Photos taken by Jacob Byk

After the show the Daily Kent Stater sat down with Mike Posner & his bottle of Jack Daniels.

Q: How do you like Kent? How was the show?

A: The show was amazing. I’m so excited to go spend the night with the kids.

Q: Are you going out?

A: Yeah! I’m pre-gaming right now. You see this Jack in my hand!

Uhm, but It was just an incredible night. Like I said on stage, Ohio has had my back since the very very very beginning of my career, so every time I’m on the stage here it’s a special moment, and to have MGK (Machine Gun Kelly) rock the crowd with me, it was, it was a moment.

Q: How did that happen with Machine Gun Kelly?

A: He’s family, man. We met each other maybe like, I don’t know, six months/ a year ago. We’ve become really close ever since. We have music that’s not out yet, and we’re really excited for that to happen, so for him to join me on stage in his home state is a honor.

Q: And I understand you’re pretty tight with Wale too?

A: Wale is my homie. He’s supported me since the very beginning of my career.

He put me on one of his mix-tapes, which was a big honor at the time, so doing shows with him is always exciting and cool.

Q: So what do you think is still the most college-boy thing about you?

A: Probably that I’m drinking Jack during this interview without a chaser.

Uhm but, besides that, I don’t really feel any different than the kids that were looking at me in the crowd tonight, and that’s what’s so special to me about these shows.

I’m not on tour right now, but I knew that this day would be special, so I did this show as a one-off because I knew it would be a moment that people could take with them and that I could take with me.

Q: Does playing college campus make you miss just hanging out in your dorm?

A: Definitely! Which is why I’m gonna try to cram a few semesters of fun into tonight, so we’ll see what happens.

Q: Do you feel famous?

A: No. I feel the same as I did two years ago making beats in my dorm room. That’s why it really is flabbergasting to me and incredible that I go on stage and there are people in the crowd. It still, like, freaks me out every night that people come to see me sing my songs.

Q: Do you have any advice for other college students who might want to pursue music?

A: I’d say just be yourself. It’s really easy to do what’s hot right now and think that that’s going to propel you to where you want to be, but it’s actually the opposite. The more different you are the better, and maybe your flaws are really your strengths.

Like, I never sang before I went to college. I was a junior when I started singing, and I did it because I wanted to be a producer and nobody would ever buy my beat, *laughs* so I started singing on them myself, and I didn’t really think I could sing, but I have a really weird voice that I guess some people like, so that was like a flaw of mine that ended up being a strength.

Q: I know all of your songs are written based on your real-life experience, so do you think you’re cooler than her now?

A: *laughs* Uhm, I hope she thinks so, but no, I really do feel like the same guy and it totally blows my mind that I get to do what I get to do. You know, I went to a college where like everyone goes to work on Wall Street and all my friends went to work on Wall Street and none of them are happy.

Q: Are you happy?

A: I’m incredibly happy because i did what I loved and I ended up being able to make a living off of that, and I’m so grateful for that.

So if there is one lesson to be learned from my story, I guess it’s follow your heart, do what you love and the rest will work out.

Contact Brittany Hill at [email protected].