For this album, he noted that the song selection was one of the most difficult aspects of the project. “I wrote a lot more than the amount that ended up on the album,” he said, prior to listing the title track “Wasteland, Baby” as his personal favorite. “I have a real soft spot for it,” he admitted.
His music is inspired simply by “gathering moments and memories.” “I gather feelings and thoughts and I just go from there,” he said. “You catch something from yourself and you just roll with it, and it becomes a larger idea.”
Hozier’s signature song “Take Me To Church” topped the Billboard charts in many countries all over the world, and it earned him a Grammy nomination for “Song of the Year.” “That was wonderful,” he said.
He had the good fortune to perform “Take Me To Church” at the Grammy awards with Annie Lennox, whom he dubbed as an “amazing artist and person.” “Annie was incredibly supportive and really kind,” he said.
The Irish singer-songwriter revealed that on June 23, he will be performing at the Release Festival in Athens, Greece. “We are playing a festival in Athens in a few months time,” he said.
Speaking of Greece, “Take Me To Church” peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard charts there. “It was awesome for the song to go No. 1 in Greece,” he admitted. “I’ve never been to Greece. I am fascinated by Greek history and I would love to spend some time there,” he added.
Hammerstein Ballroom in New York
Later in the year, from November 21 to 26, Hozier will be playing five nights at the iconic Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. “There are eight of us on stage in total. It’s an eight-piece band, where every member of the band sings and plays an instrument. It will be a lot of voices and a lot of harmonies and it will include a lot of songs from this album and the previous album,” he said.
“It will be a fun show. We are a fun band to play with and it’s all live. It is kind of old-school, where we make all the sounds on stage,” he said.
This past fall, he played at the Beacon Theatre in New York, which he described as a “gorgeous venue,” and a “beautiful room.” “We really enjoyed it,” he said.
For young and aspiring musicians, Hozier said, “Connect with what music you love and try to reflect on that in the work that you want to make. Try to stay true to that. You can learn from other people how to write songs. Ultimately, the most important thing that you have to offer is something unique from your own perspective.”
On his proudest professional moments, he said, “I am super proud of this album and that it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 charts. I still get fulfillment each time I put on a live show and people sing the lyrics back to you. I’ve always tried to write songs that people could take into their heads and their hearts. Watching people cover my work and sing my songs back to me means the world to me.”
He listed Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine as his dream female duet partner in the music business. “I’ve always been a big fan of Florence Welch’s voice,” he said. “I hope to get together with her one day. Florence is incredible, and so is her energy and presence on stage.”
The best advice that Hozier was ever given was “to learn to do as much as possible yourself.” “If you have a vision, try to achieve that as best as possible,” he said.
Looking back over the last five years, he sees a lot of “amazing things” such as the Grammy awards, as well as large crowds at festivals. “It was important for me to take a break, so I had a wonderful time taking a break in Ireland,” he said. “More recently, I was so thrilled that this new album was well-received. It is great to know that the fans were there and waiting for it.”
Digital transformation of the music industry
On the impact of technology and streaming on the music business, Hozier said, “The last few years have been a real transition period. How music is delivered to people and how they consume it will be transitioning for quite a while. Ultimately, technology doesn’t change how I create music.”
His laptop feels like a portable recording studio and he also records song ideas on his phone using Voice Memos. “The phone is super handy for keeping ideas,” he said.
Regarding his use of technology in his daily routine as a musician, he shared, “I do a lot of the arranging on my laptop. Obviously, I work a lot on my laptop for demoing and recording.”
He also did a slow jam version of “Say My Name” by Destiny’s Child. “Spotify asked us to do a session on a cover song, and we decided to do that song and we threw that together,” he said. “We played a lot of Destiny’s Child ’90s music on the bus.”
Hozier also complimented the talent of the late but great Dolores O’Riordan, who was the front-woman of The Cranberries. “Dolores is a legend. It is such a shame that she is not around anymore,” he said. “‘Zombie’ is an amazing song.”
For his fans, Hozier said, “Thanks for the support and thanks for listening to us. The Billboard No. 1 chart position was a fan achievement just as much as mine. There is more to come soon. I won’t be away as long as I was the last time around.”
Wasteland, Baby is available on iTunes and on Spotify.
For more information on Hozier and his show dates, check out his official website.
