Hozier

Hozier was born Andrew John Hozier-Byrne near Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland. His father, John Byrne, worked as a banker while playing drums in local blues and jazz ensembles, and his mother, Raine Hozier-Byrne, is an artist who later painted several of his album and release covers. He grew up alongside an older brother, Jon. When Hozier was six years old, his father suffered severe complications from a spinal surgery that caused nerve damage and required him to use a wheelchair, creating significant financial strain for the family.

Raised in the minority Quaker faith by parents with Catholic backgrounds, Hozier later came to identify as an agnostic. Since 2023, he has been in a relationship with model and former ballet dancer Hana Mayeda, with whom he attended the Time100 Gala in April 2025.

Immersed in his father's collection of Chicago blues, soul, and jazz records, Hozier taught himself to play guitar and sang in his school choir. He attended Delgany National School and St. Gerard's School before enrolling to study music education at Trinity College Dublin. While attending Trinity, he performed with the Trinity Orchestra and played local music festivals such as Oxegen in 2009 and 2010.

From 2009 to 2012, Hozier toured internationally with the Irish choral ensemble Anúna. He appeared as a featured soloist on their 2014 release Illuminations, performing "La Chanson de Mardi Gras". He subsequently left Trinity College during his first year to pursue song demos full-time after receiving interest from music labels.

In 2013, Hozier recorded early song demos in his attic studio while performing at open mic nights around Dublin. His demo of "Take Me to Church" led to a contract with the independent label Rubyworks Records, where producer Rob Kirwan helped re-record the track with live instrumentation. Released in September 2013 alongside a stark black-and-white music video addressing anti-LGBTQ violence in Russia, the song went viral after being shared publicly by actor Stephen Fry.

His self-titled debut album, Hozier, arrived in September 2014 and peaked at number one in Ireland and number two on the US Billboard 200. The record spawned multiple charting singles, including "From Eden", "Work Song", and "Someone New". At the 57th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2015, "Take Me to Church" received a nomination for Song of the Year, and Hozier performed the track at the ceremony in a duet with Annie Lennox.

Following extensive touring and a brief hiatus to rest in Ireland, Hozier returned in September 2018 with the EP Nina Cried Power. The title track featured gospel and soul icon Mavis Staples and honored historic protest singers. In March 2019, he released his second full-length album, Wasteland, Baby!, which debuted at number one on both the Irish Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200. The album included singles such as "Movement" and "Dinner and Diatribes", the latter featuring actress Anya Taylor-Joy in its music video.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Hozier conducted live stream concerts to fundraise for the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC), later releasing a charity rendition of the traditional Irish folk song "The Parting Glass". He also donated all proceeds and royalties from his 2019 track "Jackboot Jump" to the NAACP and the Black Lives Matter movement.

In 2022, Hozier released "Blood Upon the Snow", a collaborative track with composer Bear McCreary for the video game God of War Ragnarök. His third studio album, Unreal Unearth, was released in August 2023, drawing inspiration from Dante's Inferno and featuring lyrics sung in the Irish language on tracks such as "De Selby (Part 1)". The album topped the charts in both Ireland and the United Kingdom.

In March 2024, Hozier released the companion EP Unheard, which featured outtakes from the Unreal Unearth recording sessions. The EP's opening track, "Too Sweet", became a global commercial hit, rising to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. The achievement made Hozier only the fourth Irish musical act in history to top the Billboard Hot 100, joining Gilbert O'Sullivan, U2, and Sinead O'Connor.

Hozier's musical style incorporates blues, folk, indie rock, R&B, and gospel. He credits African-American blues musicians, including John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Otis Redding, and Nina Simone, as primary foundational influences on his vocal and songwriting style, alongside Irish folklore and poets such as W. B. Yeats and Seamus Heaney.

Hozier has frequently aligned his public platform with political and humanitarian causes. He participated in the "Home Sweet Home" campaign against homelessness in Ireland, campaigned for reproductive rights ahead of the 2018 Irish abortion referendum, and released the 2022 single "Swan Upon Leda" in support of women's reproductive autonomy. During his live concerts, he has regularly spoken out in defense of LGBTQ+ rights and called for international ceasefires in armed conflicts.