Passenger Introduces New Album 'Wild Love' With First Single It Was Gonna Be You
Wednesday, 19 August 2026
Written by Jon Stickler
Photo: Natalie Michele
Passenger, real name Mike Rosenberg, will release a new album this autumn.
Inspired by unexpectedly becoming a father and husband, 'Wild Love' was written over several years and recorded last summer, with the British singer-songwriter and longtime producer Chris Vallejo working from their new studio in the South Downs.
The record explores the excitement, change, nervousnes and joy of Rosenberg's new relationship, charting personal experiences, and is set to arrive on November 6. He said:
“Going from a working relationship to a romantic one is scary. The older you get, the more of the spikier sides of love you’ve seen. Things go sour for all sorts of reasons and with someone so close, the stakes are so much higher. ‘Wild Love’ is the title track because it sums up the theme of the album. Do you give in to your doubts and do nothing, or do you face your fears and go for it? I wrote the song as I was realising that the choice was obvious.”
Alongside news of the album, Passenger has shared a new single called It Was Gonna Be You, which delivers a bright, upbeat piano melody and Americana-style guitar twangs. Rosenberg explained:
"This is the last song that I wrote for the album and honestly, I wasn’t sure if it would fit with the rest of them It came from a slightly less personal place which for a time felt at odds with the rest of the record, but as I kept playing it, it felt more and more at home with the others. I think ‘Wild Love’ tries to capture the many sides of love - the good, bad and ugly - and I think this song brings something none of the others do. It’s also a catchy little bugger."
Passenger released his 14th studio album, 'Birds That Flew and Ships That Sailed', in 2022, following the previous year's 'Songs For The Drunk and Broken Hearted'. More recently, he wrote songs for the stage adaptation of Rachel Joyce's novel The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, which transferred to the West End at the start of the year, releasing the album 'One for the Road (Songs from The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry the Musical) last September.
Passenger will perform a hometown show at Hove Park in Brighton on September 6. Tickets are on sale now.
‘Wild Love’ tracklist:
1. Boomerang - Extended
2. It Was Gonna Be You - Extended
3. Caution To The Wind
4. Catherine Wheel
5. Wild Love - Extended
6. Willow
7. California
8. Lightning Strikes
9. Bonnie’s Song
10. Ghosts - Extended
11. It Was Gonna Be You
12. Boomerang
13. Ghosts
14. Wild Love
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