Renowned for an unparalleled ability to seamlessly meld genres and craft sonorous tapestries that resonate deeply, Hozier stands as a beacon within the global music scene. From commanding chart positions to delivering lyrically profound compositions, this artist has left an indelible imprint on the industry. Chief editor Chiara-Marie Hauser got the chance to interview singer Hozier on his tour stop in Vienna.
CMH: How does it feel being back in Vienna after all these years, did you miss the city?
Hozier: I did! I think the last time I was in Vienna I was recording vocals on my day off for Maren Morris track „The Bones„, so unfortunately the last two times I’ve been here I had quite the busy days. But I love the city, it’s beautiful, and I’m sorry I didn’t get out to the markets today and go for a walk.
CMH: Your newest album is filled with all sorts of messages and processes, and as a historian I personally always struggle with letting go of the historic protagonists I focus on. Since your songs are filled with historic protagonists, and ties to historic sources, I was wondering if you ever manage to let them go or if they keep on drawing you back in?
Hozier: I think for a lot of the protagonists that I have played with or their stories, like in „Swan upon Leda„, it’s important to on one hand recognise that the stories exist and that they still carry meaning, but then also allowing yourself to accept the fact that some of them never happened, you know? So I think when you’re approaching them, I just find it helpful to let go of them, in the same way that you embrace them.
CMH: But that’s a struggle isn’t it? At least for me it’s always some form of back-and-forth.
Hozier: There is this beautiful line in a Seamus Heaney poem called „St Kevin and the Blackbird„, it plays with St. Kevin – the saint from the Irish county Wicklow I am from – and he gives in the first part of the poem a description of what the saint’s story is. His miracle was that a bird mistook his hand for a branch, while he was in prayer, and laid eggs in his hand, and then he was moved in such pity that he held his hand in rain and wind for weeks until the bird had hatched its eggs and flew away with its fledglings. But halfway through the poem he has this beautiful line, where he says: „And since the whole thing’s imagined anyhow, imagine being Kevin„, and then he presents a far more closer, physical reflection of what the feeling of that must be, to sit in the agony of that for weeks. But at the same time he embraces it, and he plays with it, and he offers this beautiful thing to come away with, while he is also letting go, and I really appreciate that.
CMH: Since you’ve mentioned Wicklow, I was wondering, if looking at the history of Wicklow county, we see a colourful history with many violent uprisings, so, do you find yourself shaped by the specific history of your home, is there some need for you to express home history through your art?
Hozier: Ireland is as a Republic less than 100 years old, as an independent state it’s just over 100 years old, as a pre-state, so in some respect Ireland has still meaningful questions to ask itself, about what the identity is. Especially when you reflect upon the revolutionary spirit in the early 1900s, what the intentions were of these revolutionaries, and looking forward 100 years, there are still a lot of questions that Irish artists are still asking, and still playing with. So there are– especially after certain historical events like the famine – all of these unprocessed traumas that Irish people are dealing with in the long term. On a global scale Ireland had never really any control over its representation either, so Ireland is also tackling with how it wants to portray itself to the world, what its collective identity is, and I can’t answer any of that here or in my work, but I think these things all filter through, and not just in me.
CMH: That’s exciting to watch, isn’t it?
Hozier: I think it can be, if the rhetoric goals are honourable I think it can be, for sure!
In expressing our gratitude, we extend our sincerest thanks to Hozier and his team for graciously allowing us this glimpse into his world. His dedication to the craft, evident both in words and music, is an inspiration to aspiring artists and devoted fans alike.
