Mike Posner Reveals He Has Unreleased Vocals Avicii Had Him Record For ‘Levels’

Mike Posner is most well known for his hit record, ‘I Took A Pill In Ibiza’. In the instant dance classic that was famously remixed by Seeb to create a radio hit, Posner mentions Avicii by name. The duo apparently had a strong relationship and used to work with each other on tracks fairly frequently.

‘Levels’ Almost Became A Vocal Track Featuring Mike Posner…

In a radio interview with NYC’s Alt 92.3, Mike revealed that he had actually been sent the stems of ‘Levels’ by Avicii who hoped he could record vocals on the track. Posner went on to say that while he made several variations of the song, none of them fit quite right and ultimately the song was released as we know and love it today, with its iconic soul sample.

Read excerpts from the interview below or check out the original article here.

“I was shelved by my record label at the time…But Tim (Bergling, Avicii) always liked my stuff and my writing so he would always – every six months or so – send me some tracks he was working on, and ask me to write to them. He actually sent me “Levels.”

Posner reveals for the first time, that he took not one pass at attempting a topline for the tune, but “like 6 of em, because I couldn’t get it right…they weren’t that good that’s why he didn’t use em. I mean they were good, but not… the thing.”

Posner’s Own Winding Road Back To The Top

Mike Posner’s story is worth a bit more context here, since “I Took A Pill In Ibiza” wasn’t some overnight hit for him, it was actually a comeback. He’d already had a top-five hit years earlier with “Cooler Than Me” before a rough stretch, including getting dropped by his label, the same shelving he references in that quote. Writing “Ibiza” as a bitter, autobiographical song about the music industry’s disposability, only to have the Seeb remix turn it into one of the biggest EDM-pop crossovers of 2016, was a pretty wild turn of events.

That history is part of why the “Levels” story lands the way it does. Avicii clearly recognized real songwriting talent in Posner well before the wider industry did, reaching out repeatedly over the years even during Posner’s lower points. The two artists’ paths kept crossing right up until Avicii’s death in 2018, and Posner has spoken about him warmly in interviews since, a friendship built on a shared understanding of how brutal the industry side of making hit records can be.