Posner’s book of poetry will be released on Friday, March 17, via Youniverse Publishing and it is available for purchase through its official website and on Amazon. “I’ve been writing poems for a long time. Some poems I have been writing since I was a kid, and I continued to write them through my adolescence, and my adulthood so far. I never really knew what I was writing them for until I ran into a friend of mine, who offered to publish my book. That’s how it got started. He gave me a garden to plant all of these new seeds in,” he said.
The singer-songwriter continued, “Writing is like dancing, you don’t dance to get a certain spot on the floor. You dance to dance, and writing is the same for me. I don’t write to achieve a state of consciousness, or to attain popularity or to make money. I just write to write.”
His smash single “I Took a Pill in Ibiza” was nominated for a 2017 Grammy for the coveted “Song of the Year” category; moreover, it was one of Spotify’s Top 10 most-streamed songs of all time, generating over one billion streams worldwide and reaching the Top 10 in 85 countries. “That was quite flattering. The Grammys are voted on by your peers. It is really nice to be acknowledged by people who do music,” he said. “It is pretty cool knowing that a large number of people enjoyed something that I had a hand in making, and that some of them enjoyed it more than once. That is also flattering.”
From his sophomore album, At Night, Alone., Posner shared that he loves all of the songs that he recorded for that project. “I really like all of those songs,” he said, noting that it was difficult for him to select a personal favorite track.
On the key to longevity in the music industry, he said, “Not listening to anybody but yourself creatively.”
For aspiring singers and poets, he echoed his previous remarks. “Be yourself and don’t listen to anybody,” he reiterated.
The Michigan native listed Grammy-winning songstresses Lauryn Hill and Tracy Chapman as his dream female duet choices. In his spare time, Posner noted that he enjoys reading, meditating, as well as listening to lectures and podcasts. “I like to learn. I like to throw frisbee, I like to swim in cold water, and I like to eat peanut butter,” he said.
When asked about his proudest professional moments, Posner said, “All the moments in my past have made me who I am now. My proudest moment is right now since all of the accomplishments and failures have taught me lessons, and I’m the smartest I’ve ever been right now.”
He concluded our interview by defining the word success as “enlightenment.”
To learn more about Grammy-nominated musician and poet Mike Posner, check out his official website.
