Mike Posner’s life has changed a lot over the past 10 years.
In honor of his 36th birthday on Tuesday,Posner took to social mediaand reflected on the decade-old lyrics of his hit song"I Took a Pill in Ibiza,“explaining that they’re no longer representative of his life.
Mike Posner in New York City in September 2022.Slaven Vlasic/Getty
Slaven Vlasic/Getty
“Yesterday i celebrated my 36th birthday. i feel proud to look at the song lyrics and know that NONE of them are true anymore. I’ve grown into a completely new man…one that i’m proud of,” explained Posner, before looking back on several specific lyrics from the song.
“I Took a Pill in Ibiza” finds the musician looking at his lifestyle after rising to fame with the 2009 hit “Cooler Than Me” and seemingly fading from the spotlight, as he seeks out experiences to feel fulfilled.
The song opens with the lyric, “I took a pill in Ibiza to show Avicii I was cool / And when I finally got sober, felt 10 years older / But f— it, it was something to do.” Today, Posner wrote, “i love myself more than ever, no longer do s— that harms my body to try to get people to like me.”
Mike Posner performs in Indio in April 2022.Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
The first verse sees Posner boast about living in Los Angeles, driving a sports car and spending the “million dollars” he made from music on romantic partners and materialistic items. Since then, he’s donated a “massive” sneaker collection, swapped his high-end wheels for a Toyota 4Runner and learned to love himself.
“If i buy myself something nice, it’s because i love myself and i deserve it, not because i’m trying to prove to others i’m good enough,” added Posner in the social media thread.
In the song’s chorus, he sings about the loneliness felt after coming down from a drug-induced high — but now, he’s “not even close to alone.”
“spent a decade creating a community of the most loving high powered friends in the world,” continued Posner. “massive investment into relationship with my mom and sister… best it’s ever been. relationship with God is on a whole new level.”
He issues a warning to listeners in the song’s second verse, declaring: “You don’t wanna be stuck up on that stage singing / All I know are sad songs, sad songs.”
Posner is now “the happiest i have ever been in my life,” he wrote, explaining that he’s adopted and “sustained” a mindset focused on “faith love and joy” since more than a year ago.
He also no longer feels like “a reminder of a pop song people forgot,” as he sang in “I Took a Pill in Ibiza” — because he’s found more meaning in life. In 2019, he spent about six months walking from New Jersey to California and evenpersevered following a rattlesnake biteon his trip across America.
The Grammy-nominated song’s second verse also featured the star expressing that he “can’t keep a girl” due to a struggle with opening up about his feelings in potential relationships.
Mike Posner.Noam Galai/Getty
In the new thread, Posner said he “overcame my fear of intimacy and old avoidant patterns” through self-reflection and “recognized how much having a wife and family would actually mean to me.” After hiring “coaches and therapists,” he’s now in a better place — and has the “most beautiful relationship i’ve ever been in” with an unknown partner.
“i know sadness and pain very well, i also know how i overcame/overcome it. it is my duty to teach others to do the same. I know sad songs, but i also know redemptions songs, songs of freedom, songs of faith, and songs of devotion,” wrote Posner, before telling fans: “i love you. If you’re going through s— right now, keep going, you have no idea how good your life may be in 10 years.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
source: people.com
