On Sept. 23, Irish singer-songwriter Hozier made his long-awaited return to New Orleans with a performance at the Smoothie King Center.
Thousands of fans came from near and far to see him on his Unreal Unearth tour. One of these fans was Nova Cuiellette, a New Orleans native and longtime fan. Cuiellette said that Hozier’s music helps her to connect to her experience as a person of color in Louisiana.
“Growing up in New Orleans, music has been surrounding me my whole life,” Cuiellette said. “That’s, like, a staple in my life and something that helps me process a lot. It always makes me feel better.”
“Take Me to Church” and “Too Sweet” are usually the Hozier songs that come to mind for many, but his work goes farther than Billboard’s Hot 100. For the thousands that saw him in concert, his music goes beyond songs about life and love.
One song that Hozier played at the concert was “Nobody’s Soldier,” the first track on his most recent album, “Unreal Unearth: Unending.” The song, like much of his work, is a criticism of the military industrial complex and the world’s focus on profit over people.
It’s not new for Hozier to sing about social issues he is passionate about. Much of his music is directly inspired by Black musicians during the Civil Rights Movement, including those from Louisiana.
“I think ‘Nina Cried Power’ is an incredibly important song of his,” Cuiellette said. “It’s very important at his concerts as well. We went and saw him in Birmingham, and the way he gives his spiel before ‘Nina Cried Power’ every single time is amazing.”
Hozier’s speech before “Nina Cried Power” discusses the history of protest music and how the Civil Rights Movement in the United States impacted Ireland’s fight for civil rights.“Nina Cried Power” is a tribute to protest songs that was written with music icon Mavis Staples, who sang before speeches during the Civil Rights Movement. In this moment at his show, Hozier takes the opportunity to encourage his audience to support marginalized communities by voting to protect their rights.
“This song is something of a thank you note,” Hozier said at his New Orleans concert. “Something like a love letter to artists like Mavis, artists who in their time have put their passion, their empathy, their experience, honest human witness into their music. As a result, we’re all the richer for it.”
Hozier grew up around Black-influenced music, as his father was a drummer for a jazz band. Cuillette feels that that influence shows up in the sound and style of his music.
“The melodies he chooses sometimes touch me in a deeply rooted way,” Cuillette said. “It sounds a lot like all of the music I grew up listening to. I’m in a black family from New Orleans, and my parents grew up in the 70s, so I heard a lot of those motifs before.”
Hozier’s music spawns from a life impacted by 200 years of history, music and stories. His songs reflect the Irish experience, but also speaks to the experiences of so many of his Louisianan fans. From his songs about civil rights to the songs about lost loves, there is always something to connect with in his work.
