How Rockstar Games Found the Perfect Song for GTA V Years Before It Released

Back in 2011, Grand Theft Auto V was still a closely guarded secret. No trailers, no announcements—just a small team at Rockstar quietly building what would become one of the biggest games of all time. Yet, months before the world even knew GTA V existed, the developers had already locked in one of the track’s most iconic songs: “Sleepwalking” by The Chain Gang Of 1974.

The story, shared recently by the band’s lead singer Kamtin Mohager on Instagram, reads like a perfect Hollywood meet-cute—except it happened in real life and changed the band’s trajectory forever.

A Tap on the Shoulder at Lollapalooza

It was August 2011. The Chain Gang Of 1974 were in Chicago, gearing up to perform at Lollapalooza the next day. The night before the show, the band attended a party hosted by their booking agent. While mingling, Mohager felt a tap on his shoulder.

A stranger asked if he was from The Chain Gang Of 1974. Mohager figured it was just another fan—until the man revealed he worked at Rockstar Games. “We’re big fans of your band,” he said. He couldn’t say much more (“We’re working on something we can’t really talk about”), but he handed over a business card and asked Mohager to pass it to his manager.

That “something” was, of course, Grand Theft Auto V. The first official trailer wouldn’t drop until November 2011. Rockstar had already decided they wanted the band’s sound in their new masterpiece.

The Secret Meeting at the Roosevelt Hotel

A few months later, Mohager’s manager got the call. Rockstar wanted to meet. At the historic Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, a “super chill” team from Rockstar sat down with the singer and told him straight up: they were making Grand Theft Auto V and wanted his music involved.

No one knew exactly how it would be used—just that it was happening. At the time, the band was recording what would become their 2014 album Daydream Forever. Mohager played the Rockstar reps several demos, including “Sleepwalking” and “Lola Suzanne.” Interestingly, the team initially leaned more toward “Lola Suzanne,” but “Sleepwalking” was still in the mix.

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The Call That Changed Everything

Fast-forward a little further. The band was literally changing tires on their tour van when the manager rang again: “Sleepwalking” was being tested for the GTA V advertisement. “Don’t get your hopes up too high,” the manager warned—just in case Rockstar changed their minds.

On August 26, 2012, the news came: “Sleepwalking” had been officially chosen. Not just for the radio station in the game, but for the main trailer and one of the game’s endings.

Three days later, on August 29, 2012, the world saw the first official Grand Theft Auto V trailer—and heard “Sleepwalking” blasting over the montages of Los Santos.

From Demo to Legend

“Sleepwalking” didn’t just appear in the trailer. It became a permanent fixture on Radio Mirror Park in the game and plays during Ending B—“The Time’s Come”—the heartbreaking choice where Michael meets his fate at the hands of Trevor and Franklin.

The song exploded in popularity. Over a decade later, Mohager revealed it had surpassed 100 million global streams. In a heartfelt Instagram post, he reflected:

“So that’s how it happened. It was simply just a tap on the shoulder. I’ve learned to accept the fact that I am most familiar to many for that song, and I’ve grown to love the song for what it is.”

Thanks to GTA V’s enduring legacy, “Sleepwalking” introduced millions of players to The Chain Gang Of 1974 and turned a relatively underground indie track into a cultural touchstone.

Rockstar’s soundtrack choices have always been legendary, but this story shows just how early—and how serendipitously—they sometimes find the perfect fit. A random party encounter in 2011 led to one of the most memorable musical moments in gaming history.

And the best part? GTA V is still going strong more than 12 years later, and every time you hear those dreamy synths on Radio Mirror Park or during that final mission, you’re experiencing a piece of gaming (and music) history that was chosen years before the game even existed.