Who Did It Best? Fans are Comparing Brandon Lake's ‘Gratitude’ Yell and Hozier's ‘Northern Attitude’ Yell in a Heartwarming New TikTok Trend

Depending on what side of TikTok you find yourself on, you might have already encountered Hozier's viral, spine-tingling yell from his Noah Kahan duet, ‘Northern Attitude’, which was used by fans for a flurry of videos of particularly moving moments.

Now, though, Hozier's isn't the only yell on the block, with Brandon Lake's powerful, soul-stirring cry from his hit 2020 single, ‘Gratitude’, currently doing the rounds on TikTok.

Given how much negativity and anger can inevitably be found on certain parts of social media, we always love seeing a heartwarming, endearing trend pop up on our ‘For You‘ feeds.

While the viral nature of both Hozier and Brandon Lake's yell has led many users to compare the two, with a host of striking and deeply emotional videos emerging with the caption, “Forget Hozier's yell. This is what Brandon Lake's yell feels like”.

In reality, it's not about figuring out which is ‘better’, as they both capture different ambiences. Hozier's yell is a haunting, ethereal cry out into the void, lending itself to untethered moments of sheer joy and elation, with users creating videos of running through fields and witnessing breathtaking landscapes with the sound.

Brandon Lake's yell, meanwhile, is permeated by a similarly euphoric feel, but inevitably takes on a more spiritual, soulful impetus, with his yearning cry directed to God and Jesus.

With the latter, there's perhaps more of a sense of having had to overcome a seemingly insurmountable obstacle in order to experience this joy, with many users creating videos of loved ones beating cancer and couples finally getting a positive pregnancy test. It feels less untethered, and - to quote Brandon Lake's current single with Jelly Roll - it certainlly comes across as a ‘Hard Fought Hallelujah’.

Both undoubtedly have a visceral impact when performed live, as we were fortunate enough to see when Noah Kahan brought out Hozier to perform ‘Northern Attitude’ at Railbird Festival 2024, and more recently, when Brandon Lake stunned the Chevy Riverfront crowd at CMA Fest with a beautiful rendition of ‘Gratitude’.

Hozier and Brandon Lake's respective discographies are pervaded by a refreshing, tangible penchant for dramatic, cinematic composition choices, with each artist incorporating rousing textures and choral, anthemic melodies into their music.

Of course, at the end of the day, who is to say which ‘yell’ is truly ‘the best’. We get goosebumps whenever we hear either Hozier's cavernous howl on ‘Northern Attitude’ with Noah Kahan or Brandon Lake's thunderous roar on ‘Gratitude’, so we just want to hold up our hands and pay tribute to two uplifting, unique voices.

For more on Brandon Lake, see below: