Hozier: “My heart was just torn open”

Welcome to the debut episode of Alchemy! For our very first guest, I invited one of my favorite singer-songwriters, Andrew Hozier-Byrne. Between his breakout hit “Take Me to Church” and his more recent smash “Too Sweet,” he’s put out three exceptional albums. Hozier talks with us about falling in love with Simon & Garfunkel as a kid in Ireland, the mystery that always brings him back to music, and taking the stage at Madison Square Garden for the first time – with his dad.

00:00 Introduction & Welcome to Alchemy

01:24 "Too Sweet" Going Viral & the TikTok Leak

04:07 Watching a Song Take On a Life of Its Own

06:09 First Time at Madison Square Garden & His Father's Return to the Stage

10:17 Growing Up in a Creative Household

13:25 Early Singing Experiences & the Band at 15

16:22 Nina Simone, Thin Lizzy & the Records That Shaped Him

18:09 The Mystery of Music & What Pulls Him Back

19:46 Watching Paul Simon Soundcheck at Love Rocks!

25:01 [Sponsor Break] the FLAG Art Foundation

26:33 The Thrill of a Song Coming Together

29:12 Making the TIME 100 & Speaking Out on Matters of Conscience

32:44 Noah Kahan & What Music Gives Him

36:44 Getting Out of Your Own Way When Creating

38:31 New Music: Three Years of Phone Memos

41:09 What's Most Thrilling About the Creative Process

44:48 Hozier the Beekeeper

48:54 Closing Remarks & Credits

New episodes of Alchemy every Wednesday. Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube (youtube.com/@alchemywithanthonymason) so you never miss one.

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About our Founding Sponsor, ⁠The FLAG Art Foundation (flagartfoundation.org)⁠:

The FLAG Art Foundation is a nonprofit contemporary art exhibition space in New York's Chelsea Arts District. Since 2008, FLAG has staged more than 100 exhibitions celebrating nearly 1,000 artists, with innovative partnerships including the Parrish Art Museum, the Serpentine Galleries in London, and the Harlem Children's Zone. FLAG is free and open to the public. Follow FLAG on Instagram⁠ (instagram.com/flagartfoundation).

About Anthony Mason:

Anthony Mason, the host of Alchemy, is also a Special Correspondent with CBS News. One of the most versatile and experienced television journalists, Anthony co-hosted CBS This Morning: Saturday for seven years (2012-2019), and then the weekday CBS This Morning broadcast for two more. But he may be best known for his interviews with artists like Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin, Dolly Parton, Annie Leibovitz, Judi Dench, David Hockney, and André 3000. He has won a dozen Emmy Awards. In 2023, the Songwriters Hall of Fame presented him their Patron of the Arts Award. And for the past three years he has hosted the GRAMMY Hall of Fame Gala.