Hozier and Ed Sheeran sing surprise “Work Song” duet

Hozier brought his pal and fellow chart-topping artist Ed Sheeran to the Pinkpop music festival in the Netherlands last weekend for a surprise performance of “Work Song.”

Irish singer-songwriter Hozier introduced his surprise guest, saying it was “a real pleasure” to invite “one of the greatest artists on the planet” on stage, who is also “a wonderful human being and a wonderful guy.”

When Hozier finally welcomed Sheeran on stage, the huge crowd burst into applause.

The two began with a soulful rendition of the song, which appears on Hozier’s 2014 debut album of the same name.

It was the first time that the two talented musicians were on stage together.

You can watch Hozier and Ed Sheeran’s duet “Work Song” here, followed by Hozier’s breakthrough hit “Take Me To Church,” courtesy of 3voor12:

Following the performance, which delighted fans of both singers, Sheeran – who has considerable Irish roots – shared a clip in which he and his longtime pal discuss how to perform the duet.

“I first met Hozier in 2014,” Sheeran wrote. “We attended a number of festivals together and quickly became friends.”

“This was the first time we played on stage together and it was a great joy.

“I’m such a fan, thank you for letting me come along to one of my favorite songs of yours! You and your band are incredible x”

In his own post on Instagram, Hozier – who hails from County Wicklow and whose real name is Andrew Hozier-Byrne – addressed similarly warm words to his fellow musician: “Getting to know @teddysphotos over the years has been a gift.

“He is someone who has always shown great support and kindness to the other artists around him, and he is one of those artists who creates a lot of space for others on stage and in their work.

“Thank you for being with us, brother, it was a pleasure. You are one of a kind!”