Hozier is one of the biggest names in music you're likely not too familiar with, though you're surely familiar with his smash hit, 'Take Me to Church.' To shed some light on the Irish singer-songwriter, the New York Times recently caught up with him on a number of subjects.

Talking to him about coming to America to tour, Hozier told the Times' Andrew Chow, “I felt like very much an outsider. But I’m made to feel incredibly welcome in doing shows here, arguably more so than shows in Europe. The crowds are so warm and giving.”

On inspiration, Hozier calls out arguably the biggest indie rock outfit in the world: "I love something with real guts to it, and something that’s visceral and raw. [The Black Keys’] 'Rubber Factory' was a big album for me as a teenager. The hard part is making blues that’s relevant to today."

And when asked about 'Take Me to Church' and the track's success, the artist's humility is front and center. "The vocals were recorded in my attic at 2 o’clock in the morning. So it’s a real homemade job," he explains. "The fact that it ended up in the Top 10, and in the same sentence as Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran, is baffling."

If you haven't yet, check out Hozier's official music video for 'Take Me to Church' below -- it explores what happens when a community attacks individuals who aren't "like everyone else." Though, Hozier doesn't necessarily view the song as a protest anthem. "That would be beyond me," he says about protest songs. "I write things that I feel strongly about. I do find that I just don’t connect with a lot of themes that come through the Top 40. There’s just so much superficiality in what you hear on the radio nowadays. That’s fine. That’s reflective of our culture and of society. I don’t know if I can change it."

Read the full interview with Hozier here.

Hozier -- 'Take Me to Church' Official Music Video

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