By: Eliot Fearey
NEW YORK, USA

A Matter of Time (2009)

A Matter of Time, Mike Posner’s debut mixtape, is just what your dance party has been missing. The young artist, a junior at Duke University, has made a science of studying the girls on campus and his observations serve as the inspiration to his catchy compilation. He sings about the proverbial Evil Woman… you know the one, she’s just out of your league. At his own admission, Posner is just trying to get the girls. But, it’s witty and he gives it right back with lyrics like, “You may never be on a Maybelline commercial, but you always let me know when you got some purple.” The sound, a synthesis of hip-hop and pop, lures you in and keeps you wanting more. But, A Matter of Time is only a taste of what Posner has to offer. Expect his first full album New Deal later this year, which he promises will be even “tighter.” Hard to imagine.

Thirsty: You released your first mixtape at the age of twenty.  How did that happen?

Mike Posner: I’m thirsty! I started jamming with kids in middle school, they would come over with guitars and I played the drums. It seemed like a phase for them, but I’ve never stopped making music. At first I was producing songs for rappers, but I got tired of that because my ideas had to go through somebody else. So, here I am with my own album. Your favorite rapper’s favorite singer.

Thirsty:  What’s your writing process?

Mike Posner: Usually I come up with a hook in my head and build the song around that. For example, I wrote the chorus to “Cooler Than Me” while I was walking around on Duke’s campus. I kept noticing how much swag all the girls seemed to have. Later, I went back and wrote the rest on the piano. The Brain Trust [Posner’s band] helped flesh out the track.

Thirsty: I promise I can keep a secret. Is “Cooler Than Me” about somebody specific?

Mike Posner: Haha, no. It’s about a lot of girls. Come to campus and you’ll see! Although, I think the songs transcends my school. People all over the country try to look “cool” to make up for whatever insecurities they may have.

Thirsty: You are poking fun of the girls, but they still go crazy for “Cooler Than Me.” Why do you think that is?

Mike Posner: I don’t know. You tell me!

Thirsty:  The album strikes a balance between songs that are light hearted and fun with others that are more serious in nature. Where do these songs come from?

Mike Posner: Well, you can sort of tell the difference between songs that reflect day-to-day experiences versus those that are trying to capture an emotion. Take a song like “A Matter of Time; ” a song like that comes from an emotion that I don’t have a name for. I’m not sure what causes it, sometimes hearing a song that resonates, but I go into this zone where I feel overcome with feeling. The hair on my arm stands up and all I can do is write.

Thirsty: Your music is appealing to a large audience. What makes the tracks so accessible to everyone?

Mike Posner: Well, I try to write it that way. I think it’s beautiful to have rich people, poor people, black people, white people all singing the same song. More important than being accessible is being non-exclusive. I don’t want to make music that leaves people out. 

Thirsty: You break the mold of the typical hip-hop artist. Was it hard breaking into that circle?

Mike Posner: I would call myself more of a pop artist than a hip-hop artist. I don’t rap. But, to answer the question, no! Pretty much every rapper that hears my music loves it. I’ve never tried to be something I’m not and people respect that about me.

Thirsty: How is New Deal going to be different from A Matter of Time?

Mike Posner: It’s going to be like my mixtape, but with a new level of sophistication. There were parts of A Matter of Time, which were experimental—I drew upon the influences of other artists. New Deal is going to be all me from start to finish.

Links:

myspace.com/mikeposner