Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
HITCHING A RIDE
Folkstar Mike Rosenberg appreciative of how his teenage pal Ed Sherran helped boost his career but he doesn’t envy sideshow that comes with fame
Passenger’s Mike Rosenberg has told how he feels “really sorry” for superstar popstar pal Ed Sheeran and has admitted he would hate that level of fame.
The British folkstar said he owes a lot to Sheeran, 26, who helped boost his career after he toured with him.
Passenger went onto have the biggest selling single of 2013 with his song, Let Her Go.
The melancholy folk song sold a whopping one million copies in October of that year.
Mike, 32, told The Beat: “I toured with Ed in 2012/13. He was definitely a catalyst for Let Her Go to happen. He’s been great to me and so supportive. He let me jump on some of his tours and get in front of more people.”
The Brighton star said he is very proud of his pal Ed, who he has known since he was a teenager, and how he copes with all the pressure of being in the public eye.
He said: “I feel really sorry for Ed at times. People look at Edsheeran and think ‘what a brilliant life.’ I’m sure the highs are enormous, playing stadiums all over the world and having all the fame and the fortune but at the same time the pressure on him is relentless.
“He can’t have a day off without getting hassle from people.”
He added: “I’ve known Ed since he was 16 and I’ve watched the whole thing unravel. I’m so proud of him but the pressures are enormous.”
The musician also brushed off any hint of jealousy.
“He’s a baby and I’m a grizzled old road dog,” he laughed.
“I’m not envious at all.
Throughout your musical career you make a series of decisions as to what you want and do and what you’re happy with. Mine and Ed’s trajectory has been very different.
“We’re very different individuals and personalities. I think he can cope with world fame, it’s not something I ever really wanted.
He continued: “I was a busker for five years. I’m surprised when a couple of thousand people want to come to my gig, that’s absolutely enough for me.”
Passenger started out life as a fourpiece but when they split in 2009, frontman Rosenberg carried on the name as a solo project and busked his way around the streets of Europe.
He now sells out venues around the world but can remain anonymous.
Mike said: “I feel very lucky, somehow I thread that tightrope between having a really good career and a big fanbase and I can go and play these wonderful shows but at the same time I can walk around and stay in the same town and maybe have one or two people coming up and getting selfies but it’s not invasive or intrusive.”
Let Her Go was penned about the ending of a long relationship and it became No.1 in 18 countries worldwide. Rosenberg then won an Ivor Novello award in 2014 for the song, beating off Emeli Sandé and Olly Murs in the most performed work category.
Speaking about the mega-hit, he said: “I never expected to have a big song like Let Her Go, I really didn’t. I think the worst thing you can do as a writer is to put pressure on yourself to be commercially successful. It’s a really dark road to go down.”
The singer-songwriter said he doesn’t put pressure on himself to try and emulate the success of Let Her Go.
“I’ve put out three albums since the album with Let Her Go which a lot of people won’t know, about which is fine.
“It hasn’t been on the same scale commercially for sure. It’s not why I got into music. I just write songs that I’m really proud of and I try to make the best records I can and put the best live show together that I can, after that it’s really down to the universe and the stars aligning.
He explained: “With Let Her Go so many things clicked into place for it to turn into what it did.
“It’s not just about the song, it’s about timing and a million other factors. As soon as you start second guessing all that kind of stuff it’s a bit of a scary one.
“I think for me I just carry on making music and if people like than fantastic.”
The mild-mannered star, who released his latest album Young as the Morning, Old as the Sea last September, said fans can expect to hear some new music “sooner than people would imagine but I can’t really say much more about it.”
Since hitting the charts, Rosenberg has been a permanent fixture on the road and he said, like a lot of
’Ireland is a powerhouse for such a small country it comes up with so much music.’
musicians, he struggles with the highs and the lows.
“It’s a weird feeling you’re on stage sometimes in front of 50,000 people and it’s over before you know it and all of a sudden, it’s a bit deflating sometimes,” he told The Beat.
“It’s such a massive buzz. I think that’s the most challenging thing about it, managing the highs and the lows. That huge intensity, like falling off a cliff slightly but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“The more I do it the more I get used to it and expect those feelings to come so you manage it.”
The musician is gearing up to end his current tour with two shows in Ireland playing Galway’s Big Top on Saturday July 22 and Dublin’s Iveagh Gardens on July 23.
He said: “I can’t wait. They’re actually the last two shows that I’m doing for a long time. I can’t think of a better way to end it. I’ve wanted to do the Iveagh Gardens since the first time I came to Ireland and hearing about it.
“Galway is one of my favourite towns in the world so it’s going to be sweet, it’s going to be really fun.
“Maybe I’ll bust out a terrible cover of Ed’s Galway Girl,” he said.
Rosenberg, whose father is American, said he is a huge fan of Irish music and has toured with Damien Dempsey.
“I love him. I haven’t seen him for a long time. He’s fantastic. I’m a huge Damien Rice fan and Glen Hansard, Lisa Hannigan. There’s so many Irish artists I adore. Ireland is a powerhouse for such a small country it comes up with so much music.”
He added: “For a folk artist as well it’s an amazing feeling to be accepted in Ireland. You can’t be shit when you go and play in Ireland. I feel very lucky to have a really strong Irish fanbase.”
ztickets for Passenger in Galway and Dublin are available at Tickemaster nationwide.