The video for Passenger’s Ivor Novello Award-winning single, ‘Let Her Go’, has this week surpassed two billion views on YouTube, joining a very exclusive club which includes Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape Of You’, Taylor Swift’s ‘Blank Space’, Mark Ronson’s ‘Uptown Funk’ ft Bruno Mars, and Adele’s ‘Hello’.

This is an astonishing feat for a video filmed on a shoestring budget at The Factory Theatre in Sydney, with an all-Australian band.

Originally recorded in 2012, the single reached No.1 in 19 countries, with the accompanying album, ALL THE LITTLE LIGHTS, achieving platinum or multi-platinum status in 11 countries. Passenger, aka Brighton’s Mike Rosenberg, is a streaming phenomenon who has also had well in excess of a billion streams on Spotify. Combined streams for advance tracks from his new album, RUNAWAY, released tomorrow on Black Crow Records via Cooking Vinyl – have already exceeded 25 million plays.

RUNAWAY is released on CD, Vinyl LP and download with Deluxe 2CD, 2LP and Deluxe Digital formats available that include Live Acoustic versions of the album recorded across North America. The album contains the Radio 2 playlisted lead single ‘Hell Or High Water’ plus new single ‘Heart To Love’.

Last night Passenger embarked on an extensive world tour in support of RUNAWAY with a sold-out show in Edinburgh Queens Hall.

Passenger’s 2016 album, YOUNG AS THE MORNING OLD AS THE SEA, entered the UK charts at No.1, ahead of Bruce Springsteen, and the subsequent tour saw Rosenberg play his largest headline tour to date with a total audience of over 1.4 million across 29 countries, including playing to over 13,500 people at Amsterdam’s ZiggoDome.

RUNAWAY, Rosenberg’s tenth album in 11 years, was recorded between the UK and Australia with his co-producer, Chris Vallejo, but its aesthetic is North American.

Sonically, too, RUNAWAY draws on Americana, for instance the early work of Ryan Adams. Rosenberg imagined these new songs as unfolding against a backdrop of American landscapes. And so, rather than the usual video process, he and director Jarrad Seng spent a three weeks on a road trip across the US making videos for every song on the album.

Five of these videos are already available to view: ‘Heart To Love’, shot on Las Vegas’ famous Strip; ‘Hell Or High Water’, set in the epic landscapes of a series of National Parks; the sublime ‘Why I Can’t Change’, seeped in influences such as the Traveling Wilburys and early Fleetwood Mac; and album title track ‘Runaway’, which features Rosenberg running through spectacular locations including Death Valley and Monument Valley, Lombard Street in San Francisco, and New York’s High Line.

Passenger also recently revealed a beautiful video for the haunting track for ‘To Be Free’, shot on the beach in Avalon, New Jersey, and starring New York City Ballet’s Emily Kikta.

‘RUNAWAY’ NZ/AU TOUR DATES
Tickets on sale now

Tuesday, 13th November @ Powerstation, Auckland

Thursday, 15th November @ The Tivoli, Brisbane

Saturday, 17th November @ The Forum, Melbourne

Sunday, 18th November @ Enmore Theatre, Sydney

Wednesday, 21st November @ The Gov, Adelaide

Friday, 23rd November @ Astor Hotel, Perth

Sunday, 25th November @ 3 Oceans, Margaret River