Andrew Hozier-Byrne, aka Hozier (and Mr Hozier to you) has seen a rapid, and deserved, rise to acclaim over the past 14 months.
His debut single, Take Me To Church, originally reached number 2 in his native Ireland, before slowly spreading to the rest of the world, eventually becoming a US top 10 single over a year later. His self-titled debut album hit similar chart heights when it emerged in September, receiving critical acclaim across the board. Now, he readies another single, From Eden, which is out 26th January next year.
We caught up with the man himself to discover his Ultimate Playlist, and the stories behind the selections. Read and listen on for an impeccable selection of classic soul, blues, jazz - and an old-school indie classic.
Hozier’s debut album 'Hozier’ is out now and ‘From Eden’ is out 26th January
Listen to the whole playlist on Spotify
Favourite Movie Soundtrack Song
"I've gone for a song called Old Landmark which is on The Blues Brothers soundtrack. I remember falling in love with it and listening to it over and over again...it's James Brown, who's performing this gospel song in a church - the end of the first act. It's just everything...gospel and James Brown! Blues Brothers was a big big film for me growing up, I suppose. The first time I watched it I was maybe 3 years old and I watched it like a Disney film, over and over again."
Favourite Sad Song
"I Get Along Without You Very Well, sang by Chet Baker. It just captures a certain degree of sadness perfectly; there's a great denial in it. The whole song is about lying to yourself and saying you're doing OK - and he just sings it immaculately."
Favourite Club Anthem
"I don't really go to nightclubs! But I remember a song I used to kinda rock out a lot to - We Are Your Friends by Justice vs Simian."
Favourite Song That No One Else Knows
"Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground, which is a piece of music by Blind Willie Johnson. He was pretty much a street preacher, I suppose, he played slide blues...he was blind...he died of pneumonia I think. But that piece of music is just gorgeous I think and in the 1970s it was chosen by Carl Sagan to be part of the Voyager probe, when it left earth, to be played as a piece of music that summed up the human experiences of loneliness and despair. It's an interesting part of it - the legacy of the song - but it's just a gorgeous piece of music."
Favourite Wedding Song
"A song by Nina Simone, called Real Real, which is kinda a song about getting married, but it's just cool, it's on an album called Nina Sings The Blues, and it's just a lovely little soul track."
Favourite Current Song
"A song by Jack Garratt - Water - any one of his tracks, but I'll go Water. Seeing him live, I think he's doing something that very few people can do, or are doing now at the minute. Watching him perform live is amazing, he just captures some great aspects, some fantastic sides of things - the fact he's got a great mix of what makes James Blake good - he's got an immaculate voice, he's an amazing instrumentalist, really good songwriter too. It's got a lovely soulful R&B feel - it's just really really nice."
Favourite Song From Your Childhood
"I had to look this up actually - there was a song I used to hear, I never actually heard the original recording - a song called Mysterious People by Val Doonican. It's a nice little sad song that I remember hearing loads as a child...it's a sad song about...y'know, you grow up and you lose what's nice and what's wonderful about being a child, which even then I thought was quite a sad idea."
Favourite Lyric From A Song
"I've gone for lyrics from a Leonard Cohen song called Anthem. The lyric is "Ring the bells that still can ring/Forget your perfect offering/There is a crack, a crack in everything/That's how the light gets in", which I think is magnificent. Lyrically, it's one of his most wonderful songs."
Favourite One Hit Wonder
"Where's Me Jumper by the Sultans of Ping FC. It's a great one. I remember being a kid when that came out and just loving it - the lyrics are wacky and wonderful, and there's this great energy to it - it's a song that just doesn't give a crap!"
Favourite Song From Your Own Music
"I quite like In A Week. I just like it, I always like the imagery to it - it's kind of an uncomfortable image for people...of two people dying and what happens to you after you die and, I suppose, you rot."
