Quotes from Hozier

The success of 'Take Me To Church,' I never imagined it. I never imagined that it would work on radio, that it would find its way onto the charts, even at home and certainly not in America.

Things were never as exciting for me as the first gig in New York.

I'm quite sure I don't want legions of 15-year-old girls who call themselves, like, Broziers or something. My career isn't going to be that kind of a thing.

I remember one of the first albums I got was an album called 'Thin Lizzy: Live and Dangerous.'

There's not a lot of room for thinking in popular culture; there's not a lot of room for being conflicted.

I dabbled with faith, and I explored religion quite thoroughly.

Religion wasn't imposed on me. I dabbled with faith, and I explored religion quite thoroughly.

Will there be a time when equality will exist? I think given human nature there will always be conflict.

I'm reading a lot of poetry because it's a lot easier to dip in and dip out when you've got 10 minutes to yourself.

I was always drawn to gospel music and the roots of African-American music. It's the foundation of rock and roll.

My musical education was grounded in blues and Chicago blues - John Lee Hooker and Otis Redding.

I'm still finding my feet in many ways as a performer. I'm not an extrovert, and certainly the attention isn't what drew me to it, and I find that quite jarring at times. I used to stress a lot about shows and get palpitations before shows, but eventually you learn to love it, and it is a thrill.

You grow up and recognise that in an educated, secular society, there's no excuse for ignorance. You have to recognise in yourself, and challenge yourself, that if you see racism or homophobia or misogyny in a secular society, as a member of that society, you should challenge it. You owe it to the betterment of society.

I used to almost not look forward to recording, because it was like, 'Okay, what am I going to have to sacrifice?'

We have such a culture of discrimination and hatred, and one that has scapegoats and affects people so extremely. That's something that very easily crosses borders.

I remember writing lyrics for 'Take Me to Church' for a long time before I even had a song in mind for. It's not that I was trying to write that song for a year, but sometimes you just kind of collect lyrical and musical ideas and don't actually complete the song until you feel like they work together and have a home.

If I don't think something's worth saying, I don't think it's quite there, I'd rather just not say it, to be honest. In that case, I'd rather wait 'till the thought is ready, 'till I feel like I'm happy with everything.

The song is about asserting yourself and reclaiming your humanity through an act of love.

The song, to me, is about what it is to be a human, what it is to love someone as a human being, and organizations that would undermine that, and undermine the more natural parts of being a person

I think humans are driven by othering people, by defining themselves by who they are not and who is different from them. Human beings are in love with othering.

All songs, all pieces of art, reflect the world that they were made in and the values of those artists and the hopes and aspirations of the people who listen to that music and who made that music.

Growing up in Ireland, there are a lot of aspects of God that hang in the air. And my music reflects that.

Regardless of the sexual orientation behind a relationship, it is still a relationship and still love.

No Facebook status is as worrying as a vote and no tweet is as noticeable as an angry cry from a crowd outside a government building.