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All Music Guide:
Singer Mike Posner launched his career at Duke University, where he balanced his undergraduate studies in sociology and business with his musical habits. Like fellow undergrad Asher Roth, Posner began making melodic pop-rap songs for the college crowd, filling his music with references to fraternity culture, dorm life, and young adulthood. He also compiled several mixtapes, one of which -- A Matter of Time -- topped the iTunesU charts during the summer of 2009. After signing with J Records, he finished his degree, graduated with a 3.59 GPA, and released his full-length debut, 31 Minutes to Takeoff, in the summer of 2010. The album featured the worldwide hit "Cooler Than Me." J Records would dissolve soon after and Posner was bumped up to the parent label, RCA, but only after some legal wrangling which was referenced in the title to his 2011 mixtape, The Layover. His career with RCA would begin officially late that same year with the release of "Looks Like Sex". The single landed on his 2012 album which, in keeping with the flight theme, was titled Sky High.
Wikipedia:
Michael Robert "Mike" Posner (born February 12, 1988) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer. Posner released his debut album, 31 Minutes to Takeoff, on August 10, 2010. The album includes the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 single "Cooler Than Me," his second single, "Please Don't Go," as well as his third single, "Bow Chicka Wow Wow". He is also known for writing and producing "Boyfriend" by Justin Bieber, "Beneath Your Beautiful" by Labrinth, as well as songs for Big Sean, 2 Chainz, Wiz Khalifa, and Snoop Dogg. Posner is a member of the Finally Famous crew. He is also known for his positive outlook on life.
Early life [edit]
Posner was born in Detroit, Michigan. He was raised in Southfield, Michigan, the son of Roberta Henrion and Jon Posner, a criminal defense attorney. His father is Jewish and his mother is Catholic. Posner attended and graduated from Groves High School, where he ran varsity track and cross-country, and went on to attend Duke University. There Posner became a member of Sigma Nu fraternity and graduated in 2010 with a degree in sociology, with an overall GPA of 3.59.
Career [edit]
2009: Musical beginnings [edit]
Posner got his start producing his hometown friend Big Sean. Posner produced and was featured on Big Sean's first mixtape on a song entitled, Smoke & Drive. Posner's second mixtape, A Matter of Time (the first mixtape being Reflections of a Lost Teen) started attracting industry attention in 2009. Working with Don Cannon and DJ Benzi, the mixtape was recorded and released from his dorm room at Duke University in March 2009 under the name, "Mike Posner & the Brain Trust," the Brain Trust referring to Posner's supporters. The release was unusual for being distributed for free through iTunes U, a channel designed for educational audio content. Although Posner was not the only artist to take advantage of this loophole, his release was the most organised and high profile, and attracted the largest response, immediately reaching the number one position on the iTunes U chart.
2010-2011: 31 Minutes to Takeoff [edit]
Posner signed a record deal with J Records (RCA/Sony) in July 2009, after his Junior year at Duke. He chose to return to Duke after signing, and toured on the weekends while at the same time recording for his debut album. Posner's third mixtape One Foot Out the Door was released in October. The mixtape was accompanied by a web series of the same name which aired bi-weekly from September to December. Posner's debut album, 31 Minutes to Takeoff was released in August 2010. The first single, "Cooler Than Me" reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100. He performed at music festival Bonnaroo and on the 2010 Warped Tour. The second and third singles, "Please Don't Go" and "Bow Chicka Wow Wow" reached the top 20 and 30 on the Hot 100 respectively. The latter was released with an added verse by rapper Lil Wayne. Posner won a 2011 ASCAP Award from the publishing organization for "Cooler Than Me".
On October 7, 2011, RCA Music Group announced it was disbanding J Records along with Arista Records and Jive Records. With the shutdown, Posner (and all other artists previously signed to these three labels) will release his future material on the RCA Records brand.
2011–present: Sky High [edit]
"Looks Like Sex", the first single of Posner's upcoming album titled Sky High, was released on December 2, 2011. His second single will be "The Way It Used to Be", and it will be released in June of 2013. He also co-wrote and provided vocals for X-Factor contestant Cher Lloyd's second single "With Ur Love", which reached number 4 on the UK Single Chart. Posner co-produced and co-wrote singer Justin Bieber's Billboard Hot 100 number 2 single, "Boyfriend" and has also been working on Labrinth's album.
