How Hozier Became Gen Z’s ‘Forest Daddy’—and a Number One Artist

glamour.com:

—and he’s not your typical influencer who films himself or makes .Instead, Hozier, a longtime indie musician, is having a new moment in the spotlight thanks to this online fanbase, who call him “forest daddy” and declare that his music makes them want to “gnaw on the iron bars of their .”Hozier, real name Andrew Hozier-Byrne, is the 34-year-old Irish singer-songwriter who broke on the scene with 2014’s “Take Me to Church,” and has enjoyed an admirable musical career since.

But his new, hornier fandom has catapulted him to new levels of success.Hozier’s latest single, “Too Sweet” became his first #1 song on the Billboard charts in (his previously highest-charting single, “Take Me to Church,” hit #2 more than a decade ago).

The highly-anticipated release on March 22 of Hozier’s “Unheard” EP was also a smashing success, ranking in the top 10 on the shortly after its debut, and the international tour he’s currently on has had such a massive response that his team has added new shows several times.On TikTok, the hashtag has over 220,000 posts alone on TikTok, and many creators aren’t holding back in their feral reactions to his music (and his signature “”).

Fans make edits of their “forest daddy” flipping his hair, wailing on the guitar, and producing said growl when singing a particularly impassioned lyric.