Rising star Mike Posner is a student in more ways than one.
As an up-and-coming recording artist, Mike Posner has to be a student of the music game. But what separates him from most others is that he remains a college student too – even though he’s already been signed to a major label. A senior at Duke, Posner spends weekdays in the classroom and weekends touring the country as a singer. It’s a double life many would love to have but few could probably handle.
It all started at age 13 when Posner first began making beats, and soon after that he turned his talents to producing tracks for other artists. Around 18 months ago, he found himself writing material he couldn’t see anyone else singing, and not long after released his first mixtape. Labels started taking notice. He even took a meeting with Jay-Z during the week of his spring-semester finals but ended up signing a deal with J Records.
Posner could have easily decided to drop out of school and concentrate on music.
“I believe that you should finish things that you start,” he told MTV News. “A lot of it came from my mother – I was scared to tell her ‘I’m done.'”
As he continues to work on his debut album, Posner looks forward to graduating with a degree in sociology and business next June.
“There’s a lot of homework that gets done on planes, a lot of sleepless nights,” Posner said, adding that Duke University has played a big part in his being able to handle it all. “These people have all been on the journey with me and helped me to get to where I’m at, from the professors to the students and to the administration – they all know my story and they’re supportive.”
His college experience is also reflected in his music and will feature prominently on his album, which he said is about half completed.
“It’s pop without the guilt: It’s the CD you can listen to with your homies and then, when you drop them off and you pick up your girl, you can leave my CD in.”
Mike Posner’s J Records debut is expected to drop sometime next year. His mix tapes are available for free download on iTunes.