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MIKE POSNER TALKS WITH COMPLEX

Most seniors in college are trying to figure out what to do with the rest of their lives. Mike Posner already knew given that he had scored a record deal with J Records going in to his senior year at Duke University. Although he had every reason to relax at that point, the Michigan native kicked the dreaded “senior slump” right in its ass rocking an impressive 3.59 GPA and graduating a semester early, while still making time to do sold out shows across the country on the weekends. Not too shabby for a guy who tried his hand at singing for the first time less than two years ago. Even with two wildly successful mixtapes, A Matter of Time and One Foot Out the Door, and a hit single “Drug Dealer Girl,” which cast the lovely Rosa Acosta as a sexy on-campus kingpin, the producer-turned-performer exudes an easygoing nature, and has impeccable etiquette, and a great sense of humor. While in New York promoting his upcoming currently untitled debut album, and preparing for a sold out show at the Gramercy Theatre, Complex sat down with Mike to speak about balancing classes and a music career, scoring the theme music for his alma mater’s basketball team, and living out his dreams…

Interview by Modele “Modi” Oyewole

Complex: You’ve made a lot of progress from when you dropped A Matter of Time to today. What’s your motivation?

Mike Posner: I just think about what’s ahead of me, man. My favorite Duke player ever is Steve Wojciechowski. He called me one day congratulating me on my success thus far, and I was like, “I appreciate it, but man, please don’t congratulate me. I know when you guys start the season, you’re not just trying to be 10-10 or ACC champions, you’re trying to win it all.” I’m trying to do the same thing. If my career was a basketball season, I’m in the pre-season still. I’m not blowing everybody out by 40 –- there’s so much work to be done, and there’s no time to really sit and look back and be proud of what I’ve done yet, because it’s the pre-season still.

Complex: Did growing up right outside Detroit, a city full of musical history and influence, help mold you as an artist?

Mike Posner: I was really lucky to grow up in an extremely diverse neighborhood. I grew up in a city called Southfield, and it’s one of the most diverse cities in the country. Just from the different socio-economic statuses and racial and ethnic groups I was around, I was around all different types of music from the beginning. Even between my parents, they listen to totally different types of music. My mom listens to people like Ricky Nelson and Sarah Brighton, and my dad listens to The Grateful Dead, BB King, and Luther Vandross. And being from Michigan, it’s like Motown runs in everybody’s blood, so I think you can really tell why the music sounds the way it does, because ... Read More

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