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Electro-soul singer/songwriter/producer Mike Posner has been turning a lot of heads lately, inside and outside the recording industry.
A 22-year-old Duke University grad and native of Southfield, Mich., Mr. Posner recently hit the charts with his mid-tempo “Cooler Than Me,” which has been climbing steadily up Billboard’s Hot 100.
The R&B/electro-pop/hip-hop song—which was recorded in Mr. Posner’s dorm room with a $200 microphone—has been compared to Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain,” largely because the singer prefers not revealing the name of the rather conceited and superficial young lady for whom the tune is written.
Mr. Posner’s debut album, “35 Minutes To Takeoff,” is set for release next month, produced by Benny Blanco, who has also worked with Katy Perry, Dr. Luke and Britney Spears.
Mr. Posner says his music sounds “like nothing else out right now. … There are songs that make me cry and others that make me jump up and down. I’m just trying, hopefully, to make people feel a fraction of what I feel.”
Above everything else, he says he prizes authenticity. “That’s the most important word in my life,” he told Reuters. “Once I lose authenticity, I’ve lost everything. I’ll quit.”
Mr. Posner didn’t want to start his show biz career until after he snatched his degree in sociology from Duke. (With the music business being so fickle, that was likely a smart move.)
“It was important to finish college since people in my family sacrificed a lot for me,” he said. “And I’m proud of that. While I didn’t know if I would end up writing, producing or sitting behind a desk, I knew I’d end up doing something with music. Now, it’s go time.”
Mr. Posner cites a wide range of musical influences – from Sarah Brightman and Ricky Nelson to Luther Vandross and Marvin Gaye, and even some Miles Davis, Led Zeppelin and OutKast.
Recently, Posner has performed on “Last Call With Carson Daly” and “Lopez Tonight,” as well as the South by Southwest and Bamboozle music festivals. In addition, he recently created some buzz at the 2010 Warped Tour and Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.