“I Took a Pill in Ibiza” crooner, Mike Posner grew up in Southfield, a middle-class suburb just a few miles outside Detroit’s city limits.

Best known for being the man behind the anthems of some of the world’s biggest superstars, few people know that Mike also walked clear across America on a soul-searching journey that helped him fully come to terms with what it truly means to “make it.”

A suburban kid with big dreams, Mike Posner carried the spirit of Motown with him in all he did, from writing lyrics in high school hallways to dominating arena stages.

A graduate of Groves High, he then continued on to Duke University, where he obtained an academic scholarship and a sociology degree.

That said, music was always his main passion, which saw him producing beats in his dorm room, studying the science of melody, and figuring out the formula behind hit songs.

Deciding to go all in on music, Mike Posner released “A Matter of Time” in 2009, his independently produced and released mixtape that blew up on college campuses.

However, it would be his 2010 album, “31 Minutes to Takeoff” that truly put him on the map, its catchy hit song “Cooler Than Me” going on to become a global hit practically overnight.

From there, he followed up with “Please Don’t Go” and “Bow Chicka Wow Wow,” confirming he had the kind of ear capable of producing hit after hit.

Just like that, Posner had made it to the big leagues, writing for major artists like Justin Bieber, Maroon 5, Labrinth, Pharrell, and more.

The problem was…fame didn’t feel at all like what he thought it would.

In 2015, Mike Posner released the iconic song “I Took a Pill in Ibiza,” a vulnerable track about seeking validation and losing yourself in the climb to the top.

Before it got remixed into a party anthem by Norwegian DJs Seeb, the original song was stripped down and mellow—equal parts confession and eulogy for the man he no longer wanted to be.

What followed was a global phenomenon:

Billboard chart domination, Grammy nominations, and over a billion streams on music platforms.

And yet, Mike still felt a strong disconnect between his newfound identity and his old one.

It seemed he needed something else entirely.

That “something else” came in 2019, when Posner decided to walk across America, starting at the Atlantic Ocean and ending at the Pacific.

This was a 2,800+ mile trip on foot, one that saw him navigating mountain ranges, deserts, heat waves, and endless spiritual trials.

Case in point: he was bitten by a rattlesnake in Colorado and almost died.

And yet, he kept going.

The journey wasn’t just a publicity stunt.

It was a complete and total surrender.

Here was a Detroit kid who was stripping away all his layers to find what was true underneath.

In the end, the walk ended up inspiring more than just self-growth – it was also exactly the fuel he needed for his music, poetry, and newfound relationship to fame.

It also inspired him to climb Mount Everest in 2021, just to prove to himself that he could.

Mike never stopped writing.

He merely shifted gears.

His later albums, “At Night: Alone.,” “A Real Good Kid,” and “Operation: Wake Up” are less about trying to appeal to the radio crowd and more about keeping it real on all fronts.

He writes like someone who’s been on both sides of the American dream – the come up and the arrival – yet he still manages to sing like no one is listening.
He’s a walking contradiction, a pop star and a poet, a loner and a collaborator.

He isn’t just another hitmaker for the machine.

He’s Detroit’s wandering sage- walking, writing, and still finding new ways to be heard without shouting.

Victoria Jackson (Editor In Chief)

Victoria Jackson is a lifelong student and sharp-eyed documentarian of all things Detroit, from its rich musical roots and cultural icons to its shifting neighborhoods, storied architecture, and underground legends. With her finger firmly on the pulse of both the city’s vibrant past and its rapidly unfolding future, she brings a deeply personal, historically grounded lens to every piece she writes.

Published on: September 25, 2025