Platinum Artist | PASSENGER Releases Album 'A SONG FOR THE DRUNK AND BROKEN HEARTED' Today! | We Chat Video Concept, Lockdown & Helping The Homeless
Mike Rosenberg, better known as Passenger, announces his new studio album Songs for the Drunk and Broken Hearted will be released on January 8, 2021, and today he shares the track that inspired the album’s title, “A Song for the Drunk and Broken Hearted,” along with an accompanying video. He’s also happy to announce that all physical packaging of CDs and Vinyl will be made of 100% recycled material, and one tree will be planted for every physical piece sold via the Passenger thanks to a partnership with Ecologi and the Eden Project.
Passenger’s proposed year of busking, festivals and headline shows is postponed until 2021*. With an authentic and engaging live show that has won over scores of fans and critics around the globe and allowed him to headline some of the world’s most famous stages, he looks forward to returning to the road as soon as it’s safe for everyone. Until then, Rosenberg invites fans to an intimate evening at London’s famed Royal Albert Hall for an exclusive performance film that will be broadcast on January 10, 2021, to celebrate the album’s release. Everyone who pre-orders the album from the Passenger website receives priority access to the event.
Hailing from Brighton, England, Passenger is a multi-award winning, platinum-selling singer-songwriter. Although still known for his busking, he long ago made the journey from street corners to stadiums, thanks in part to supporting his good mate Ed Sheeran, and most notably with “Let Her Go,” which reached number 1 in 19 countries and is approaching three billion plays on YouTube. Yet ‘Let Her Go’ is just one song from a remarkable and prolific back catalogue, including 2016’s Young as the Morning, Old as the Sea, which topped the charts in the UK and beyond. The consistency of his output, coupled with his authenticity both on and off stage, has won Passenger a dedicated fan base around the globe.
Hi Mike/”Passenger”, Thank you for joining us and taking the time to do an interview with us it’s much appreciated.
You’re very welcome !!
The video for “A Song for the Drunk and Broken Hearted” uses clown makeup and is reminiscent of the acclaimed 2019 ‘Joker’ Movie, which had dark themes of the gritty soulless 9-5 grind, the cold-cutthroat nature of the city, an unspecified variety of mental health issues stemming from repressed childhood trauma, his longing for fame and acceptance as a comedian, but ultimately being rejected by society and in turn rejecting it as a joke. What was the significance of using this theme for you to use it within your music video?
Wow! Great question. Well, the song is all about being with the wrong people at the wrong time trying to drink yourself to happiness … which never seems to work. I wrote it during a pretty vulnerable time where I felt like I was often “putting on a brave face”. I feel like the clown character is the perfect representation of this. Always smiling and joking but with a thinly disguised sadness for those that care to see it.
As for the joker reference. I’m a massive fan of the recent movie, and while this video may not touch on all of those delicate and intricate motives I feel it has something in common in its disenfranchised nature.
The band is shown on stage performing to a virtually empty room with no one paying any attention to the music. As you have reached a level of success within the industry is this more in reference to your earlier years of performing? You said in an interview that you did gigs in “busy bars full of drunk people who wouldn’t give two shits about what I was doing and it was soul-destroying” is this song a reflection of that experience and how did this affect your outlook?
Haha, good research. Yeah, I guess that is in there somewhere. I certainly played my fair share of empty and/or disinterested rooms. I think for me it just adds to the hopelessness of the situation.
What are the lyrics “There is no love left for you to steal […] the joker laughs along[…] the fool never knows how much it cost” about?
Well, I guess it all needs to be taken with a pinch of artistic salt. The stealing love line for me refers to finding comfort in the wrong places. I feel like most of the chorus is just about picking out characters that are often found In those situations. I’m proud of the imagery in this song - I think it paints a picture of what those empty nights can be like.
Starting out busking you supported yourself as a musician this way- a different route than some singers would take. What do you think it taught you?
It was an incredible learning experience. Travelling on my own for a lot of it, staying in hostels, getting it wrong a lot and then learning how to get it right. It taught me massive musical and performance lessons but more importantly taught me a lot about people and life. I’m so proud when I look back to those days and then see what it has grown in to. I never really imagined it would be possible.
Is that the reason that you do surprise gigs as a homage to those days and what is it you miss about busking?
Yeah, I really miss it. I know it probably sounds crazy but there is a magic and a spontaneity about performing in that environment that is sometimes lost in a more traditional gig space. I generally try to get out and busk every couple of years … obviously, this year has been difficult!
How did you manage your anxiety when you started busking and even now performing in front of larger crowds?
I never actually felt hugely anxious when I was busking, to me I felt like as it was free there was no pressure to be perfect. people who wanted to stop and listen would and others wouldn’t. The anxiety came when I started playing big rooms where people had paid for tickets and there was suddenly a high expectation for both quality and consistency. I think as a solo artist it was particularly daunting. I found meditation, yoga and a bit of therapy super helpful.
Having created 12 albums making one nearly every year. You have said the amount of content you release is one of your strengths as an artist. Do you think you can continue to release songs at the same rate?
Good question. I think it seems to be a fairly natural pace for me. I write a lot and always have done so while that continues I will do my best to keep the production line going haha. I guess the danger would be to get swept up in quantity over quality and there is definitely a fine line with this stuff. You don’t want to inundate people and you need to give them (and yourself) a break so everyone can feel excited about the next thing,
Tell us about donating the proceeds of your album to homeless charity ‘Shelter’.
Well, I think its safe to say that under this conservative government there have been few fucks given about our homeless population. I live in Brighton and the rise of homeless people over the last few years has been tangible and visible. I’ve worked with Unicef in the past which was great but I felt like doing something closer to home that I had clearly witnessed as an issue would be a good thing to do.
You have collaborated with artists, such as your friend Ed Sheeran and you have said you were in talks with KYGO and thinking about doing something EDM at one point. Is experimenting with a more mixed production sound, as Ed Sheeran’s hip-hop/rap/pop mixes something that interests you personally and is it something you think your existing audience would like?
Yeah, I think at this stage of my career I’ve established myself pretty strongly. I think my fans know and understand what I do and there is a body of work to back that up with. I feel like over the coming years I may well get a little more experimental with the music that I make.
Do you connect your own emotion into your vocal, as some of your songs tell deeply moving stories?
Every time. I think it’s essential. Whether the song is personally about me or not a level of empathy and emotion is always needed in the delivery.
In an interview, you said that ‘music’ is a great thing to dedicate your life to, but you were looking to do other things.
Yeah absolutely. I think it’s always important to have a balance and as a result of the music actually flows easier.
What is your current situation with lockdown, how has it been for you?
Yeah, it’s been a challenge like I’m sure it has for everyone. I’ve been on my own (with my two cats) for a lot of it which has been hard at times. But I’m lucky - I live in a beautiful part of the world and I can continue to write and work to a good extent.
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Interview By | Danielle Burbidge