How To Sing Like Hozier (5 Brilliant Tips)

Hozier is an American songwriter and singer who has been a major face on lots of billboards.

His music genre usually revolves around folk, soul, and blues. 

He is popularly known for his debut “Take me to church”. Hozier has a lot of interesting singing techniques you can learn from. 

If you’re interested in knowing how to sing like Hozier then this article is for you. Keep reading as this article covers guides to singing like Hozier.  

What Are The Steps Needed To Sing Like Hozier?

1. Learn to Sing with a Low Larynx

Hozier has a yawning sound when he sings. This is as a result of a lowered larynx when singing.

You might wonder if the positioning of the larynx even matters.

Well, it does, it changes how resonance works in the voice, and it changes character and tone. 

Lowering your larynx is one way to get that warm, deep resonance that Hozier has. 

Interestingly, singing with a lowered larynx has proven to have a lot of benefits for the voice. Some of its benefits include;

• Singing on a low larynx gives you a clear voice even when singing on high notes. It eliminates tension and makes high notes easy so your voice sounds natural and strong.
• It helps you sing effortlessly on high notes. When you sing with your larynx lowered, vibrations can easily move from the chest to the head voice. 
• Lowering your larynx reduces the chances of you straining your chest voice. 

You may also be wondering how you can drop your larynx correctly. Well we’ve got you covered – The correct way to lower your larynx is by moving your tongue forward and stretching the space between the parts of the larynx so that the bottom part of the larynx drops. 

• You can lower your larynx and make an “ah” sound. This enables your larynx to stay at a lowered state. Repeat the process until you perfect it. It will take a while to master, however, so be patient with yourself if you don’t get it at the beginning. 
• Try taking in air slowly. This is quite an easy step. When you do this your throat opens and your larynx drops. Repeat this process over and over again to completely master the skill.

2. Develop Narrow Vowels

Hozier is Irish and his narrow vowels comes naturally. 

Are you straining when singing high notes? Are you finding it difficult to sing low notes on your chest voice? Well, the solution is here for you. 

Narrowing your vowel is the solution if you experience difficulty with singing on high notes and low notes on your chest voice. 

Narrowing your vowels will allow your resonance to move to the pharynx and then up to the head resonance.

This gives you a beautiful tone when you sing on high notes and avoids straining. 

Training your voice to develop your narrow voice is very important. The strengthening and coordination from training narrowed vowels help augment your belt voice training. 

Training also improves the ability to articulate narrowed vowels in your lyrics when singing. This makes your listeners understand your diction easier.

Here are some facts about narrowing vowels 

• You can narrow your vowel by typically narrowing the corners of your lips. That’s quite simple, right? 
• Your tongue position is also very vital in narrowing vowels. To form a narrow vowel, the tongue root is retracted toward the pharyngeal wall, and the pharynx is narrowed. 
• Vowels shouldn’t be sung the same way you speak them.
• Narrowing vowels can be achieved through a technique called snile. A snile is basically a technique used to train singers to narrow vowels.

A snile is more like a sneer and a smile. It is used in singing to help narrow singing vowels to maintain stability and intrinsic musculature support when singing with amplification.

3. Regular Practice 

Practicing singing techniques that will build you up musically should appear regularly on your to-do list if you want to sound like Hozier. 

Hozier is a terrific singer and sounding like him is no joke. A lot of practice and hard work is required.  

What Voice Type Does Hozier Have

Hozier has a high baritone voice type. This is the most prevalent voice type for a male singer. The baritone is typically the second-lowest singing range.

It is a combination of Bass and Tenor. 

Typical among men, baritones may sing in the tenor register as well if they extend their vocal range into higher notes.

A typical baritone voice would range from A2 to A4 and could go as low as F2 or as high as C5. 

Baritones may also sing at high registers. However, to do so, they must take the appropriate steps and heed to some voice advice. 

The high baritone repertoire in classical music often ranges from A2 to F#4, with the possibility of singing up to A4 or possibly B4. 

Hozier, on the other hand, has a slightly higher baritone voice. Famous baritone singers include James Taylor, John Legend, Howard Jones, Michael Buble, and, Axl Rose.

Here is an article I wrote on how to sing like Katy Perry

What Makes Hozier’s Voice So Unique?

Hozier has an incredibly unique baritone voice. His voice is gravelly, more like a little bit gritty. 

However, what makes his voice really stand out is his Irish accent. So, it’s really easy to identify his voice when you hear it. 

His voice has a dash of twang to it which enables him to reach higher baritone notes with more volume and power.

Hozier’s voice also has a signature low dark tone and that makes his voice really unique. 

Can Hozier Actually Sing?

Hozier has an incredible voice and a fantastic vocal range which makes him a fantastic singer. 

His Irish accent can be heard when he sings plus, he also has a gravelly voice, which makes it incredibly interesting to listen to him. 

His voice practically has no err in it. He makes good use of his voice type. And, he has incredible singing techniques that show he has put in the hard work. 

How Did Hozier Start Singing?

Hozier started off writing songs at age 15. He went on to learn how to play the guitar and started singing in the school choir. 

He started studying music education when he got into Trinity College. There, he became involved with the Trinity Orchestra. 

He was a member of the choral ensemble Anúna from 2007 to 2012 and appeared as a soloist on their 2014 release Illuminations singing “La Chanson de Mardi Gras”. 

He had his major breakthrough in 2013 when he released his song “Take me to church”. He has since then been a resounding name till date. 

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What Is Hozier’s Vocal Range?

Hozier has a vocal range between F#2-A5. Please keep in mind that this vocal range is an estimate based on the songs he has performed. 

That is, there is a chance that Hozier may reach lower or higher notes.

However, if you believe this is a nice range for your voice, by all means, begin listening to more of his songs to progress in that direction.

What Is The Highest Note Hozier Can Sing?

The highest note Hozier can sing based on his performances so far is A5. He did songs like “It Will Come Back” and “Moment’s Silence” on this note.

His lowest note so far is F#2. 

What Are Some Classic Hozier Songs To Practice?

1. Take me to church 

2. Work song

3. From Eden 

Conclusion 

Hozier is an Irish singer with a gritty, gravelly voice. He has an amazing high baritone voice that suits his music genre perfectly. 

Hozier is indeed a role model to many. He has good singing techniques that you can learn from and become a good singer. 

This is one of the fewest singers that sing with his lower larynx and narrowed vowels. Hozier has performed songs within the range of F#2-A5.