Mike Posner

Rarely has a night out launched a career quite like Mike Posner’s trip to the White Isle did. The Detroit singer/songwriter became an overnight sensation in 2015 when his song “I Took a Pill in Ibiza”—a bittersweet acoustic ballad about losing one’s way—got a wistful tropical-house remix from the Norwegian duo Seeb. It was a fitting twist, given that Posner, born in 1988, has always bridged musical universes. In 2009, he started with a pair of mixtapes that fused rap and funk with melodic hooks, while on 2010’s 31 Minutes to Takeoff, he fleshed out his sandpapery drawl with soul, electro-pop, and orchestral flourishes. But as a song on 2016’s At Night, Alone put it, things were “Not That Simple”: That album largely jettisoned synths in favor of acoustic guitars and piano, refashioning Posner as an old-school singer/songwriter. He’s spent the years since exploring melodies, guitars, bass-heavy beats, and, on 2018’s Tear Drops and Balloons, spoken-word poetry over ambient backdrops. Far from what his breakout might have suggested, Posner’s songs aren’t about fleeting pleasures—they’re about connecting with what’s honest and genuine, no matter the genre.