The Powerful Anti-Colonialism Of Hozier
Across mainstream X and TikTok feeds, Irish musician Hozier is often lauded as an ethereal long-haired Celtic hottie who makes sexy, sad music — all of which is accurate (in my humble opinion), but dig a little deeper and you’ll uncover a powerful, political artist. Take Hozier’s third studio album Unreal Unearth. Yes, it’s a romantic ode to heartbreak, but it’s also an unflinching denouncement of institutional colonialism in Ireland.
Hozier Has Always Spoken Truth To Power
Hozier’s music has never just been about sad, sexy heartbreak. ‘Take Me To Church’, the 2013 soul-pop single that catapulted Hozier into the mainstream, used the metaphor of a broken and toxic relationship to condemn the Catholic Church’s bigotry and its influence on society in Ireland. And in case you missed those themes, the award-winning 2014 music video depicted the persecution of two young gay men in Russia.
Since 2013, Hozier has achieved critical and commercial success, including Grammy and American Music Awards nominations. But even as he rose to greater heights of acclaim, Hozier’s body of work continued to be influenced by civil rights causes close to his heart. Outside of his music, Hozier has been a vocal critic of the Catholic Church, supported abortion rights in Ireland, advocated for Irish solidarity with Palestinians, and been an open supporter of LGBTQ+ rights across the world.
The singer has always respected the roots of his musical influences, citing Black pioneers of rhythm and blues including Bukka White, Otis Redding, Nina Simone, and Mavis Staples among his inspirations. Staples, now in her 80s, even featured on Hozier’s sophomore album Wasteland, Baby! on the track ‘Nina Cried Power.’ In the modern gospel-esque anthem, Staples and Hozier honour giants of the genre and the struggles they faced against discrimination.
Hozier’s Album Unreal Unearth And The Anger Towards Colonial Violence
Unreal Unearth is no different. Hozier delicately weaves the personal and political together with lyrics and sounds that speak directly to issues close to his heart, home and craft. Unreal Earth’s first single ‘Eat Your Young’ — apart from being a frisky addictive jazz-blues track that I listen to nearly every day — references the 1729 satirical essay by Anglo-Irish author Jonathan Swift titled A Modest Proposal, in which Swift responds to Britain’s so-called “Irish Problem”. In the essay, Swift satirises the unrealistic social expectations placed on Irish people in poverty under British rule to do whatever is necessary to survive, by suggesting poor folks offer their children up to the rich to be cannibalised.
In an interview with The Current, Hozier explained how ‘Eat Your Young’s anti-colonial, anti-capitalist and anti-war themes nod to the dark satirical attitude of Swift’s essay. “If you’re putting food on the table by selling bombs and guns,” he explained of the song’s playful veneer, “just skip the middle man, and the let the food be the kids. Because they’ll end up destroyed anyway”. The song sees the musician flip his personal disgust into a silky parody where an unreliable narrator views insatiable consumption and destruction as sexy and fun.
But as one descends through Unreal Unearth, the themes of colonial violence against Ireland and how Hozier experiences that legacy becomes more and more explicit. On ‘De Selby’ and ‘Butchered Tongue’, lyrics wax and wane between English and Native Irish as Hozier laments the loss of Native Irish language through colonialism and those who fought and died to keep it.
Even on such a personal track about his own loss of culture, ‘Butchered Tongue’ references “Hushpuckena,” the Choctaw peoples’ name for a river community in Mississippi. The Irish and Choctaw have a centuries-spanning allyship against British colonial powers. Beginning in 1847 when the Choctaw Nation sent money to support the Irish during the potato famine, it continues to this day when Ireland sent aid to the Navajo and Hopi nations throughout the COVID–19 pandemic. Irish politicians have also visited the Choctaw nation over the decades to keep the allyship strong.
Hozier is far from the only musician whose advocacy and artistry goes hand in hand. There are countless First Nations artists, artists of colour and other marginalised creatives who pour their anger and activism into their work – from Barkaa, to Janelle Monae, to the Indigo Girls, and many others. You might love him initially for his good looks and sultry sounds, but Hozier’s legacy will be one of championing international anti-colonial solidarity through his art, as well as his actions in a time of rampant injustices.
Merryana Salem (they/them) is a proud Wonnarua and Lebanese–Australian writer, critic, teacher and podcaster on most social media as @akajustmerry. If you want, check out their podcast, GayV Club where they yarn about LGBTIQ media. Either way, they hope you ate something nice today.
Image credit: Universal Music