Hozier Quotes

American Idols that come off the show and don't have a hit song - that makes it tough. If you come off the show and the song isn't big, and it takes a couple months to get your single out there - that time could be damaging.

When I put out 'Video Games' in May 2011, it was a 5:25-minute love song; I was surprised when a lot of people said they were listening to it. I was surprised when it went to the radio, without me even knowing how something like that even happens!

But I never had that commercial opportunity to be played on the radio, so how could I be popular?

I'd love to get played on the radio, but it just doesn't happen.

I was really amazed when I started hearing 'Songbird' on the radio. I couldn't believe that the record company promotion department had actually convinced radio music directors to play it -because there wasn't anything like it on the radio at the time.

If I have a hit, then I hope the people who like the hit song go out and buy my album so they can hear it all.

'Cleveland' went viral, but it didn't necessarily pop. I didn't have that support. I didn't have a deal when I made 'Cleveland' or anything like that.

You don't really need a lot of hype and to be famous to sell songs.

I thought my second record was good, but it didn't have that smash hit we did on the first one that somehow found its way onto tons of formats of radio stations.

We were number one most added at radio, when the single came out and that's much different. It took like eight months for any radio to happen on the first record, so a lot more support has happened right out of the box.

For me, if 'Maryland' became half of what 'Searchin' My Soul' became, as far as radio play goes, I would be thrilled.

We used to call it recurrent airplay when someone had a hit.

Bands that say they don't care about how their records sell are liars.

I actually don't think that I'm gonna sell a lot of records.

I think when you put a new record out, everyone has a song or two that they feel people will be moved by so much that radio will be forced to play it.

I don't ever have the pressure of making a hit, because I've never had a hit song, per se. The closest thing to a hit song was 'Shiraz,' and it's not your prototypical hit song, with a catchy hook and all this other stuff.

Look at my track record: All of the big hits we created in Holland worked globally.

I just want to keep saturating the market and radio with as many hit records as I can.

MTV made a huge impact. Heavy rotation took you from selling 1m albums to 20m albums, and that meant a lot of dough.

Artists don't always know. Almost every song I ever recorded that was a hit at the majors that the promotional people picked I didn't think it would be a hit. I was wrong every time!

When you look at the Lady Gagas of the world, or the Jay-Zs, or the Black Eyed Peas, these are people who have one album release and it's a worldwide one.

It doesn't matter how good you are as a band or how good your music may be; if the fans aren't supporting it and buying your music, it's hard to make it.

Even an independent label is looking for a hit, they're not looking for a record that's not gonna do well.

It's like, it's up to the people to fall in love with the song. The record company can only do so much.

I want a hit. I don't think anybody spends 12 months writing and recording an album, making something cool, and says, 'Great, I hope this doesn't sell.' I don't understand that mind-set. I want hits: a big bunch of them.