Mike Posner

Biography

Michael Robert Henrion Posner is an American singer, poet, record producer, and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan. Since 2007, he’s been a force of nature in the music industry, crafting multiple songs that have made it onto the Billboard Hot 100. His music is known for memorable melodies and club-friendly beats.

Posner first broke through into the mainstream with his single “Cooler Than Me,” a track that hit the top 10 on the Hot 100. Not long after, he scored another hit with “Please Don’t Go.”

Want to know the facts about this influential musician? You’ve come to the right place. This is the complete guide to producer Mike Posner’s life and music.

instruments played

Vocals

Associated Acts

Mansionz, Avicii, Big Sean, Rittz, Sammy Adams

Genres

Pop, hip hop, R&B, folk, electro pop, dance pop, tropical house

Labels

J, RCA, Island

Occupations

Singer, songwriter, poet, record producer

Website

mikeposner.com

Years Active

2007 - present

Wiki Link

Mike Posner’s Early Life

Posner was born on February 12, 1988, to a Jewish father and a Catholic mother. He has one older sister, Emily. After completing elementary, middle, and high school near Detroit, he moved to North Carolina to attend Duke University, where he majored in sociology. While still in college, Mike started working hard on music, mostly producing songs for others at first. One of his earliest collaborators was fellow Detroit musician and rapper Big Sean, who worked with Posner on the song “Yagum.” In addition to working with other musicians, Posner released several mixtapes during his college years, including his first mixtape, Reflections of a Lost Teen, and A Matter of Time. By the time he was a junior in college, he was offered a deal with J Records, a subsidiary of RCA and Sony music. Posner was signed to the label in July 2009, but he stayed in school and graduated with a 3.6 GPA.

Dropping His Debut Album

On August 10, 2010, Posner released his debut studio album, 31 Minutes to Takeoff, via J Records. The album features production work by Posner, along with Benny Blanco, Greg Kurstin, and other big names in the industry. Several tracks on 31 Minutes to Takeoff became hits, including “Cooler Than Me,” “Bow Chicka Wow Wow,” and “Please Don’t Go.” Stylistically, the record was meant by Posner to sound unique and familiar at the same time. The rising star opted to use elements of R&B, soul, nu disco, electropop, and other genres to create the songs on the record, and later told Billboard, “My music doesn't sound like anyone else's, and it's important for me that it stays that way.” “Bow Chicka Wow Wow” from the album was later released with a guest verse from rapper Lil Wayne, adding to the song’s heavy rotation on radio stations – and to Posner’s growing fame.

Posner’s Recent Work

On April 15, 2015, Mike released a song that would change his career forever. “I Took a Pill in Ibiza” was originally released as a stripped-down recording featuring just Mike and an acoustic guitar, and Posner has since performed this more intimate version of the song several times. However, the version of the track that became a worldwide phenomenon is the remix by SeeB. “I Took a Pill in Ibiza” was later nominated for the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 2017. The album’s release was followed by several unexpected life events and career turns for Posner. He released Teardrops and Balloons, his first book of poetry, on March 17, 2017. Later that year, he collaborated with several of the biggest names in music, including blackbear, G-Eazy, Soren Bryce, and more. In fact, he’s a member of the alternative hip-hop and R&B duo Mansionz, along with blackbear.

At Night, Alone

SeeB’s remix of “I Took a Pill in Ibiza” has racked up over a billion streams on Spotify and gone on to become one of the biggest hits of the 2010s. The song later appeared on At Night, Alone, Posner’s second studio record. The album was released on May 6, 2016, via Island Records.

A Real Good Kid

On January 18, 2019, Mike released A Real Good Kid, his third studio album, via Island Records. The record documents the most difficult period of Posner’s life, a time when his father passed away from brain cancer, his longtime friend Avicii took his own life, and he went through a breakup. Shortly after the album’s release, Posner told his Instagram followers that he was planning to hike across America from coast to coast. His hike was set to start in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and conclude at Venice Beach, California. However, Posner injured his foot, pushing back his start date for the hike from March 1, 2019, to April 15. During the hike, Posner suffered a rattlesnake bite while hiking through Colorado, landing him in the hospital. However, he continued walking across the country after recovering from the bite and documented his journey with Keep Going, a mixtape released on October 9, 2019. In December of 2020, he released his fourth studio album, Operation: Wake Up. After walking through Missouri, Posner stopped in Kansas and spoke to the press about the purpose of the walk, saying, “I realized that I’m going to die too one day, hopefully, it’s not anytime soon. In the meantime, I want to live, live, live my life.” After completing the walk, Posner went on to climb the tallest mountain in the world, Mount Everest in Nepal, in 2021, an incredible feat.

Posner’s Work as a Songwriter

In addition to writing and producing songs for himself, Posner has also written for some of the biggest artists in the world. He is credited as a co-writer on Maroon 5’s “Sugar,” “Boyfriend” by Justin Bieber, “Beneath Your Beautiful by Labrinth,” and many more. Other artists he’s worked with include Avicii, Wiz Khalifa, Pharrell Williams, Nick Jonas, Talib Kweli, Snoop Dogg, and others.