Passenger on handling fame, sticking to his roots

Rosenberg was unknown musician busking and performing at open mic gigs in Australia when a Netherlands DJ picked up his single ‘Let Her Go’ and helped him to climb the ranks of top 100 charts everywhere.

“We were never aiming to put the single out, but we thought, ‘Hey, that’s the one song on the album that’s commercial, let’s shove it out.’ And it went mental.”

Rosenberg’s next album ‘Whispers’ delves into Rosenberg’s nomadic lifestyle and the emotional strain the job puts on him. Rosenberg said he doesn’t expect to have another hit as big as “Let Her Go” and is trying to avoid selling out at all costs.

“You can’t have everything, you can’t have this whimsical Into The Wild-style existence and a really successful career. I’m constantly trying to strike that balance. That’s why I try to keep busking as much as I can – I don’t want to lose that sense of really being somewhere, of connecting with random people in cities you’re in, of winning, over strangers.”

Read the entire interview in the latest issue of Hot Press, in shops now.