This morning, Ireland's own Hozier took to Twitter to announce his new podcast, Cry Power, which he created in collaboration with Global Citizen. The podcast series will see Hozier – who has never shied away from activism – speak with musicians, artists, writers, campaigners about how to take action and change the world.

Cry Power is "my podcast about people who are using what's available to them to change the world," said the singer. Subsequent episodes in the Cry Power podcast series will feature Bono, Marcus Mumford, and Mavis Staple, who featured on Hozier’s hit single Nina Cried Power earlier this year.

“I've found the making of the Cry Power podcast to be enlightening and inspiring," said Hozier. "Sitting down with people I have such admiration for and hearing the stories of how they sought to make a change with what was available to them has been encouraging and uplifting.”

Throughout the series, he will discuss the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which are aggressive targets for achieving global equality by 2030.

"Global Citizen is extremely proud to partner with Hozier to find exciting, creative new ways to spark conversation around the Global Goals for Sustainable Development — and inspire more people to join our movement to end extreme poverty," explained Global Citizen co-founder Simon Moss. "2020 is a vital year to achieve that mission with just 10 years left to achieve our goal, and we can't thank Hozier enough for helping drive the necessary action to support the world’s most vulnerable people."

In the first episode, Hozier discusses Goal No. 5: gender equality.

"As people would know, I am very pro-feminist," explained Hozier. "Which to me, that means one thing: that men and women are equal in every single way. That equality with regards economic opportunities and education is achievable and should be fought for."

For the inaugural episode, Hozier spoke with Annie Lennox. The two first met when they collaborated in the 57th annual Grammys with a knockout duet of Screamin' Jay Hawkins classic, 'I Put A Spell On You'. Now they come together for another worthy cause: feminism.

Lennox, the renowned singer-songwriter, campaigner, and activist, has eight BRIT Awards, a Golden Globe, and four Grammys to her name. She is the first woman to be named a Fellow of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.

On the activism side, she was awarded an OBE for her contribution towards combating HIV/AIDS as it affects women and children in Africa back in 2011. Several years ago, she founded The Circle, an organisation working to connect and inspire women to act and change the injustices and challenges faced by the most disempowered women and girls around the globe.

In their conversation, the two discuss Lennox’s family history of activism, Eurythmics’ contribution to Rock Against Racism and activism against apartheid in South Africa, the founding of The Circle, and – of course – the current state of protest and activism.

The two explore the ability of music to be a conduit and guiding light for societal change. "I always knew that music defines change in a way," said Lennox. "It actually defines the times."

She credits Childish Gambino's music video for "This is America" as a modern day example of such a force. "I had goosebumps watching it," she said, then elaborating that the video acts as a mirror to the dark past of civil rights in America.

"It is hard for us – all of us – to feel hopeful when one sees such negativity everywhere," Lennox admitted. "You start to feel like 'wow even when I think back on those several steps forward, sometimes humanity takes several steps forward and several steps backward at one time.'"

The first episode of the ‘Cry Power’ podcast is available now. To listen and subscribe, click here.