of the Year in 2015
  • Still in 2015, “Take me to church” won the Award for Song of the Year at the BBC Music Awards, the category for Top Rock Song at the Billboard Music Awards and the category for Choice Rock Song at the Teen Choice Awards
  • On 12 November 2015, he won the VH1 Artist of the Year, a fan-voted award.

Discography

  • Hozier (2014)
  • Wasteland baby (2019)

One: Take me to church

He had his international breakthrough after releasing his debut single “Take Me to Church”, which has been certified multi-platinum in several countries. It was released as his debut single on 13 September 2013, originally featuring on his extended play of the same name, before being featured as the opening track of his 2014 debut album Hozier. It garnered over 713M views on its official music video on YouTube.

Aided by music platforms Shazam and Spotify to become a rock radio hit in the U.S., the song spent 23 consecutive weeks at the top of the Hot Rock Songs chart. “Take Me to Church” later crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number two in December 2014. The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Song of the Year at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards and has been certified six-times platinum in the US.