Hozier at No 2 in US album chart

Bray singer-songwriter Hozier’s debut album has gone straight into the US album charts at No 2, industry magazine Billboard announced yesterday.

Buoyed by appearances on primetime US TV shows such as Saturday Night Live, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and the Late Show with David Letterman, the 24-year-old’s eponymous debut sold 58,000 copies in its first week stateside, ahead of industry forecasts.

Hozier — real name Andrew Hozier-Byrne — last week sold out tickets to his December Irish tour of Dublin, Killarney, Cork, Castlebar, and Belfast in seconds. He will also take the stage to sellout shows in London, Manchester, and Glasgow in the coming months.

He had previously topped Billboard’s Adult Alternative Songs chart with breakthrough single ‘Take Me To Church’, which has over 14m views on YouTube.

The artist yesterday took to Twitter to thank his fans for their support. His album topped the Irish charts, went into the British top five, and has sold well across Europe.

Hozier boasts the fastest selling album of the year in Ireland, and it has now been at number one for three weeks.

The former Trinity College Dublin student drew huge crowds at festivals such as Electric Picnic and Indiependence, months before his debut album was released and off the back of one single and word of mouth reviews.

Hozier was beaten to the US top spot by country star Jason Aldean’s album Old Boots, New Dirt.