Bru sits down with Hozier in Los Angeles to talk music and more.
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00:00I'm kind of at that point now where I'm hungry again to have space and time to think about new new music and and
00:06You know, we've released pretty much emptied all in my pockets now at this point with regards like whatever's you know
00:12Left over from the album process. So
00:15Yeah, I'm kind of hungry to to feel my way through new work again. Yeah
00:22Odyssey check-in what's going on guys? It's brew and we are backstage at the forum, which is so fun
00:27Like it's like a secret back room here. Oh sure hanging out right now. How are you man? I'm good
00:32I haven't been in this room. Yeah. Yeah, where's your room and it's like a maze. I guess it doesn't I'm like
00:37I'm just right down the hall. Yeah, 14 lefts and another right? Yeah, exactly. Yes. It's a maze down here
00:41It's yeah, it's a big spot, but it's been amazing to see your tour so far. You're almost wrapped up with it
00:46How's it felt so far? It's been great. You know, it's been super rewarding and
00:50To I mean the crowds have been I've been amazing
00:52You know that this this tour we went on sale last year and was kind of sold out quickly
00:58So to release music since then and have new music to kind of play to audiences also at the same time. It's it's been fun
01:06absolutely and
01:07To think back. I just get retrospective about everything like 14 or no
01:11Yeah, 10 years ago Hozier the first album as it feel like a decade when you think about that
01:16Is it feel long does it feel like yesterday? It's funny
01:19It's so weird and touring like a lot of that time I spent, you know
01:23six of those ten years a maybe six seven eight year depending like maybe six to seven years of that was me on the road or
01:31Promoting or touring or something and like to life on the road kind of becomes this blur of it feels like no time passes
01:38And it feels like a lifetime as well. So yeah ten years. It's it's strange to think of that Wow
01:43And at this point, how do you feel creative wise?
01:45Are you feeling more creative than ever or what's that?
01:47Like I I'm super eager to get back creating. I think you know, I really enjoyed making the last record and
01:54I'm kind of at that point now where I'm hungry again to have space and time to think about new new music and and
02:01You know, we've released pretty much emptied all in my pockets now at this point with regards like whatever, you know
02:07Left over from the album process. So
02:10Yeah, I'm kind of hungry to to feel my way through new work again
02:14Yeah, when you say empty your pockets you're talking about in terms of music that you have like stocks ready to go
02:18Yeah, we are fresh. We definitely yeah, we had quite a bit of that
02:21And now there's songs that obviously will never see the light of day
02:24Okay
02:24but everything that I
02:26pretty much everything that that that I felt like this nearly made the record that this could have made the album or this if it
02:31If we'd finished it in time or this this was battling out for another song, you know
02:35I feel really glad that I've released a lot of that after work
02:40you know what I mean or that work that was that didn't make the album proper and
02:43That's been super rewarding, you know, and but yeah, we're just at the end of that. Yeah
02:48Yeah, too sweet being a song that almost didn't make the album. Why is that?
02:52Is it just because like it's a different formula or it felt more casual or what goes into a song almost?
02:56I'm making the cut. There's a there's a few things, you know, um
03:00There's there's elements of it that were it had to share the same theme as another song. So so I kind of
03:07Arranged the album into a few different themes nine different themes to kind of play with this idea nine circles
03:11So it shared the theme of another song called each or young which and they both had similar
03:18I won't say feels to them, but they that's you know, I didn't want the two of them
03:22I knew that I couldn't put both on that record, you know, and especially not in the same theme
03:27So we I felt the other song covered some of those bases and and it also was it was a super cheery song
03:33It's fun. It is more casual and I think
03:36For what for what the other song was doing I just I felt it was more appropriate for that for the placing on the record
03:42But I'm super glad I released it. I mean, of course, yeah first ever number one. Congratulations. How's your life changed?
03:50Yeah, it's it's I mean, it's been great. It's been super fun to you know, you know, absolutely
03:56So when it comes to like EPS and albums, what's the decision behind there?
03:59Is it like songs that you feel like deserve to see the light of day or is it a specific reason that you format it?
04:05I think for me the the album some of some of the kind of
04:09something that inspired the record was this whole this whole sort of and
04:12The inspiration was Dante's Inferno. So Inferno this kind of old poem. It's all epic poem. I suppose from from them
04:20this Italian poet and
04:22that's where the themes came from and
04:25the
04:26But it can be you know picking between what what makes it to an EP and what doesn't make it or makes it to an
04:31Album is it's like it's a long
04:33Process and it's it's fraud. It's like picking which children go on the lifeboat, you know
04:38I mean so it can be it can be tough and and there's ones that you really feel so close to and you feel very
04:44and
04:45protective of certain songs and you feel that they're you know, you really want them to to see the light of day and
04:51Because they mean so much to you. And so it's it's it's tough, you know
04:55Everybody has their favorites your producer the team that you work with are gonna have their their thoughts. You have your thoughts, you know
05:01It's a whole process. Oh, yeah, absolutely
05:04And work with family a little bit your mom's such a talented artist man and working on the albums before like painting
05:09Did she have anything to do with the the latest album?
05:11And not so much on the artwork. I remember I remember showing her some of some of the initial images
05:17But em time was against us
05:19You know in so many ways not even just in the artworks side of things but coming out of the kind of pandemic
05:25Even for me to travel into the States
05:28Like the borders opened up and then I was like, okay finally I can I can get in the borders are open
05:32I can work on the record but time was against me. So there was a lot of stuff, you know, maybe again
05:38I'd love to you know do something again, but for this record and it was a photographer called Julia Johnson who took that shot
05:44Oh nice sent her a few sketches of a mouth and in dirt and
05:50Julia Johnson and her wonderful team kind of built this apparatus that I could sit in. Oh gosh
05:56I thought they meant they all photoshopped. I was like dang. That's impressive. No, no, I would lay in some dirt. Yeah. Yeah
06:02Amazing. Well other collaborations like I love northern attitude so much in that. Yeah, you're able to work on that
06:08I mean between being incredible songwriters like the luscious locks a beard
06:12What else are you sharing in common with Noah Khan when it comes to you guys in a room?
06:15I've I sometimes you know, we also have similar fashion senses. I find and it's quite funny
06:22Show up in the same outfit. Yeah, very closely, you know, um, but Noah's Noah's amazing
06:28and he's having such a incredible couple of years, you know and
06:31for this this wild kind of hurricane is going on around him. He's such
06:38He's so cool. He's so grounded. He's just so down-to-earth. He's a really nice guy as well, too
06:42And and he he he carries it very lightly
06:45But um, I mean he's having such an amazing year
06:48So, I mean jumping on northern attitude was was I mean, I remember first hearing that song and before they reach out
06:55I love that track and delighted to hop on so glad we have that and you're being like humble about it, too
07:01Like you paved such a way for that, you know genre and vibe that he's kind of doing as well. That's cool
07:06You know, I I didn't realize I didn't realize so much but apparently he was doing I think live streams and stuff
07:12He used to cover one or two of my songs back back in the day, which is really really sweet
07:15Speaking of covering this blew my mind
07:17I don't know if I was living under a rock or something
07:19But I was in an uber the other day and I heard a cover that blew my mind and who was say my name
07:24Yeah, it was unreal. So good. I love that song so much. Is there any song that you've covered or just heard that you like?
07:32Wish was yours. Oh
07:34My god. Yeah, there's so many that am there's so many
07:38What was the last one that if I was to have to approach a cover and and
07:41You I remember
07:44Yeah, there's so many into my arms, you know into my arms by by in a cave. Yeah
07:49It's it's like it's a ballad and the lyrics are devastating. Um, and I think if I was to approach a cover, it's it's
07:58Like I would love to I would love to I mean, I'm it's one of those songs. You're like Christ almighty
08:03Sitting down to write that song. It's stunning. Um, I'd love to cover that. Yeah
08:06What do you think your best instrument is that you're like best at playing
08:09I would honestly my first and really only instrument was always my voice
08:14and and I sang before I could do anything else and and and and then I sort of taught myself how to play guitar and
08:20I and what if you can call playing piano what I do you can call what I do playing piano
08:26I can ride on piano. I would never really trust myself at a keyboard in front of an audience. Mm-hmm
08:31Especially not a key of forum. Yeah
08:33So, I mean guitar I can I treat it like a tool that I'll get out of it, whatever whatever noise I need out of it and
08:40It's the same with piano. I'll get out of it. Whatever noise I need out of it. I'm yeah, I'm not an instrumentalist really
08:45So right. So is there anyone you wish you could play like that? You were just great at oh my goodness. Yeah
08:49Um, you know the sitar sitar, whatever those things. I wish I knew how to play that freaking cool
08:55You're crazy on a song. Yeah, I always loved um,
08:57You know and it's it's why he's kind of featured on my first record and and
09:01It strings on the second and then spit a cello on this on this record
09:04I'm touring with Larissa Maestro who's a wonderful cello player
09:07If I could pick one instrument that I could be, you know
09:10I mean if you could you know if you could go toe-to-toe with yo-yo ma like, you know
09:15I mean like I think chat cello is a stunningly beautiful instrument. I think it's like there's different music genres
09:21You know and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and
09:27like there's there's there's something very um it's like a voice you know it's
09:31in a very similar range to a human voice yeah and I think yeah I'd love that
09:35instrument. It's amazing. When you're ever in the studio does your dog Loki ever go
09:39with you? I don't have a my dog I don't have a dog called Loki. Where did you get that from?
09:43I thought you named it Loki. What's your dog? Do you have a dog? We did I had a dog we
09:48had a family dog who sadly passed away last Christmas. What are we talking
09:53about? I'm so sorry. But the family do my folks and recently I got a dog who
10:03they have named Bear. She's an absolute dog. Who the hell's dog is Loki?
10:07Maybe Noah Kahn. I'm getting you guys confused. Maybe so. Oh my gosh because I've heard
10:11from so many songwriters when they have dogs in their studios where like their
10:14collar will go off or something and they just keep it a part of the song. Has
10:17anything happened in a song that was like a subtle sound that you just kept?
10:20Yeah that happened. So I was working with Jen DeSilvio on this album. So she
10:26produced and you know we worked on Francesca and like Icarian. There's a
10:30song called Farewell and we were when we were working on the demo for that her
10:35dog Biggie and she's this little tiny dog. I'm not sure what breed he is but he
10:41was and he was a pup at the time like he was a tiny little thing you could like
10:44you put him in a sandwich and he was like not that you would but I don't know
10:50I don't know why that's the comparison. He was tiny and he just barked and
10:54while we were while the mic was recording and it was somehow to the beat
10:59at the end of a phrase and so we just kept there and we sort of distorted a
11:03little bit. So his woof. Every time I hear it I'm like oh there's that little woof.
11:07You get songwriter credits to the dog? We should have actually. You have to
11:12illegally at this point. You know yeah a little bark there from Biggie. Yeah well now I'm
11:16nervous about everything. Are you a Pisces? That is correct. I was born. Let me just
11:21fact check this real quick. Do you follow that at all? Are you into horoscopes or
11:23anything like that? I can't say that I am. Neither am I. I'm a huge follower of it. Yeah me
11:28neither. Do you want to know yours though for today? Go on yeah. Okay before you go
11:31on stage just to give you a little thing. Here it is for today Pisces do not go on
11:35a state. Today's a fantastic day so make the most of it. You're emotionally
11:40immensely prepared to go on a new exciting life journey. I feel like that's
11:43always what it says. It's either that or don't go outside. Yeah yeah. Oh man. Well
11:48last time I saw you though you were honoring you two. That's right. I got to
11:51sing Walk On. Have you seen them at all at the Sphere? I did. I got to see I
11:55caught them at the Sphere and yes I went back to Vegas. So I played Vegas one
12:00night and I was in and out that same night. So I missed them the first time
12:02and then I got back before the the Sphere show closed. It's it was
12:06phenomenal, spectacular, crazy, very different way to experience a live
12:10show you know. And you know it's it's so like you two to be at the cutting edge
12:16of something you know. I mean they've paved the way on so many ways in
12:20which like live music presents itself you know. Yeah. The kind of live
12:23experience. But yeah it was a killer show. While you're watching that as a
12:27performer do you think at all about like man if this was a Hosier show what would
12:31it look like? What would it look like? I found it hard in that moment to
12:38kind of project my own stuff onto that size of a screen. I think maybe later in
12:43my career I'd have to have a lot more. I think yeah in this moment if I find it
12:49trickier. I can think of a lot of wonderful artists doing it and doing it
12:53now who could maybe who could who could create something incredible there. But
12:57it's it's it's a whole if you're doing a show there like you'd spend a year just
13:02building that that content. Or how they do it. Yeah it's like so intense and it's
13:06so beautifully done. But I mean a lot of Dante's Inferno. We got a trippy
13:10inside this here. But all right what are you looking most forward to you know
13:14after wrapping up the tour and getting home? Yeah so I have a couple of weeks
13:18off between between between now and when we start in Australia. I'm honestly
13:24gonna I'm gonna take it easy. I haven't been home in a moment you know. So yeah
13:29simple things like I'm a simple creature when I get back. I'm gonna you know see
13:34friends see family and just just sort of plug back into kind of a little bit
13:41of countryside slowness you know. Yeah maybe adopt a dog named Loki like why
13:45not? Yeah exactly. That's what I was doing. I was just manifesting. I could feel it. Yeah but
13:49thanks for the time before you go on at the forum. It's so fun to watch your
13:52journey and thank you always for just great music. Thank you bro.
13:55Appreciate you so much. Yeah you too.