Mike Posner has opened up about the meaning behind his 2016 hit ‘I Took A Pill In Ibiza’.
In a new interview on the Impaulsive podcast Posner revealed the darker story behind the track.
While his breakout song ‘Cooler Than Me’ was a success in 2010, the work released after this wasn’t getting the attention he expected. The only person who helped him during this period he said, was late artist Avicii (real name Tim Bergling) who died in 2018 from suicide.
“When I was sitting at home with an empty calendar, he asked me to work on his album,” Posner revealed.
He went out to Ibiza to watch Avicii but described the experience as “the saddest thing ever.” While he was “looking at all these people having fun,” he says he never felt more “alone”.
Posner explained: “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.”
After this, he was offered what he thought was MDMA but recalls being “up all night” after taking it.
He added: “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.”
Posner continued: “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.”
Last November, Nile Rodgers revealed that he wanted to release several unheard collaborations that he did with Avicii.
The Chic star – who first worked with him on the track ‘Lay Me Down’, taken from the latter’s 2013 album ‘True’ – stopped by Swedish TV show Skavlan to discuss his impressive career, which stretches back to the early ’70s.
During the chat, he revealed a desire to put out some of the tracks he and Avicii worked on, provided he got the blessing of the Swedish producer’s family and estate.
For help and advice on mental health:
- Help Musicians UK – Around the clock mental health support and advice for musicians (CALL MUSIC MINDS MATTER ON: 0808 802 8008)
- CALM – The Campaign Against Living Miserably
- Music Support Org – Help and support for musicians struggling with alcoholism, addiction, or mental health issues (CALL: 0800 030 6789)
- YOUNG MINDS – The voice for young people’s health and wellbeing
- Time To Change – Let’s end mental health discrimination
- The Samaritans – Confidential support 24 hours a day
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