Last night on Beats 1 Hozier was live in the studio with Zane talking about his track ‘Better Love’ for the new Tarzan film.
On Hozier’s musical foundation/core:
It was Chicago Blues music at first. Howlin' Wolf and John Lee Hooker. That’s how I first learned how to play was listening to JLH play with open tuning. One chord. Muddy Waters, but folk music Simon & Garfunkel, a lot of lyricists like Paul Simon. As a teenager I discovered Tom Waits and his lyrics and I just fell in love with it. The first time hearing stuff off of 'Black Rider' it was just really weird. There was nothing inviting about that music it’s like jumping into a freezing cold lake.
On Lyrics:
There’s two avenues of criticism. If you have nothing to say don't say it. If you can’t improve on silence just don’t. At the same time you want to make sure it flows in some natural way, but it’s tough. I make a habit of never being proud of what I do.
About “Better Love” from Tarzan:
I never know how to sit when your music is playing. Fetal position in the corner. I’m proud. The deadline for this song was nothing I’d ever seen. I had just happened to be doing one last thing in LA about a month and a half six weeks ago. They reached out looking for a contemporary song for a film. It was a great director, composer and cast. I was just watching it for themes and what I could take from it to write a song.
It’s an exciting film, the cast is big and it’s exciting to be part of it. It was a challenge. The director was a really sweet guy, but the conversation was, you have three weeks. That’s Hollywood right there.
On working under pressure:
As a first time it was making sure this would’ve been a song that could’ve existed outside of an opportunity like this. Im thrilled for the opportunity and the challenge. I haven’t seen it in the film properly. I’m looking forward to the premiere.
On if he ever needs a break from a song like 'Take Me To Church’:
“I learned my lesson on this one. Not a lot of artists would admit to moving keys for certain performances but doing that 3 times a day you have to do it. If that’s gonna happen it would definitely happen with Church. I try to make a habit of distancing myself from a song. You hear it played you just walk out of the room. You just put it behind you. The way I look at it is, a hit song that connects, and it connected beyond my wildest dreams, but a hit song is not a career, a debut album is not a career, you have to keep looking forward to making the next thing.
I love my label but usually when they’re greeting and you’re going to a reception they’ll play you you’re own music, and that’s the last thing you wanna hear when you’re walking in.
On the next album:
I've never been so eager to make music. I’m itching for it. In a big way if this opportunity had happened at a different time I would have just been spent, but I had had maybe 6 days of quiet and I can’ really write on the road, but when it all stops and things are quiet again you’re just ready for things to fall out of you.
You have a phone full of memos and loads of notebooks and stuff. Little melodic ideas. There’s many times recording on a phone and trying to transfer it into my laptop and into software and it doesn’t feel the same.
