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15.08.14 Music Week 17


just want to be a songwriter. But of course, I have very strong opinions about some things. And they’re going to bleed into the songs.” Discussing the upcoming album’s lyrical content,


the artist says that it isn’t his intention to write politically. “I don’t start off from that point,” he says. “There are some songs that have political undercurrents and there are others that are slightly reflective of culture and its invasive or destructive nature on people. But I never deliberately write politically - I don’t think I do, anyway.” Take Me To Church has been a huge hit in


Hozier’s own Ireland, as well as in the US, where it’s seen plenty of airplay. Luckily, Hozier says he’s “not sick of the song”, and jokes: “No-one’s picked a fight with me over it yet.” The young singer seems to be balancing


his cross-continent promo campaigns well. “I understand that the way the US deals with singles, and the way the UK deals with singles is very different,” he says. “In the UK they’ve been more keen to hang on to Take Me To Church, and use that to launch the album. But it’s been in Ireland since July last year. We had the whole EP as a free download. “I was proud of that EP and thought people


would react well to it. In the US they pushed Take Me To Church for months, and that became the flagship single for the whole campaign. It can be confusing when you’re in different places and each one has a slightly different thing to promote. It’s fine to me - I’m just looking forward to getting the album out and having everyone on an even keel, so everyone has the same songs in the same jurisdiction.” The softly spoken singer won’t have long to


wait; his self-titled debut is out next month. The Hozier LP was recorded in a similar way to the Take Me To Church EP, he explains: “I kept a very similar formula. I recorded as many of the demos as I could in my attic in Whicklow, getting as much of the arrangement down as possible; the vocals, backing vocals, programming the drum beats...


“Then I would go into the studio with [co-producer] Rob Kirwan to make it prettier; he’s got some gorgeous equipment. He’s a fantastic engineer. In most cases on the album, we kept the attic vocals that I recorded at home.”


“We fell madly in love with [Hozier’s] captivating, soulful voice. His songwriting is exceptional. I’ve been struck by the emotional connection Take Me To The Church has made, particularly with the artist community. Ryan Tedder, Plan B and Adele are all huge fans” LOUIS BLOOM, ISLAND RECORDS HEAD OF A&R


It sounds like it’s taken a while to get to this point


in Hozier’s career, from his first signing to global plans making for a delicate balance of time spent on the road, and on the album. “Around the time when I first started demoing Take Me To Church, I threw out a lot of material,” he explains. “So all of the songs have been written in the last two years. “It’s hard to add up, because a lot of the time


I’d be in the attic, and then I’d work in the studio with Rob. Finishing the album, after we’d done the first two EPs, I think I had a month in total to get everything squared away. Then I was mixing. Stressful as it was, I listened to the mixes on the road. It was mixed by Andrew Scheps in LA, so it was a case of back and forth in the middle of promotion, to try to get a moment to listen to mixes and send on notes and stuff like that.” Hozier has been back in the US recently again,


playing Newport Folk Festival and Lollapalooza in Chicago as well as media promotion, before returning to Ireland for Indiependence Festival at the start of the month. Next up is more promotion in Germany. “It’s to the wall, the schedule is


‘WE ARE AT THE START OF SOMETHING REALLY EXCITING’ Louis Bloom, Island Records head of A&R, reveals the reasons behind his early interest in Hozier and thoughts on the


musician’s success so far...


Why were Island Records first interested in Hozier?


The entry point for us was the Take Me To Church video. [Watching it was] one of those great moments in this job when you get hit around the head by a piece of art that simply stops you in your tracks. The song felt like an instant classic. We then dug deeper and the more we heard from his self-recorded online sessions, the more we fell madly in love with his captivating, soulful voice which totally cuts through. His songwriting is exceptional and it became clear straight away that this was as much about a compelling body of work as it was about the one song.


How happy are you with Take Me To Church’s performance so far? It has sold over 22k to date and has had 1.2


million audio streams since January in the UK. This is before we are on any playlists, outside of some really good Radio 1 spot plays. Every time we have a play we see a reaction on iTunes. His live business here is also really strong


so he is clearly connecting. So far, every show that he has announced in the UK has sold-out in a matter of days, London always in a single day and well in advance of the show actually happening. We are at the start of something really exciting.


Were you concerned Take Me To Church would be a difficult sell at all? To be honest, it never crossed our minds as it was about signing a special artist who could comfortably sit alongside the Island greats. So, it wasn’t about a straight commercial signing, but the fact is that it was already becoming a huge hit in Ireland at the time of him signing to us. The song’s lyrics can also be interpreted on a


number of levels. It can be seen as a critique on the Catholic Church but it can also be listened to as a love song, so I think the appeal is very broad. I have been struck by the emotional connection this song has made particularly with the artist community. Ryan Tedder, Plan B and Adele are all huge fans.


Hozier: The artist’s self- titled debut LP will be released via Island Records/ Rubyworks in the UK on September 22


mayhem,” he laughs. While Hozier recognises the viral power


of social media (“Once that foot’s in the door, you’ve already reached a lot of people”), he says that traditional promotion is still crucial in many territories. “Radio’s still important. Certainly in Germany, where there’s no national radio, and America, where it’s mind-boggling to think about how vast the market is. “In the UK, it’s hard, because it feels sometimes


like you’ve got to get with BBC Radio 1, you’ve got to try with BBC radio. It’s the mother, it feels like everyone’s falling over themselves to get on it. Which is fine, and it’s a fantastic station, but it seems strange coming back from other places where there are countless stations, with a lot of different trendsetters. Every place is different.”


‘OUR EXPECTATIONS ARE INCREDIBLY HIGH’ Jon Turner, MD at Island Records, discusses breaking Hozier worldwide:


How easy has it been to break Hozier in the UK compared to Ireland? Nothing is easy in the music business. But the interest and love across the industry for Hozier has been hugely encouraging. There is great


awareness for him, and the media and public alike are really engaging with the music that is being released and the shows he is playing. The biggest single issue we are facing is the huge demand there is for him around the world, and making sure we have enough time with him in key markets. It’s a nice problem to have.


What’s been the biggest surprise so far? The speed of the global pick up. The internet and live shows have really paved the way in terms of building an initial audience very quickly. Denis [Desmond] and Caroline [Downey], Hozier’s managers, have done a great job in making sure his live trajectory mirrors the strategy for releasing the record everywhere.


What hopes/expectations do you have for Hozier going forward with this album and beyond? Our expectations are incredibly high. Andrew has a long-term career in front of him and we are excited about sharing that. We believe he will be working this record around the world for the next 18 months. It’s just one of those classic albums that will reach and touch a lot of people over that period.


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