You may know Mike Posner from his hit songs such as “Cooler Than Me” and “I Took a Pill in Ibiza,” but after a decade of making music Posner has created a project unlike any other.
On Oct. 9, Posner released “Keep Going,” a mixtape containing songs that he previously released along the route of his walk across America.
Yes, walking across America; that’s roughly 3,000 miles. With each state crossed, Posner would release a song. This mixtape is the culmination of these works.
This journey started April 10, with Posner emerging from the Atlantic Ocean with his sights set on the Pacific Ocean.
This Sunday, he is scheduled to complete his journey.
The title of this mixtape speaks to Posner’s mantra throughout his walk: just keep going.
Although Posner has almost completed this trek, it has not gone off without a hitch. While in Colorado, the artist was bitten by a rattlesnake.
For a while he was unable to walk, but returned to walking after completing therapy.
Even with this setback, Posner remained optimistic.
“Keep Going” starts off with a message from the man himself. In the opening of the mixtape Posner asks you, in a rather therapeutic tone of voice, to take the time to be in the moment to listen to this album and listen to it completely.
He states that the best way to listen to this project is from front to back and in one sitting, so that’s what I did.
It was worth it to take an hour out of my day to properly digest “Keep Going.”
Spinkled between the songs are messages from people in his life; these people include, in order, Diddy, Steven Tyler, Uncle Bun and E-40 and his mom.
These morsels of wisdom increasingly become more personal.
They seem to serve the purpose of motivation for him at the time but now are there for us, the listeners, to have.
He also collaborates with a couple of artists, which creates some pretty beautiful songs. Throughout the album, Posner is continuously self-explorative. For example, he talks about the type of person he used to be and how he has changed.
I know that seems pretty unoriginal, but I don’t want to spoil the songs for you completely.
He breaks down being a celebrity and opens up about his opinions on the topic.
He talks about his own struggles and the way others have impacted him.
“Keep Moving” and the style of songs is almost like a rollercoaster; the tracks in the beginning and end are slower, while the ones in the middle are more fast-paced.
I think this is representative of any journey.
The beginning and end are more contemplative time periods and the middle is where one needs to push through.
Mike Posner is an excellent lyricist, and “Keep Moving” is a powerful example of his talent.
I felt connected to each track and I didn’t become bored.
It’s a lot for artists to ask their audiences to put all other distractions aside and mindfully listen to their music, but Posner makes it easy. His delivery of his message makes the songs feel almost comforting.
If you would like, you could follow Mike Posner’s final leg of his journey across America by going to mikeposner.com or his Twitter or Instagram pages.
I know I will be watching him take those steps into the Pacific Ocean.

RACHEL MACKOWIAK
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