Finding artists similar to Hozier is actually a lot harder than it looks. You’d think it would be easy. Just look for a guy with a guitar and some reverb, right? Wrong. Most people make the mistake of pigeonholing him as just "indie folk" or that "forest god" meme from TikTok. If you actually listen to Unreal Unearth or his self-titled debut, you realize he’s basically a walking intersection of Delta blues, 19th-century poetry, and gritty soul.
He isn't just singing about trees. He’s singing about Dante’s Inferno, social injustice, and the visceral reality of being human. If you want music that hits that same specific nerve, you have to look for artists who don’t just play chords—they tell stories that feel a bit like a punch to the gut.
The Soulful Poets: Florence + The Machine and Tamino
If you love the "ethereal but could probably kill me" vibe of Hozier, you have to start with Florence Welch. She’s the high priestess of this world. While Hozier feels grounded in the mud and the soil, Florence + The Machine feels like the sky and the storm. Songs like "Cassandra" or "King" carry that same mythological weight that Hozier fans crave. Honestly, they’re two sides of the same coin. Both use massive, orchestral sounds to talk about very intimate, often painful, things.
Then there’s Tamino. If you haven't heard of him, you're missing out. He’s a Belgian-Egyptian artist who sounds like he was born in a different century. His voice has this haunting, operatic quality that rivals Hozier’s falsetto. Listen to "Habibi." It has that same "sitting alone in a cathedral" atmosphere. He brings in Middle Eastern tonal influences that make the music feel ancient, which perfectly mirrors Hozier's obsession with Irish folklore and blues history.
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The Folk-Blues Gritty Traditionalists
Hozier owes a massive debt to the blues. He’s said it a million times. He grew up on Muddy Waters and Nina Simone. If that’s the part of his music you love—the growl, the stomp, the "Work Song" rhythm—you need to check out Adia Victoria.
She calls her music "Gothic Blues," and it is stunningly dark. She digs into the history of the American South with the same intellectual rigor Hozier applies to Irish history.
Other names that fit this "earthen" vibe:
- Ray LaMontagne: Specifically his early stuff like Trouble. His voice has that raspy, soulful ache.
- Shakey Graves: For the fans who like the more percussive, raw energy of "Jackie and Wilson."
- The Crane Wives: They’ve been blowing up lately. They mix three-part harmonies with lyrics that feel like a dark fairytale. It's very "bog-core," if we're using internet terms.
Why Noah Kahan and Paris Paloma are the Modern Heirs
It’s impossible to talk about artists similar to Hozier in 2026 without mentioning Noah Kahan. He’s the obvious successor in terms of popularity. While Hozier is more "mythology and metaphors," Kahan is "therapy and small-town longing." But they share a specific DNA: the ability to make acoustic music feel huge. Their 2024 collaboration on "Northern Attitude" proved they occupy the same space in the cultural zeitgeist. They both write songs that make you want to scream-sing in a car at 2 AM.
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Paris Paloma is the other big one. Her song "Labour" became a feminist anthem for a reason. It has that righteous, biblical anger that Hozier tapped into with "Take Me To Church." Her 2024 album Cacophony is a masterpiece of "dark folk." She uses heavy percussion and choral arrangements that feel like a ritual. If you like the political and social commentary in Hozier’s lyrics, Paris is your next obsession.
The "Subtle" Similarities: Gregory Alan Isakov and Ben Howard
Sometimes you don't want the yelling. Sometimes you want the "Cherry Wine" vibe—the quiet, devastating fingerpicking.
Gregory Alan Isakov is the king of this. He’s a full-time farmer in Colorado, and you can hear the dirt in his music. His lyrics are incredibly sparse but carry so much weight. "The Stable Song" or "Amsterdam" are essential listening. He doesn't have Hozier’s powerhouse belt, but he has that same reverence for the natural world.
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Ben Howard is another great one. His earlier work, like Every Kingdom, is more straightforward folk, but as he’s progressed, he’s become more experimental and atmospheric. If you like the weirder, more psychedelic textures on Unreal Unearth, Ben Howard’s later albums like Noonday Dream will speak to you.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Playlist
Don't just stick to the Top 40 folk charts. To truly find music that captures the Hozier "soul," you have to look for artists who are obsessed with their craft.
- Dive into the Blues Roots: Listen to Skip James or Nina Simone. Hozier didn't invent his sound in a vacuum; he’s a student of these legends.
- Check out the Irish Scene: Artists like Dermot Kennedy (his early EPs) and David Keenan carry that specific Irish storytelling tradition that makes Hozier’s lyrics so dense.
- Watch Live Sessions: Both Hozier and these similar artists shine when they're stripped back. Look up Gigi Perez or Searows on YouTube for that raw, "bedroom folk" energy that is currently taking over.
Basically, if a song makes you feel like you've just read a classic novel or attended a very intense protest, you're on the right track. Happy listening.
Practical Insight: Start a "Radio" station based on Hozier's "Nina Cried Power." Because that song features Mavis Staples, the algorithm will lean into soul and gospel-infused rock rather than just generic "coffee shop folk," giving you a much better selection of artists who actually match Hozier's intensity.