Hozier never thought his music would "resonate" with the mainstream.
The Irish musician has made the big time thanks to his track Take Me to Church, which was nominated for both a Grammy and MTV EMA along with becoming a number-one single countries all around the world.
It's become a global phenomenon, being featured in Glee and covered by the likes of Ellie Goulding and Brit girl group Neon Jungle. Hozier still can't get his head around its success.
"On Take Me to Church, the vocals were recorded in my attic," he told Billboard. "I'd made a conscious decision to write music for a much smaller audience. I did not think it would resonate with mainstream culture."
But it has, and Hozier is currently gearing up to perform at this year's Coachella festival later this month. He'll be joining icons such as Jack White, FKA Twigs and Drake.
The 25-year-old still remembers his first festival experience vividly, and the means he went through to get close to the stage.
"Christ, I was 16. I waited in the pit for hours to see James Brown," he recalled. "My back was breaking, and I was fainting throughout the day. I got to be in the front row, and it was incredible."
Being on tour offers plenty of fun for the singer, who values the travels as an opportunity to make up for a rather quiet childhood.
"I was a pretty well-behaved kid, much to my regret," he sighed, adding that it was when he became a teenager that he decided to break the rules a little more.
"I realised I'd rather not please people and not loathe every minute of existence. So I turned away from all that and started doing what I wanted to do: music."
