“Irish singer Hozier is poised for a big year.” –KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic
“[Hozier’s] stirring, choral-meets-gospel-folk sound has been steadily converting more and more listeners.” –MTV Buzzworthy
Fresh off a series of incredible SXSW performances and sold out shows in NYC and LA on his first US trip, Irish musician Hozier will return to the US in May for a series of festival and headlining tour dates. Hozier will start off at the Sweetlife Festival in Maryland on May 10 before embarking on a headlining run starting at Bowery Ballroom in NYC before hitting Boston, Toronto, LA, and San Francisco and finally wrapping up at the Sasquatch! Festival. A full list of confirmed dates is below.
After releasing an introductory Take Me To Church EP late last year, Hozier has released another 4-song EP to tide fans over as he completes work on his forthcoming full length, due later this year. His latest From Eden EP is available to stream now exclusively on Spotify and features songs already part of Hozier’s live set, including the title track, which was selected for the coveted Hottest Record spotlight by UK tastemaker Zane Lowe on his Radio 1 program, as well as “Work Song,” “Arsonist’s Lullaby,” and “To Be Alone.” Recording for both EPs began in what Hozier calls “the grey, pretty boring attic” at the top of the house where he lives, before overdubs and mixing in Dublin, with producer Rob Kirwan (U2, Depeche Mode, Glasvegas, Ray Lamontagne) at the controls.
Born in County Wicklow on St Patrick’s Day, 24-year-old Andrew Hozier-Byrne gained worldwide attention nearly overnight when he posted the video for his song “Take Me To Church” under the moniker Hozier in late September. The gripping black and white video, directed by Brendan Canty, highlights the turbulent plight of the LGBT community in Russia via the story of two gay men targeted by a homophobic gang. The powerful video brings life to the emotional song, which touches on the influence of religion on humanity. While in the US this month Hozier spoke with New York Magazine and Mother Jones about the moving video and the song’s message.
The “Take Me To Church” video has quickly racked up millions of views on YouTube, and the track has been a fixture on Spotify’s Most Viral charts, regularly appearing in the Top 10 in the US and the UK, and Spotify also selected Hozier as one of their Spotlight Artists to Watch 2014. “Take Me To Church” also hit #1 on Hype Machine’s Most Popular chart, and has also been hovering on the top of Ireland’s singles chart. The song is currently in the Top 20 on Mediabase’s Triple A radio chart, with early support from Philadelphia’s WXPN, who selected “Take Me To Church” as their Gotta Hear Song of the Week and My Morning Download, Sirius XM, and Los Angeles’ KCRW, who called him one of their Bands to Bank On for 2014 and also had him record a session on their Morning Becomes Eclectic program.
Hozier has been playing to packed rooms in Ireland, and his first London show sold out in minutes, underscoring the phenomenon that has emerged in such a short time. In the UK he’s gotten great radio support on tastemaker shows on Radio 1, 6 Music, and XFM, and he was featured in the Sunday Times Culture’s “Breaking Artist” section. In addition to the upcoming US tour dates, Hozier will also be performing at Dublin’s Longitude festival in July and Reading & Leeds in August.
Hozier US Tourdates
- May 10 Columbia, MD Sweetlife Festival @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
- May 13 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
- May 14 Boston, MA Cafe 939 Red Room
- May 17 Toronto, ON Rivoli
- May 20 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
- May 21 San Francisco, CA The Chapel
- May 23-25 Quincy, WA Sasquatch! Festival @ The Gorge
Musically Amusing 