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Time of India
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Confessions of a Jury President at Cannes Lions 2025
I had a strange realisation at Cannes Lions 2025. I'm not an expert. I've never been one. Experts come with definitions. Boundaries. Templates. They arrive with answers. But the world is asking new questions, too fast. Certainty is shrinking. Expertise is under siege. And that's when it hit me. I'm not here because I know. I'm here because I feel. I'm a lover. I'm madly, unapologetically in love with this business of creativity. A lover is not limited by knowledge. A lover is led by wonder. Curiosity. Intuition. Emotion. As a lover, I could feel the work. I could feel the intent. I could feel the jury too - their thoughts, their pauses, their excitement. In the very first hour, we found our rhythm. We didn't just judge the work. We lived with it. We gave it time. We let it speak to us. There was an easy energy in the room. Gentle, deep, and generous. There was grace. There was listening. There was love. Expertise has posture. Love has presence. Expertise wants control. Love allows. Love doesn't interrupt - it leans in. And that made all the difference. There was debate, but not resistance. Disagreement, but never disconnection. We weren't trying to be right. We were trying to be real. And maybe that's what the world needs right now - more sincerity. Less expertise, more empathy. More lovers. We judged for 11 hours on the first day. Eleven hours of fierce focus and honest conversation. But no one felt tired. Because love doesn't tire you out. It lifts you. Expertise can be exhausting. Love is effortless. As Jury President for the SDG Lions , I had to lead a brilliant team of highly respected and accomplished industry talent from around the world . But instead, I followed. I followed the work. I followed the jury. I followed the love. And in letting go, I found something more. The Grand Prix went to ' Amazon Greenventory' by Natura. This groundbreaking initiative challenged the belief that profit in the Amazon must come at the cost of deforestation. By leveraging artificial intelligence and drone technology, Natura conducted the largest tree inventory in Amazon history - 400 km² mapped in six months, a task that would've taken 25 years traditionally. It empowered local communities, improving harvesting methods, boosting incomes and deepening their connection to the land. A powerful demonstration that sustainable profit can come from innovation, not destruction. Our other discovery was the 'Sounds Right' initiative which made NATURE an official artist - using music to raise funds for conservation. It is a global music and conservation movement developed by the Museum for the United Nations – UN Live, in partnership with Spotify , EarthPercent and a coalition of cross-sector partners. 'Sounds Right' made history by officially launching NATURE as an artist on music streaming platforms for the first time. We witnessed many more transformational ideas that had measurable impact at scale. At the award ceremony on Friday evening, I stood on the giant stage before the expectant audience and made my confession - I did not judge the work, the work judged me. It made me aware of my biases and limitations. And when we finally gave away the awards, I felt one with the receivers. Many of them wanted me in their photograph, hugging me tight like I was one of them. I realised experts stand on the outside. Love is an inside job. At the end of the week, as I stepped onto the flight back home, I felt an overwhelming sense of becoming, of having found something, of being born again. And the lyrics of an old Donna Summer song came to me - the soundtrack of my Cannes Lions experience: Ooh, it's so good, it's so good, it's so good, it's so good, it's so good Ooh, heaven knows, heaven knows, heaven knows, heaven knows, heaven knows Ooh, I feel love, I feel love, I feel love, I feel love, I feel love Because in the end, it's not about being the expert. It's about being a lover. (Jo
Sunday World
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Hozier credits being from Ireland as the key to keeping his feet on the ground
Ten years on from Take Me To Church making him a star, Hozier is re-releasing his hit self-titled album on vinyl. Irish pop superstar Hozier is marking the 10th anniversary of his hit self-titled album that featured Take Me To Church and put him on the world around the world with a new vinyl release. It comes after a spectacular year that saw Wicklow man Hozier top charts across the globe, including America, with his Too Sweet single. Alongside the vinyl release comes a brand new remix of his song, Like Real People Do featuring NATURE. Hozier's track is part of the Sounds Right project, a collaboration with the Museum for the United Nations – UN Live, which aims to showcase nature itself as an artist. Sounds Right is a global music initiative to recognise the value of nature and inspire millions of fans to take environmental action. By streaming or listening to the song, listeners will be contributing 50 per cent of the royalties to frontline conservation in the world's most precious and precarious ecosystems. Hozier's track is part of the Sounds Right project. Since NATURE was launched as an official artist last year, millions have listened and directed real funding to communities protecting the planet's most vital ecosystems. The nature sounds that add an element of magic to the new version of Like Real People Do were recorded in Hozier's native Co Wicklow. 'It features bird song, cricket song, rain fall and thunder of my beloved home of Wicklow,' Hozier says. By infusing the hauntingly beautiful folk tones with the ethereal sounds of nature, the collaboration creates a stunning version of the Hozier fan favourite. Talking about the vinyl release of his debut album, Hozier, who will play this year's Electric Picnic on Friday, August 29, says: 'It's an album that very much changed my life and it's the reason that we're still playing around the world to this day. Looking back on the success of Take Me To Church, Hozier admits he never expected it to become such a global phenomenon. 'I was always proud of Take Me To Church and excited about it because I managed to get all these ideas into the song,' Hozier says. 'But I certainly didn't see it as a Top 10 hit. I thought maybe people would like it or appreciate it and that's what you hope for.' Hozier, who wrote Take Me To Church in the attic of his family home in Greystones, ended up getting a Grammy nomination for the track. 'All of a sudden, your name is next to somebody like Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran,' he says. 'Initially, that is as surreal as anyone could think because they are such distant, intangible icons.' When asked by Magazine+ how he felt about the term Superstar now in front of his name, Hozier laughed: 'It's a bit of an odd term. There's a great myth about stardom or fame because you don't feel any different, you're just very, very busy. 'I didn't buy into it. I didn't internalise it, and I think that's really the trick. I think there's a real mistake you can make beliveing your own hype and your own bullsh*t. You have to keep a distance between yourself and the smoke that people are tyring to blow up your ass.' Coming from a normal Irish background has helped him to keep his feet on the ground, he says. Hozier told me: 'I think, if nothing else, what the Irish are good at is maintaining normality and keeping our heads. 'You are not allowed to get carried away with the whole thing, especially if you have close Irish friends around you. 'Everyone tears lumps out of each other. We slag each other off and have a great laugh. I think that disrespect for everything is a healthy Irish trait.' He's got a great sense of humour and when asked about the fact that he's had the odd bra thrown up on stage during his live performances, Hozier quipped: 'I'd rather a bra than a brick.'
