You’ve heard it in grocery stores, at weddings, and definitely on every alternative radio station for the last decade. That haunting, gravelly baritone that sounds like it was recorded in a damp Irish basement—because, well, it kind of was. If you’re wondering who sings Take Me to Church, the answer is Andrew John Hozier-Byrne, known globally by the mononym Hozier.
He’s an Irish musician who seemingly came out of nowhere in 2013. One minute he was a struggling artist in County Wicklow, and the next, he was performing at the Grammys alongside Annie Lennox. It’s a wild trajectory. But "Take Me to Church" isn't just a catchy tune with a soul-stirring vocal; it’s a dense, angry, and deeply metaphorical piece of writing that almost didn't make it to the airwaves.
Hozier wasn't some manufactured pop star. He was a guy who spent years playing in local bands and studying music at Trinity College Dublin before dropping out to chase his own sound. When he finally released the Take Me to Church EP, he was basically unknown. Then the music video hit YouTube. It was stark. It was black and white. It depicted the brutal reality of homophobic violence in Russia. Suddenly, the song wasn't just music; it was a movement.
The Man Behind the Voice: Andrew Hozier-Byrne
Hozier didn't just stumble into a hit record. Born in March 1990, he grew up surrounded by the blues. His father was a drummer in Dublin, which meant the house was always filled with the sounds of Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. You can hear that DNA in every note he sings. It’s that raw, unpolished blues influence that makes "Take Me to Church" feel so different from the polished synth-pop that dominated the charts in the early 2010s.
Honestly, he’s a bit of an anomaly in the music industry. He’s shy. He likes his privacy. He spends a lot of time in the Irish countryside. While other stars are busy chasing TikTok trends, Hozier is usually found reading WB Yeats or Seamus Heaney. This literary background is why his lyrics feel so heavy. He isn't just rhyming "love" with "above." He’s talking about humanity, sexuality, and the institutional grip of the church.
The song itself was recorded in his parents' attic. Think about that for a second. One of the biggest songs of the century, a track that has been certified Diamond by the RIAA, started with a cheap microphone and a laptop in a dusty room in Bray, Ireland. He did the vocals himself, layered them to sound like a gospel choir, and created a wall of sound that felt massive despite its humble beginnings. Producer Rob Kirwan eventually helped polish it up, but the soul of the track stayed in that attic.
Why Everyone Thought He Was a Group (At First)
When the song first blew up, there was a lot of confusion. Because of the "choir" effect in the chorus, plenty of people assumed "Hozier" was the name of a band. It wasn’t helped by the fact that he rarely appeared in his own early promotional material. He let the music speak first.
It’s just him, though. Andrew. The guy with the long hair and the self-deprecating humor. He’s a multi-instrumentalist who plays guitar with a finger-picking style that’s actually quite difficult to replicate. If you watch him play it live, you'll see he’s doing a lot of heavy lifting on the strings while maintaining that powerhouse vocal.
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What Take Me to Church is Actually About
There is a massive misconception that this is a religious song. It’s actually the opposite. Or, more accurately, it’s a song about how the "human" experience—specifically love and sex—is more sacred than any religious institution. Hozier has been very vocal about this. He grew up in Ireland, a country where the Catholic Church has a long, complicated, and often dark history.
He once explained that the lyrics are a critique of the church's stance on homosexuality and how it undermines humanity. The "church" in the song is a metaphor for a lover. Instead of kneeling at an altar, the protagonist finds their "Sunday" in the person they love. It’s provocative. It’s supposed to be.
- The "Death" Metaphor: When he sings "I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife," he’s talking about the vulnerability of confession.
- The Political Edge: The music video, directed by Brendan Canty and Conal Thomson, took the song's themes of "othering" and applied them to the state-sanctioned homophobia in Russia at the time.
- The Pagan Roots: Hozier often weaves in Irish folklore and pagan imagery, suggesting that there’s a deeper, more ancient spirituality than what’s found in a cathedral.
It’s pretty rare for a song with this much intellectual weight to become a global smash. Usually, the "song of the summer" is about something a bit more... lighthearted. But 2013 and 2014 were different. People were hungry for something that felt real.
The Explosive Impact of the Music Video
We can't talk about who sings Take Me to Church without talking about that video. It went viral before "going viral" was an automated process. It shows a young gay couple being hunted by a mob. There are no lyrics on screen, no bright colors—just a terrifying, visceral depiction of hate.
Hozier has said that the video was a response to the "crackdown" on LGBTQ+ rights in Russia, but its message resonated everywhere. It forced people to listen to the lyrics differently. It wasn't just a breakup song anymore. It was a protest song. That’s probably why it stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for so long. It had teeth.
How Hozier Avoided Being a One-Hit Wonder
A lot of artists would have faded away after a debut that big. It’s a lot of pressure. How do you follow up a song that basically defined a year of music?
Hozier took his time. He didn't rush out a mediocre second album just to capitalize on the hype. Instead, he toured. He got better at his craft. He released Wasteland, Baby! in 2019, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. It proved he wasn't just "the church guy." He was a legitimate force in folk and blues.
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Then came Unreal Unearth in 2023. This album was a masterpiece based on Dante’s Inferno. Who does that? Only someone who genuinely cares about the art more than the fame. He had another massive hit with "Too Sweet" in 2024, which actually went to number one on the Hot 100. It’s wild because "Take Me to Church" peaked at number two. It took him a decade, but he finally hit the very top spot with a song about drinking whiskey and coffee.
- He’s collaborated with Mavis Staples, a literal legend of the civil rights movement.
- He’s performed for the Pope (sort of—he performed at a festival where the Pope was the guest of honor, which is pretty ironic).
- He’s stayed remarkably grounded. If you see him in an interview, he’s usually just talking about his garden or a book he liked.
The Technical Side of the Song
If you’re a musician, you know this song is weird. It’s in the key of E minor, but it shifts around in a way that feels unsettled. The time signatures are tricky too. Parts of it feel like a standard 4/4, but then it slips into a 3/4 or 6/8 feel during the transitions. It keeps you on your toes.
His vocal range is another story. He goes from a low, rumbling bass-baritone in the verses to a soaring, slightly distorted belt in the chorus. That "Amen" he hits? It’s not just about the note; it’s about the grit. Most singers try to sound perfect. Hozier tries to sound like he’s hurting. That’s the difference.
He also uses a lot of "open" tunings on his guitar. This gives his music a drone-like quality that feels ancient. It’s a technique used by old-school bluesmen and traditional Irish folk players alike. By blending these two worlds, he created a sound that felt both brand new and thousands of years old.
Surprising Facts You Might Not Know
Most people think they know the whole story, but there are a few layers to Hozier and his breakthrough hit that usually get missed in the shuffle.
First off, he was actually a member of the Irish choral group Anúna from 2007 to 2012. If you listen to their work, you can hear where he learned to layer his vocals so perfectly. He wasn't just guessing in that attic; he had professional training in ensemble singing. He toured with them internationally, which gave him the stage presence he needed when "Take Me to Church" finally blew up.
Secondly, the song was almost ignored by major labels. He sent the demos out, and for a while, it was just crickets. It wasn't until a small independent label in Ireland, Rubyworks, took a chance on him that things started moving. It’s a reminder that the "experts" in the music industry don't always know what a hit looks like.
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Also, the title isn't literal. I know I mentioned this, but it bears repeating because it’s the most common question he gets. He’s not religious. He’s a "lapsed" Catholic who views the organization with a very critical eye. He has said that the song is about "reclaiming" your own humanity from an institution that wants to shame you for it.
The Legacy of the Song in 2026
Even now, years later, the song is a staple. It’s used in movies, it’s covered on every singing competition show (usually poorly—it’s a hard song to sing!), and it continues to rack up billions of streams.
Why does it last?
Because it’s honest. In an era of AI-generated lyrics and overly processed vocals, "Take Me to Church" feels like it was bled onto the page. You can feel the frustration and the passion in his voice. That doesn't go out of style. Hozier has managed to build a career that isn't dependent on being "trendy." He’s just a great songwriter who happens to have a once-in-a-generation voice.
Moving Forward with Hozier’s Music
If you only know him for this one song, you’re missing out on a massive catalog of incredible music. He’s not a "one-hit wonder" by any stretch of the imagination, even if that song is his most famous.
How to dive deeper into Hozier’s discography:
- Listen to "Work Song": It’s perhaps his most beautiful lyrical achievement. It’s a dark, swampy love song about a man who would crawl out of his own grave just to see his partner.
- Check out "Nina Cried Power": This is a tribute to the artists of the protest movement, featuring Mavis Staples. It shows his political side isn't just a one-off theme.
- Watch a live performance: Look for his NPR Tiny Desk concert or any of his BBC Live Lounge sessions. Seeing him play the guitar parts while singing those lines is the only way to truly appreciate the skill involved.
- Explore "Too Sweet": If you want to see how he transitioned into a slightly more "pop" sound while keeping his soul intact, his 2024 number-one hit is the perfect example.
If you’re looking for more artists with a similar vibe, you might want to check out Fiona Apple, Tom Waits, or Nina Simone. These are the giants whose shoulders Hozier stands on. He’s a student of the craft, and the more you listen to him, the more you’ll hear the history of music woven into his songs.
Hozier is a rare example of an artist who stayed true to himself and actually won. He didn't change his look, he didn't change his sound, and he didn't stop writing about the things that matter to him. He’s still the same guy from Wicklow, just with a lot more frequent flyer miles and a permanent place in music history.
To explore the full lyrical depth of his work, start with his self-titled debut album. It’s the rawest expression of his "attic" era and contains the foundation of everything he’s built since. Pay attention to the track "Cherry Wine"—it was recorded live in an abandoned hotel at 5:00 AM, and you can actually hear birds chirping in the background. That’s the kind of authenticity that defines who Hozier is as an artist.