Hozier or Andrew Hozier – Byrne is an Irish musician who experienced worldwide recognition for his folk-tinged self-titled debut. He has taken the music scenario by storm with his hit single ‘’Take Me To Church.’’ Here are six things which you’d love to know about him –

1. Take Me To Church

He has been compared to Elton John for this soulful single which climbed a lot of charts gaining notoriety for its very real subject matter – ‘’I will tell you my sins and you van sharpen your knife.’’ It points a finger at the Catholic culture, especially his home country Ireland which condemns homosexuality. The song according to him is about asserting yourself and reclaiming your humanity through an act of love.

2. Gay Anthem

The video of ‘’Take Me To Church’’ a dark, bluesy soundtrack was released during the furor over Russia’s anti-gay legislation. It shows a gay couple being pursued and eventually being brutalized by a mob. Hozier has been very vocal about gay rights and told Mother Jones – ‘’There is no greater celebration of life, and nothing more human than a sexual act,’’ adding any government that condemns homosexuality ‘’undermines humanity at its most natural.’’

Here’s the video –

3. ‘’Women Are The Best Singers’’

‘’Take Me To Church’’ is influenced by his first breakup and his love for Nina Simone. He also believes that the best singers are female and cites Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday as inspiration. The singer says this about Nina Simone– ‘’When I was 7 or 8 I used to listen to one of her albums every night before I went to sleep.’’ to the Guardian.

4. You Could Actually Call Him

To celebrate his album’s release, he had actually made his phone number public on his Twitter handle asking people to call him and tell him what they thought about his album or just chat. The singer also claims that it almost killed his phone but that’s another story. The number is still online.

5. He Takes Time To Write Songs

Hozier has admitted to various people that he takes his sweet little time to write down lyrics. One of his oldest songs is ‘’Someone New’’ and ‘’Take Me To Church’’ almost took a year to come to life.

6. He Has Quite The Fan Following

Famous singers like Ed Sheeran have covered ‘’Take Me To Church.’’ He very recently performed at the Grammys along with Annie Lennox. His performance at the Grammys has been described as the one which stole the show. Here’s the performance –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZEChv1AaOk

Written By- Shruti Das