Mike Posner Feels "Conflicted" About Debuting Unreleased Music With Avicii (EXCLUSIVE)

In 2016, Mike Posner took a pill in Ibiza to impress a Swedish DJ by the name of Tim Berling, known by many as Avicii. Two years later, Avicii died, only one year after Mike lost his dad. Their deaths inspired Mike’s 2800-mile walk across America, where he was bitten by a rattlesnake and almost lost his own life. Not long after, Mike climbed Mt. Everest.

Avicii’s death was a wake-up call that reminded Mike to live his life to the fullest. In an exclusive interview with Distractify, Mike opened up about his relationship with the late producer and his new single “Amor Fati.” Here’s what we learned.

Avicii died by suicide at 28, only five years younger than Mike was when he began his climb to the summit of Mt. Everest. During his career, Avicii battled addiction and mental illness. He ultimately retired from performing in 2016, but he worked on several unreleased projects ahead of his death.

Mike got candid about his time with Avicii, which was mostly spent in the studio. Mike shared that although the industry can be fickle, his professional relationship with Avicii was always solid.

“When you’re an artist and if you're blessed enough to do it for more than a few years — which I have been — there’s a lot of ups and downs. I’ve had my songs be No. 1 in the world and I've had people think my career was over,” he told Distractify. “He was somebody that steadfastly just believed in me as a writer. And he wanted to work with me in the studio creatively, no matter what was going on with my career. So that always touched me.”

The “Cooler Than Me” singer said that his professional relationship granted him a first-hand glimpse into Avicii’s creative process. But will Mike Posner and Avicii’s unreleased music ever be available for streaming?

While many fans are waiting to hear the songs that Avicii didn’t get to share with the world before his death, Mike said that he feels “conflicted” about dropping their unreleased project without the producer’s permission.

“On one hand, some of the ideas we had started are really awesome. And then at the same time, he didn't finish,” Mike said, adding, “Avicii, he was a perfectionist. Like, he had to get every detail right. So I feel a little weird saying, 'here’s this Avicii song.' But it’s not. It’s an Avicii idea that he never finished.”

Although Mike is wary of debuting his collab with Avicii, he recently teamed up with Clif to release his new single “Amor Fati” on the Clif “Remix in Motion” platform. According to Mike, mental and physical wellness go hand in hand with creativity, which is exactly why his partnership with Clif is a perfect fit. He shared, “I think it's a package deal and I think it just makes the creative process easier.”

“The idea is, it gets other people moving and whatever we can do to make our brothers and sisters healthier, I’m all in for it,” Mike said of the campaign.

You can listen to Mike’s new song “Amor Fati” exclusively on ClifRemixInMotion.com.

If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.