From finding love to coming close to death, Mike Posner’s life has changed a lot over the past 11 years.
The 37-year-old singer is best known for his 2010 hit Cooler Than Me, and his 2016 track with Avicii, I Took A Pill In Ibiza.
But in recent years, instead of partying on the Spanish Island, Mike has completely changed his lifestyle.
He now focuses on religion and meditation, is in a happy relationship, and has taken on huge physical challenges, including walking across America and climbing Mount Everest.
11 years after penning the lyrics to the hit track, which became a global hit thanks to a dance remix by SeeB, Mike reflected on how his life has changed since its release.
Giving a verse-by-verse comparison on social media platform X, he penned: ‘On my 26th birthday, I wrote I Took A Pill in Ibiza… 11 years ago. The song became popular several years after I wrote it.
‘This year I celebrated my 37th 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. check this out…’
He continued, ’26: 1 took a pill in Ibiza to show Avicii I was cool and when I finally got sober, felt 10 years older, but fuck it, it was something to do
’37: I love myself more than ever, no longer do shit that harms my body to try to get people to like me.
’26: I’m living out in LA, I drive a sports car just to prove. I’m a real big baller cause I made a million dollars and I spend it on girls and shoes.
’37: donated massive Jordan collection, drive 4runner, don’t need to prove anything to anyone other than God, love myself. 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.’
Mike is also now in a happy relationship with his girlfriend Alli Schaper, who appeared in his music video for the single ‘Is It Just Me?’. The video premiered in January 2025.
He continued on X: ’26: And I can’t keep a girl, no. Cause as soon as the sun comes up I cut ’em all loose and work’s my excuse But the truth is I can’t open up
’37: overcame my fear of intimacy and old patterns, worked through the pain of my previous breakups, recognised how much having a wife and family would actually mean to me, got the best help, did the inner work, and now I’m in the healthiest and most beautiful relationship I’ve ever had.’
The artist’s remarkable and inspiring revelation comes after he wrote the song having taken an impromptu trip to Ibiza with Swedish DJ Avicii – who tragically took his own life in 2018 – after writing a song with him.
Explaining the song via online music encyclopedia Genius, Posner said the trip to Ibiza came after writing a song with Avicii in Sweden, and deciding to follow the DJ to the island where he was performing because he’d never been before.
‘We were at his show and I was drinking at the time. And I just sort of moseyed out into the audience to watch Avicii spin from their point of view,’ he said.
Posner explained that he took a pill after a chance encounter with a fan who happened to recognise him while he was going between the VIP and general admission areas of the venue.
‘So I took one and I had never done that before, and I felt amazing. Then when I came down, I felt ten years older,’ he recalled.
Mike’s father Jon Miller died of cancer in 2017, and his friends Avicii and Mac Miller passed in 2018, the first by suicide and the second by an accidental overdose.
At the time, Mike explained: ‘Even though I had millions of dollars and followers and Grammy nominations, my life still felt empty.’
Following this, Mike decided to complete a six-month journey across the United States on foot in 2019.
Mike had to soldier through part of his trek with a walker after a baby rattlesnake bit him in Colorado this August, landing him briefly in the ICU.
He initially wrote on Instagram that he would ‘not be able to walk for several weeks’ – but was then up on a walker three days after the bite.
‘From 24 miles per day to using this walker to get to bathroom. I’m on my way back. Gonna rebuild with patience and equanimity,’ he tweeted.
The cross-country trek, which began five days before the first anniversary of Avicii’s death, was partly a result of Mike’s personal bereavement.
‘The big thing is, everyone wants you to forget you’re gonna die. Why? Because then you waste your precious life doing what they want you to do,’ he told CBS This Morning around the time he began his trip from Asbury Park.
‘People ask: “You know, is there a cause for your walk?” You know, I’m not raising money or anything, but maybe the cause is just to remind people your life is now. You know, if you close your eyes and you open ’em back up, this is it,’ he said.
The songwriter is no stranger to physically exhausting ventures, as he also successfully summited Mount Everest.
Mike still performs at huge festivals, including Tomorrowland and Ultra, and recently released a new version of I Took A Pill In Ibiza with Steve Aoki.
Along with his recording career, he has served as a record producer and songwriter for acts including Justin Bieber, Big Sean, Maroon 5, Nick Jonas, Cher Lloyd, and Labrinth.
He co-wrote Boyfriend by Justin Bieber and Sugar by Maroon 5, among others.
