to the matter. In a brief flash of anger he kicks the fence behind the stage. His manager, Dan Weisman, the man who guided D.C. luminary Wale to the cusp of superstardom, refers to the moment as a “clusterfuck.” Both are worried—a bit on edge, even—but not deterred. And, understandably, when you are attempting to redefine pop formalism, minor hiccups cannot be afforded. He wants everything to be perfect. He is Mike Posner—and he wants your love. Born in Detroit and bred in Southfield, Michigan, Mike Posner, if you can believe it, began singing just a year-and-a-half ago. Completing his senior year at Duke University at the behest of his mother and yearning to fill a certain aesthetic void, Mike released his mixtape, A Matter of Time, to critical reception in February. Presented by DJ Benzi and mixtape messiah Don Cannon, the 12-track effort skyrocketed his then nil-career into a label bidding war over his silky falsetto. With that virtuoso voice, Mike signed with J Records—the house that Clive Davis built—this past July. By the time we meet on this fevered mid-October day at MySpace Music in Beverly Hills, Mike has solidified his publishing contract with Sony/ ATV just hours earlier (one of the many items on his packed agenda for the day). He also guarantees me his latest mixtape—released October 29th and hosted by Clinton Sparks and LRG—is in a league of its own. “The curve I’m on is still extremely exponential, so that’s why I’m so excited about everything
that’s happening,” he affirms. “If my first mixtape got me this far, the stuff I’m doing now is gonna put me through the stratosphere.” His searing confidence is backed by a bevy of stellar guest spots—Saigon, Pill, Freddie Gibbs, Bun B, GLC, Kid Cudi, Wale and Big Sean. A mélange of stadium-swirling electro and spacey pop-soul anthems, it is appropriately titled One Foot Out The Door. During the course of our day I learn many things about “Pose,” a nickname given to him by close friends. He’s of fan of HBO’s idiosyncratic hit Curb Your Enthusiasm, his attention to detail is borderline obsessive, and, truthfully, he couldn’t be a nicer guy (he’s a huge hugger). But most of all—and this cannot go without saying—Mike’s songs are precious to him. They are at once a study in postmodern pop and lyrical universalism. You can tell in his boyish smile that he has spent long nights, early mornings, and cancelled weekends because of them; he wants you to love them. He wants you to love him. A month before your senior year of school begins you sign to J Records. Why’d you feel the need to return to Duke? With anything I do I like to finish what I start. My mom probably would have not talked to me for a very long time if I dropped out of school. There’s definitely a lot of homework that gets done on the plane, but you can’t tell me I can’t do both. Right now I have 3.6 [GPA] and my career is looking better than it ever has.