Hozier has scored the first No.1 single of his decade-long chart career with Too Sweet (Island).
The single’s consumption increased by 46.4% week-on-week as it climbed from No.4 to No.1 with 61,030 chart sales (Official Charts Company). It has sales to date of 128,055.
Too Sweet is taken from Unreal Unearth: Unheard, the expanded deluxe edition of Hozier’s third album. The LP, which debuted at the summit in August 2023, has sales to date of 70,801.
The single is one of four unreleased songs from the sessions for the 2023 album, now available on the new Unheard EP. With 6.7 million streams, Too Sweet was the most streamed track of the past week in the UK. It has been playlisted on the A list at BBC Radio 1 and Radio 2.
Too Sweet is the Irish singer-songwriter’s second Top 10 single, following the No.2 peak in 2014 for streaming megahit Take Me To Church (3,974,913 sales to date).
Island President Louis Bloom said: “I have had the honour and privilege of working with Hozier, and Caroline [Downey], Denis [Desmond] and Niall [Muckian, management at Ruby Works], for over 10 years now and it is really heartening to see that an artist so pure, whose music has always had an integrity and a depth, can also reach the top of the charts. All artists want their music to be appreciated and to touch as many people as possible, so having his first No.1 single in the UK is a fantastic and thoroughly deserved achievement. I also need to shout out the amazing team at Island, with special mentions for Sam Lunn, Alastair Smith and Steve Pitron.”
Bloom signed Hozier to Island when he was in an A&R role earlier in his career.
It is really heartening to see that an artist so pure, whose music has always had an integrity and a depth, can also reach the top of the charts
Louis Bloom
Speaking to Music Week last year about his long-term relationship with the label, Hozier said: “It’s great, Island has some fantastic people and I really enjoy working with them, and also Universal internationally. It’s great having another cycle because it’s the time to come up with plans of action and tackle it together. I try to be as accommodating as possible – and when I say accommodating, I mean I’m not shy of hard work when it comes to getting my hands dirty and then working on the promotional side. I’ve been very fortunate to work with various teams at Island and [president] Louis Bloom actually signed me, he was in A&R and he signed me himself. It’s great, it’s such an iconic label.”
Following the No.1 single result, Hozier said: “I was taken aback by the response for Too Sweet and am thrilled people are enjoying it. I’m looking forward to being back in July for the upcoming shows.“
Island is on a hot streak following chart-topping success with Noah Kahan (both the Stick Season album and single), Ariana Grande and The Last Dinner Party’s debut LP.
The label has four albums in the Top 10 this week with a new entry for Conan Gray’s Found Heaven at No.4 (9,505 sales), as well as The Weeknd’s The Highlights (No.6), Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine (No.9) and Noah Kahan’s Stick Season (No.10). Grande and Kahan are also in the singles Top 10.
This summer will see Hozier perform outdoor shows, including a sold-out date at London’s 45,000-capacity Finsbury Park on July 7 – his biggest UK headline show to date. He also plays Chepstow Racecourse (July 9) and Glasgow Green (July 10).
Hozier moved more than a million tickets worldwide last year for his sold-out headline tour, which saw him play arenas including London’s OVO Arena Wembley.
PHOTO: Julia Johnson
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