Last year, there were two songs that rocked the Billboard charts in 2014 that could seemingly have nothing in common: Hozier's "Take Me to Church" and Ariana Grande's "Problem." But, in the world of the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge, nothing is safe. Ahead of his first Grammys as a nominee, today (Jan. 30), Irish crooner Hozier did what seemed impossible: rocked out to Grande's breakout My Everything single.
And he totally made it work.
Hozier tackled Grande's "Problem" in the Live Lounge, taking the Iggy Azalea and Big Sean assisted single and turning it in to a folksy, bluesy roots number.
Backed by a massive orchestra, Hozier got rootsy with the top of "Problem," trading in the honking horns at the top of the track with a round of deep "oohs."
The cover also finds Hozier getting more animated than fans usually see him. While his album Hozier is filled with rich tunes from "Take Me to Church" to "From Eden," his "Problem" cover finds Hozier getting far more rocking than usual. Even more interestingly, he gets strained in his vocal, reaching to the very tippy-top of his register. And while it shouldn't work, Hozier injects so much soul into this anthem, it's impossible not to rock along.
Oh, and he throws in some Warren G rap instead of Iggy Azalea, just for good measure.
Watch the performance of Hozier's take on Ariana Grande's "Problem" below:
