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If you aren’t familiar with Hozier, you must have been living under a rock for the past two years. If you don’t recognize the name, chances are likely that you’ve heard his chart topping single “Take Me to Church.”

I’m actually willing to bet you’ve most definitely heard the song, as it’s received constant airplay since its release in September of 2013. Think back to when you’ve changed radio stations attempting to listen to music and avoid the advertisements. You’re skimming, and suddenly you heard a deep yet soothing voice singing about church.

You might have been taken aback and thought, “Church?” and “Who the hell is this?” That was Hozier.

The Irish singer-songwriter from Newcastle, whose actual name is Andrew Hozier-Byrne, took over the music scene when the music video for “Take Me to Church” was released on YouTube. The song became a viral sensation, garnering approximately 230,000 views within just the first week of being released.

It was released on Sept. 25, 2013; by Sept. 26, it had received 35,000 views. The following day? 80,000.

Since then, he’s taken the industry by storm. His self-titled album was officially released Sept. 19, 2014 and has since sold 1,000,000 records worldwide.

He’s gained millions of fans, among them Taylor Swift and Adele, and has performed with music icon Annie Lennox at the 57th Grammy Awards. He’s also performed at Radio 1 Big Weekend, rocked out with Mumford and Sons at Bonnaroo, hit the stage at Coachella and played on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “Ellen” and more.

Hozier announced a U.S. tour which is set to take place this fall. The newly announced fall dates begin Friday, Sept. 4 in Aspen, Colo. The tour hits Los Angeles Oct. 13 at Microsoft Theater (formerly Nokia Theatre) in Downtown.

Keep reading to see why I love Hozier, and why you will too.

5) Viral Impact: In a period where most viral videos consists of cute babies, animals or some form of violence, the fact that a rather unknown musician was able to attain such attention due to a single song was a major sign of things to come and the power that Hozier’s music carried.

4) Musicianship: Aside from vocals, Hozier plays the guitar, bass, piano and also the synthesizer. Color me cynical, but it’s nice to see a new mainstream artist who has such a different sound perform live and sound the same as he does on his record. While he studied music at Trinity College, Dublin, and dropped out, Hozier has proved he learned both in and out of school.

3) Lyrics: While many songs that hit the airwaves are about partying, body parts, feature countless sexual innuendoes and are primarily all about a catchy beat (I’m actually not complaining.), when a Hozier song comes on, you can’t help but mellow out. His breakthrough song features the lyrics ““If I’m a pagan of the good times / My lover’s the sunlight / To keep the Goddess on my side / She demands a sacrifice.” While some of us may have rolled our eyes the first time we heard it, it was only because the lyrics caught us by surprise. It’s easy to take lyrics at face value, but when you listen to Hozier, you can’t help but to find a deeper meaning.

2) Voice: Clearly, this has to be on the list. Blending gospel, folk, soul and blues, Hozier’s voice just makes everything better. His vocals are just so incredibly soothing, even if you aren’t a fan, you can’t deny that his voice sounds like heaven.

1) Beginnings: Look, the guy doesn’t have some never-before-heard story, but nonetheless, we can’t help but root for him. He started off as just another struggling musician doing open-mic nights in Dublin, working hard to get heard. Yes, he got his big break after his song went viral, but you can’t just sign him off due to that. Yes, the song went viral, but it went viral because of his voice, lyrics and sound. It wasn’t luck, it was talent.

For more information, visit hozier.com.

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