Interview: Mike Posner Speaks With The Intrepid

Mike Posner, who performed a concert at St. Bonaventure University on April 5, granted The Intrepid an exclusive interview.

What was your first reaction learning that St. Bonaventure wanted you to perform here?

Gratitude. Thank you so much for allowing me to play at your school.

How was the concert Tuesday night?

You guys are fucking crazy. Tuesday was craziest show I’ve done all year.

St. Bonaventure has a lot of aspiring musicians. Anderson Conte (junior, @ander_beth) wants to know, “How did you balance your education with your music career?”

It was incredibly difficult. I recorded “Cooler Than Me” in my dorm room the second semester of my sophomore year. By the end of my junior year, I had signed a record deal with RCA/Sony. I was all ready to drop and be a rock star, but my mom forced me to go back to school. Suddenly, I found myself going to class during the week, recording new songs at night time after class and flying around the country on the weekends playing shows.

Tell the truth. Who is the bigger fan. You of the Duke basketball team, or the Duke basketball team of you?

Haha, tough to say. At my early shows at Duke, I could always see those guys heads sticking out in the crowd. They supporting me from day one, so I try to do the same. Nolan Smith is a really good friend of mine.

Mark Inman (assistant director of communications, @TheMarkInman) asks, “As a Duke alum, who did you want to win the NCAA men’s final and what was your reaction to the game’s outcome?”

I didn’t care because Duke wasn’t playing.

You’re quite active on social media. Talk about what the support on Facebook, Twitter and other sites have meant to you.

I wouldn’t be here without them — especially Facebook. I made a CD in my dorm room, started a Facebook group for it, invited my friends and got them to invite their friends. Before I knew it, I was doing shows in California, Florida, Ohio, etc… and people knew the words to my songs! I still don’t really understand it.

Averi Ahsmann (senior, @AveriMA) wants to know, “Out of everyone who you’ve collaborated with so far, who’s your favorite?”

Man, I’ve been so blessed the last year or so to work with some incredible people. The sessions and songs I’ve made with Wiz Khalifa, Bruno Mars, Lil Wayne, Boyz II Men, Travis Barker and Big Sean are definitely all highlights. It’s so hard to pick! I think I’d have to say my favorite is Big Sean. We’ve been friends for so long so to now be living our dreams simultaneously is incredibly special.

Lauren Caputi (sophomore, @whaddup_lauren) asks, “What made you want to start making your own music?”

My whole life I wanted to make beats for other artists. I’ve been making beats since I was 13. The only problem was it seemed no artists wanted to work with me. So, I decided to start singing on the beats I was making myself. That was two years ago. I had never sung before.

Chris Mackowski (associate professor of journalism and mass communication) asks, “What’re some of your favorite musical influences?”

Tupac Shakur, OutKast, J Dilla, Rage Against the Machine, The Killers, Led Zeppelin and Nas to name a few.

Talk about some of your projects we can expect to see and/or listen to soon.

I have a project I’m working on with Big Sean that will be followed by new album. The music on my laptop right now is so crazy. I can’t wait for you to hear it.

Thank you for the interview. Anything else you want to say to St. Bonaventure?

I got the chance to meet a lot of you guys at the gym and after the show. Everyone was so incredibly nice to me all day. Having graduated less than a year ago, I still feel like one of you guys — and that makes it even more special that I was invited to play at your school.

[Photo and interview by Tony Lee, @sHecKii. To see a photo slideshow of the concert, click here.]

Source: The Intrepid