- Electropop/Hip-Hop singer, songwriter and record producer born in 1988 in Detroit Michigan.
- While in college at Duke University, Posner began his music career, writing and performing pop-rap songs about college life. In 2008 he worked as a record producer on a mixtape for his Detroit-based rapper friend Big Sean, and he also produced a mixtape of his own. In 2009, Posner recorded a mixtape from his dorm room titled A Matter of Time, and he released it as a free digital download. It featured hip-hop, R&B and electronic pop music, with several rappers contributing, including Big Sean, who was featured in a song called Cooler Than Me. The popularity of the mixtape led to a recording contract in July 2009.
- After releasing a third mixtape in October 2009, Posner’s debut studio album was released in 2010 – 31 Minutes to Takeoff. Cooler Than Me (without Big Sean) was released as the lead single from the album. The song was a hit, peaking at #6 on the Hot 100 and at #1 on the Hot Dance Airplay chart. A second single from the album, Please Don’t Go, reached #16 on the Hot 100. He performed at several music festivals to promote the album.
- Posner released another mixtape in late 2011 that included the single Looks Like Sex. As he worked on a planned studio album, he became uncomfortable being in the spotlight, which led to bouts of depression. He took a break from making his own music, concentrating on writing and producing songs for other artists. Over the next several years, songs co-written by Posner were recorded by numerous artists including Justin Bieber (Boyfriend, which reached #2 on the Hot 100), Nelly, Pharrell Williams, Maroon 5 (Sugar, which also peaked at #2 on the Hot 100) and Nick Jonas.
- In April 2015, Posner released an acoustic single on his Vevo account titled I Took a Pill In Ibiza. The song was included in an EP titled The Truth that was available to fans on his email list, and later by purchase. Soon after the initial release of Ibiza, a remix was done by the Norwegian EDM team Seeb. Both versions of Ibiza and several other songs from the EP were included in Posner’s second studio album, At Night, Alone, which was released in 2016. The Seeb remix version of I Took a Pill In Ibiza was released as a single, and it became a huge hit, reaching #4 on the Hot 100 and #1 on two other Billboard charts, as well as #1 on 17 international charts.
- In 2019 and 2020, two more studio albums were released, as well as a mixtape. The mixtape, titled Keep Going, coincided with the end of a walk-across-America that Posner did between April and October of 2019. He used the walk to promote his Real Good Kid album, and he performed impromptu concerts along the way. The trek took a few weeks longer than expected when he was bitten by a rattlesnake in Colorado, forcing him to be airlifted to a hospital. Nine singles were released during these years.
- Posner also wrote poetry, releasing a book in 2017 and two poetry albums in 2018. He continued his adventurous ways in 2021, reaching the summit of Mount Everest in June.
- Posner had two huge hits during the 10s. We will see if he has what it takes to continue his rise to stardom. Here’s his video for I Took a Pill In Ibiza. The song was written by Posner as a self reflection as he realized that his initial fame had faded, causing him to turn to drugs and booze. He took the “pill” while at a concert by his friend Avicii in Ibiza, hoping to impress Avicii. The original acoustic version fit the somber story – the Seeb remix is tropical-house happy. Eventually, Posner earned a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year for the song.