Written by: Abbie Alonzo
This week, we are getting to know Debbie, a Hozier superfan who runs the Instagram fan account, @hozierupdates! Debbie is a 27 year old woman from Bolivia who we had the pleasure of speaking to this week! Her experiences with Hozier's music are honest and heartwarming, and we can't wait to tell you a little about her and her love for Hozier! 🥰
Debbie first caught wind of Hozier in 2014 when “Take Me To Church” went viral. She immediately became a fan, and soon after her discovery, his self-titled debut album was released. This album made Debbie fall absolutely in love with this Irish singer-songwriter. What made Hozier stand out to her was the way in which he created music. He puts so much thought into every detail and stays true to himself even when it may not be what is "mainstream". He writes in such a fascinating way, referencing things he loves and hiding secrets in his songs for fans to unveil! 👀
Of all of his beautifully crafted songs, we challenged Debbie to choose her favorite! She explained to us that “Nina Cried Power” holds such a special place in her heart. She shares that it is considered a protest song, and it is a reminder that anything is possible when people stand together. Specifically, in 2019, Debbie’s home country of Bolivia experienced a political revolution that ended with the president’s resignation. When joining these protests, Debbie would listen to “Nina Cried Power” and really resonate with it. It is a reminder that the power is in the people! 💪🏽
Due to her connection to the song, the “Nina Cried Power” music video is one of Debbie’s favorites! It is a big “thank you” to Irish activists and holds a lot of sentiment. Another video that Debbie shared her love for was “Work Song.” She talks about the angelic atmosphere this video portrays and how beautiful the song itself is. On top of these music videos, Debbie also enjoys watching any Hozier interviews and says she could listen to him talk for hours! We’re going to have to agree with you on that! 😍
When we asked Debbie what her favorite memory of Hozier was, she told us the story of when she decided to make the fan account. In 2020, Hozier did a livestream with Global Citizen to raise funds for those in need because of the pandemic. It was such an intimate feeling concert that she enjoyed so much, and she often goes back to it! After this, she knew that she wanted to get more involved and create a fan account! Although Hozier is not extremely active on social media, he did once repost one of Debbie’s stories that mentioned him! She still holds out hope that one day they will share another interaction. 🤞🏽
Although Debbie has not been able to see him live, she would jump at the chance! When we asked her to set the scene of her ideal Hozier show for us, she said she would start with a beautiful vintage/nature setup. She shared how perfect of a match it would be to have Shawn James and Florence Welch be contributors to this show, as their fandoms are similar! The perfect setlist would have to include, “In The Woods Somewhere,” a beautiful song from his first album that he’s never sung live, “Movement”, “To Be Alone”, “NFWMB”, an unreleased favorite of Debbie’s, “The Love Of”, and of course, “Nina Cried Power.” 🎤
There are so many great things about having a fan account, but one of the best ones for Debbie has been being able to create a safe space for the fandom, interacting with so many other fans from around the world, and having the opportunity to make new fans feel part of the community. This in particular is something she is grateful for, because she wishes she had someone to ask all the questions to when she first joined the fandom. Making everyone feel included is very important to her! Another incredible part of what Debbie does is having the chance to help some artists have a bit more visibility, because she shares that this fandom has crazy talented people in it! Through all the work that comes with running a fan account, Debbie says these things have made it all worth it. 😌
One of the best experiences Debbie has had with her account was when she put together a birthday project for Hozier! Due to Hozier’s undenying love of poetry, fans around the world would share their favorite poetry online in honor of his birthday. From choosing favorite lines of poems to sharing their own work, fans flooded him with so much love in such a unique and beautiful way. What a touching idea! 📚
As we closed out the interview, one question remained: What would Debbie say to Hozier if she could speak with him?
“I’d just like to thank you for everything you’ve done, for putting so much effort into your art, for being this amazing human, kind to everyone, humble, smart, always teaching us new things, and never afraid to use your voice for what’s important. You truly are an inspiration, and I could not be prouder and happier to be part of this amazing community you have created. I’ll be waiting for the day we meet in person!” 🥺
We loved getting to chat about one of our favorite Irishmen this week and getting to know a little bit about Debbie and her incredible fan account! Be sure to follow @hozierupdates on Instagram and wait for our next fan account deep dive! ❤️
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