Hozier profits hit high notes

Profits at the main Irish-based entertainment firm owned by singer-songwriter phenomenon Hozier rose more than three-fold to €1.77m last year.

New accounts filed by Hozier’s Haskey Ltd show that revenues soared by 334% to €2.29m.

The Co Wicklow native and Grammy nominee released his second EP, From Eden, in 2014.

His debut studio album, called Hozier, was released in September two years ago, and subsequently received its global release soon after.

New accounts show pre-tax profits increased by 367% from €385,927 to €1.772m in 2015.

However, the accounts only tell the story on a small part of Hozier’s business operations and wealth, as the figures relate to the firm’s activities in Ireland.

Exhaustive touring since early 2015 has made Hozier a major star in the US and beyond.

In a recent interview, Hozier said he has been living out of a suitcase for the past 18 months and was looking forward to a break to work on his next album.

He said: “It’s been back and forth from America to Europe and back — and Australia a few times.”

In 2015, Hozier added to his business’s coffers with sold-out gigs in Amsterdam, Killarney.

His entire UK 2015/16 Winter tour, with dates at Birmingham, Manchester, Portsmouth, Cardiff, and London also sold out.

The 26-year-old dropped out of Trinity College Dublin to pursue his dream in the music business — and the latest set of accounts for Hozier’s Haskey Ltd prove his career was a wise choice.

The figures show the cash pile at the firm increased nine-fold going from €150,255 to €1.37m. The firms is owed a further €926,809 by debtors.

Despite the huge increase in revenues and profits generated by the firm, directors’ remuneration is relatively modest. It increased from €32,877 to €46,172. Hozier sits on the board of the firm along with Lorraine Byrne.

Illustrating the large profits recorded by the firm, the company’s corporation tax charge for the year totalled €290,873. This was made up of €221,536 in Irish corporation tax and “foreign tax” of €68,488.

Hozier’s career has been carefully nurtured by Caroline Downey and Denis Desmond.

In 2014, Hozier enjoyed a meteoric rise with his global hit single, ‘Take Me To Church’, which was the most viral track of the year with 87m streams. It was Spotify’s Spotlight Breakout Star of 2014.