Hozier would rather chat about heady topics than hit records any day.
I could talk about stuff like this all day long, he says, with a laugh.
The sweep of the conversation wasnt a dodge from Hoziers music.
Credit: Paul Sheedy
It was a dive into it.
Its another leap ahead for a college drop-out who had no profile outside his native Ireland until 2014.
The fullWastelandalbum expands Hoziers political palette while reflecting the contention of the current world.
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At the same time, it grounds its politics in the concerns of the flesh.
Why?HOZIER:Im trying to look at the world through the lens of personal interaction.
To me, the personal and the political are one and the same.
You take that idea to the extreme in the title track.
Its a love song set amid the apocalypse.
[Laughs]Thats as dramatic a song as I could possible aim to write.
It takes the absolute worst-case scenario, the apocalypse, then says, Lets see whats left.
The song is also a bit tongue in cheek.
Some people dont get that.
Many lyrics on the album equate love with transgression.
Its about the myth of the Garden of Eden, about original sin.
Im viewing their actions instead as liberating, and as a very necessary action.
Its not so much a sin as a vital act of protest.
Along those lines, it seems like you see no clear divide between the sacred and the profane.
Are you saying the profane can itself be sacred?Absolutely!
I think its fun to challenge that divide.
We dwell too much on sin.
These are really just stories that we tell ourselves about how human beings should or should not be.
The profane is as real and as vital to the human experience as anything else.
Why not hold it in a sacred light?
The music also references these issues through its roots in gospel.Gospel music to me is about liberation and emancipation.
Its a very different way of celebrating love and what we imagine Gods love might be.
You dealt with this directly inTake Me to Church.But theres an irony at the core.
What organized religion says about human beings relationship with the infinite, I dont vibe with.
Religion still defines so much of our society, certainly the society that I come from in Ireland.
I find it very enjoyable to subvert that.
My first time meeting him was when the Church video was filmed.
He appeared quite shy and thoughtful about his work.
Its totally baffling, and quite disappointing.
Im sure that a huge amount of his colleagues come from the LGBT community.
So, I just dont understand it.
Obviously,Churchbecame a worldwide phenomenon.
Were you prepared?I certainly was not.
That was a very unlikely hit as far as I was concerned.
I had dropped out of college and spent a few idle years working on how to shape the music.
It was the first song I ever released, so it was a total surprise.
How do you deal with sudden fame?You kind of dont.
For me, its just about focusing on what you want to achieve with your work.
All of the noise thats created around you and projected onto you, you keep that at a distance.
You had to work really hard to support that success by staying on the road for years.
How deep a toll did that take?Its tough.
You dont get a lot of sleep for that period.
But when its your dream, you dont really have a choice.
To not put a shoulder to the wheel would be unforgivable to yourself.
You didnt write all that time on the road.
So, when were these new songs written?It was a sixto-12-month period after touring.
I was living in a bungalow in Wicklow, Ireland.
I was ready for these ideas to come out.
To do that, I would probably have to compromise things I wasnt willing to compromise.
I dont think thats the best song Ive written.
And I dont think its the best song Im going to write.
I also dont think the charts are a strong reflection on what work is worthwhile.
The songNina Cried Poweris certainly one of your best.
In it, you name check 14 different role models for protest, from Marvin Gaye to Pete Seeger.
Why did Ninas name become the title?I discovered Nina Simones music when I was a child.
Do you consider what you write protest songs?I certainly dont.
Theyre just writing about stuff that they feel is pertinent and is worthwhile to write about.
I was also eager to point to some of the music that shaped my formative years.
There are some people who consider your lyrics poetry.
I have huge respect for poets and the craft of their work.
The music in poetry are the words themselves.
Musicians have all the little tricks of sweet melodies and naturally affecting chord progressions.
