‘Nobody’s interested in anything beyond 30 seconds…I’m not going to dance on TikTok: UK-based singer Passenger reacts to social media’s influence on music industry

NEW DELHI: Musician Michael David Rosenberg, who is best known by his stage name Passenger, has been making conscious efforts to stay away from the influence of social media reels to preserve the authenticity and quality of his music.

In an interview, the ‘Let Her Go’ hitmaker opened up about his approach to music in the digital age, emphasising his preference for creating something authentic and meaningful rather than simply chasing trends.

“To be honest, I’m not really on social media anymore. I mean, obviously, Passenger has Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. But I, I don’t go on it personally anymore, because I find it to be a little bit poisonous. If I’m honest, I think it doesn’t do good things to my brain,” Michael said.

“I think the way people are consuming things has changed massively…now nobody is interested in anything beyond 30 seconds. But I want to create albums, write songs, and produce longer pieces of content. If people don’t have the patience for it, that’s okay, too. Still, I believe it’s important for us to keep making things that are meaningful and authentic,” he added.

Seems like Michael has no interest in creating quick, throwaway content.

“It’s tempting to start making quick throwaway content. But to what end? Like, where does that actually end up? I think, for me, it’s like I’m in a fortunate position where I’m just going to keep on doing my thing. And if people find it, if people come to it, then great, but I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to dance on TikTok,” he quipped.

Meanwhile, Michael is gearing up for his debut India tour, which will be produced and promoted by BookMyShow Live.

On what Indian fans can expect from his gigs, he shared, “I’m extremely excited. I love India. I’ve been several times as a tourist, and now I cannot wait to play some songs for you guys finally.”

“I think the biggest thing to realise is that I don’t play with a band, which is very unusual. It’s just me and my guitar. There are no loop pedals. It’s just very, very simple and intimate. Hopefully, it offers a different experience compared to most other concerts.”

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Michael is eager to deepen his understanding of Indian music during his upcoming India tour.

“I think my knowledge of Indian music is not as good as it should be. So I think one of the many things I want to get out of coming over is to educate myself a little bit more on what’s going on over there musically. And yeah, one day I would be absolutely delighted to be able to collaborate with some Indian musicians. That’d be a lot of fun,” he said, expressing excitement about his concerts in India this November.

Michael will kick-start the India tour with his first gig in Delhi on November 19, followed by shows in Mumbai on November 21 and Bengaluru on November 22. (ANI)