Mike Posner

**Michael Robert Henrion Posner** ( ; born February 12, 1988) is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, poet, and record producer. He was born in Detroit, Michigan. In 2017, Posner released his first book of poetry, *Tear Drops & Balloons*. He is also one-half of alternative hip-hop duo Mansionz. The other half is Floridian rapper blackbear.

## Early life
Michael Robert Henrion Posner was born on February 12, 1988, in Detroit. He grew up in Southfield, a northern suburb of Detroit. Posner attended Bingham Farms Elementary School, Berkshire Middle School, and graduated from Groves High School. There, he ran on the varsity track and cross-country teams. He attended Duke University. There, he was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity. He graduated with a B.A. degree in sociology. His final GPA was a 3.6.

His father, Jon, was a Jewish criminal defense lawyer. He died on January 11, 2017. His mother, Roberta Henrion, is Catholic.  His sister, Emily Henrion Posner, is six years older. She is a civil rights attorney.

## Artistry 
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### Musical style 
Posner said, in an interview with *Digital Spy*, that he "grew up a hip-hop kid doing mix-tapes." Critics have described his early work as "pop-rap songs for the college crowd." He was often compared to fellow American rapper Asher Roth. This was because they shared themes of fraternity culture. Posner began to expand his sound on his debut mixtape, *A Matter of Time*. It used samples, interpolations, and guest rappers (such as Big Sean). Yet, there are electropop and R&B elements. This hinted at the direction he took on his debut album, *31 Minutes to Takeoff*. 

Most of Mike Posner's albums are electropop or folk-pop. *31 Minutes to Takeoff* and lead single, "Cooler Than Me", fall into the first category. The second single, "Please Don't Go," combines this sound with hip-hop and trance. Jody Rosen of *Rolling Stone* said he was pioneering a new genre: "frat-house R&B." Other critics compared him to Akon, Chris Brown, Elliott Yamin, Ne-Yo and especially Justin Timberlake. Posner's cancelled second album, *Sky High*, was intended to bring him further into R&B. This is evident in Justin Bieber's "Boyfriend" and Maroon 5's "Sugar." Both songs were originally meant for the album. Instead, he stripped down his sound on his actual second album, *At Night, Alone*. Posner said he was "trying to do country and it comes out weird and different." Matt Collar of AllMusic noted it expanded his folk and indie pop sound. This was started on his prior EP, *The Truth*. 

His subsequent albums continue to experiment in the pop genre. Ella Chochrek of *Student Life* said his third album, *A Real Good Kid*, is "a therapy session in an alt-pop package." Andrew Leahey of AllMusic noted his fifth studio album, *The Begenning*, embraced a "folk- and psych-pop-influenced style." This can be heard on the singles, "I'm Not Dead Yet," "Beautiful Day," and "Is It Just Me."

## Discography
* *31 Minutes to Takeoff* (2010)
* *At Night, Alone* (2016)
* *A Real Good Kid* (2019)
* *Operation: Wake Up* (2020)
* *The Beginning* (2025)

## Concert tours
**Headlining**
* Warped Tour (2010)
* Up in the Air Tour (2010)
* The Layover Tour (2011–12)
* Unplugged Tour (2014)
* The Legendary Mike Posner Band Tour (2015–17)

**Promotional**
* European Tour (2011)
* MTVU VMA Tour (2011)

**Opening act**
*Believe Tour  (2013)
*Warrior Tour  (2013)
*Future Now Tour  (2016)

## Awards and nominations
## References