Mike Posner reveals why he 'Took A Pill In Ibiza'

Mike Posner has explained the story behind his 2016 hit ‘I Took A Pill In Ibiza’ and it’s not as positive as you’d think.

In an interview on the Impaulsive podcast podcast Posner spoke about the real meaning of the song.

With the global success of his first single ‘Cooler Than Me’ in 2010 he found that his work released after this was not getting the attraction he was expecting.

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Whilst struggling to understand why he wasn’t getting the recognition for his newer work, fellow artist Avicii believed and supported him throughout this as Posner said: “When I was sitting at home with an empty calendar, he asked me to work on his album.”

Posner headed to Ibiza to watch Avicii perform yet he described the experience as “the saddest thing ever,” as he was “looking at all these people having fun,” yet he was “alone”.

The day after, Posner said: “Avicii came and played his show. I was in the crowd and - this was when I still drank, I don’t drink anymore.

“I’m looking at him on the stage and I was just thinking, ‘Man, I fucked this up man, that used to be me, I wish it was still me and it's not’.

“Imagine the sadness of this moment. I’m just in the GA [General Admission] fucked up at his show by myself.

“I was hoping somebody would recognise me to make me feel good."

Then a few men approached him recognising him and offered him a pill of what he believed was MDMA but he recalls being “up all night” after taking it.

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Posner continued: “I woke up the next day and I felt like hell. So, that song is about that darkness and that low in my life.

“The infinite irony of it is that these guys remixed this heart-breaking song and made it into a club banger.”

He added that: “On the other hand, I can kind of zoom out and put rose-coloured glasses on and see people are having a good time to my sadness.

“As artists we try and take our suffering, our pain, our negativity, and make something beautiful out of it.”

Becky Buckle is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Twitter