Singer-songwriter Mike Posner has shared a deeply personal new piece for Variety reflecting on his journey through fame, loss, depression, and personal growth. In the article, Mike looks back on the story behind his breakthrough hit “I Took a Pill in Ibiza“ and the difficult years that followed, offering an honest look at how those experiences ultimately led him to a new chapter in his life and music.
Mike recounts how the song began after a songwriting session where he was encouraged to be more honest in his music. That moment pushed him to write about his real experiences rather than trying to create an image. Reflecting on that shift, Mike recalls being asked a simple but powerful question during the session: “Why don’t you just tell the truth?” That moment would ultimately lead him to write the song that changed his career.
When the track was later remixed by Norwegian duo SeeB, it unexpectedly became a global hit — bringing Mike back into the spotlight even as he was navigating major personal struggles behind the scenes.
In the piece, Mike also opens up about the devastating loss of his father to brain cancer, the depression that followed, and how he began searching for deeper meaning beyond fame and success. During that difficult period, he writes about feeling like he was “still walking around… pretending like you’re okay. But deep down you’re just a shadow of the person you’re actually supposed to be.”
Years later, he describes a turning point that helped him reshape his mindset and begin rebuilding his life around growth, purpose, and helping others.
Today, Mike says his greatest achievement isn’t chart success, climbing mountains, or walking across America — but transforming his emotional baseline from depression to joy. As he reflects in the piece, “My greatest achievement is that I went from a person whose emotional home base was life-suckingly depressed to someone whose emotional home base is now joy, faith, and even deeper than those, love.”
His new song, “I Went Back to Ibiza,” reflects that evolution and revisits the story behind one of the defining songs of his career.
You can read Mike’s full article on Variety.com.