Mike Posner On Making Art, Embracing Growth & Walking Across America

An accomplished singer, songwriter, poet & producer, Mike Posner knows what it’s like to be rich and famous.

He also knows what it’s like to be forgotten. To grieve. To grow. To embrace that which is most important. And ultimately express his truth through art.

This is the story of a remarkable talent’s attempt to live an artist’s life — the struggles faced and lessons learned along his most mercurial path.

In 2010, while still an undergraduate at Duke, the Detroit native’s career exploded with the release of his debut song Cooler Than Me. The irresistible pop song topped charts worldwide, selling more than two million copies and launching him into the stratosphere almost overnight.

But fame is fleeting. Unable to immediately top his debut, Mike’s solo career soon faltered. Turning to writing, Mike spent the next several years behind the curtain churning out hit songs for everyone from Justin Bieber (‘Boyfriend’) and Maroon 5 (‘Sugar’) to Pharrell, Snoop Dogg, Nick Jonas and Avicii.

Then, in 2016, his career as a solo artist once again blossomed. A remix of his song ‘I Took A Pill In Ibiza’ unexpectedly surfaced as an international smash on the electronic dance scene, landing him a Grammy nomination for Best Song that year.

Not long after, Mike was hit with a trifecta of heartache. He weathered a break up with his girlfriend. His father passed after a bout with brain cancer. And his friend and frequent collaborator Avicii took his own life. It was a dark time for the young musician. But the life of an artist is one of persistence. No matter what, Mike continued to show up for music.

The result, and his best work to date, is the recently released album, A Real Good Kid — a mature, vulnerable and infectious pop meditation on grief, celebrity, ego, loss, art and personal growth.