At the beginning of the 2010s decade, Detroit-born Mike Posner burst onto the pop-rap scene, as his gentle, melodic approach translated into multiple Billboard hits, most notably “Cooler Than Me” with fellow Detroit native Big Sean. Released as a promotional single, “Cooler Than Me” would peak at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 before landing on Posner’s debut album, 31 Minutes to Takeoff, which included more bops like “Please Don’t Go” and “Bow Chicka Wow Wow” with Lil Wayne, landing at No. 16 and No. 30 on the chart, respectively.
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However, while the rest of Posner’s career would rarely see him reach heights like these again, aside from his 2015 smash hit “I Took a Pill in Ibiza,” he would instead use his elite songwriting ability to land chart-toppers for other mainstream acts. Considering he already got himself a foot in the door of the industry, many of pop music’s biggest names would go on to enlist the help of Posner. Check out four of the most successful hits he helped write below.
1. “Sugar,” Maroon 5
Written by Mike Posner, Adam Levine, Joshua Coleman, Lukasz Gottwald, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Henry Walter
In 2014, when Maroon 5 released their fifth studio album, V, the fifth song on the track list, “Sugar,” immediately became one of their most beloved tracks. Peaking at No. 2 on the Hot 100, and earning a diamond certification from RIAA in January 2022, “Sugar” saw a return to the glory days for Maroon 5 and their lead singer Adam Levine.
Credited for additional vocals and songwriting, Posner would eventually reveal in a 2015 interview with Billboard that he wrote the song for himself and shelved it for a while. After Posner’s album, Pages, was nixed, he decided to give it to Levine for Maroon 5, as they had been asking for it for months.
“Adam wanted the song. He called and asked for it months before and I said no,” Posner told Billboard. “But when Pages wasn’t going to come out and I sort of had the seedlings of this new record, I thought, ‘Well, this is just gonna sit on my laptop’ so I gave it to them and when they recorded the song Adam added his flavor to it and he wrote on it as well, lyrically and some melodic things, and he really sang it well. I’m a big fan, so I’m glad they did it.”
2. “Boyfriend,” Justin Bieber
Written by Mike Posner, Mason Levy, Matthew Musto (Blackbear), Justin Bieber
In 2012, two years after Posner exploded onto the charts, rising teenage Canadian sensation Justin Bieber called upon him to help craft his latest hit, meant to follow successes like “Baby,” “Eenie Meanie,” and “Never Say Never.” Alongside Blackbear, a Canadian songwriter, musician, producer, and frequent collaborator of Posner’s, the two wrote “Boyfriend.”
Eventually becoming Bieber’s first No. 1 hit on the Hot 100, “Boyfriend” now sits at 6x certified platinum by RIAA.
Four years later (2016), Posner spoke to Jimmy Fallon about the inspiration behind the song he earned writing and production credits for, explaining that he loved including “if, then” statements in his music, evident in the, If I was your boyfriend, I’d never let you go, hook on “Boyfriend.”
3. “Bad Decisions,” Benny Blanco, BTS, and Snoop Dogg
Written by Benjamin Levin (Benny Blanco), Calvin Broadus Jr. (Snoop Dogg), Michael Posner, Magnus Høiberg, Blake Slatkin
One of the most unexpected mainstream collaborations ever, superstar producer and vocalist Benny Blanco connected with K-pop icons BTS and West Coast rap legend Snoop Dogg for “Bad Decisions” in 2022. Peaking at No. 10 on the Hot 100, the song’s Let’s make some bad decisions hook was one the most popular earworms in all of music last year.
Posner, who played guitar and added background vocals on the song, earned writing credits for “Bad Decisions.”
4. “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me,” Big Sean
Written by Mike Posner, No I.D. and Big Sean
An artist Posner worked with several times throughout his career, Big Sean would recruit his fellow Detroiter to write and produce on “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me,” the fourth song on his debut album Finally Famous. The LP would go on to peak at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.
Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Coachella
