Mike Posner's 31 minutes to take off

MANILA, Philippines –  Mike Posner, a 22-year-old singer, songwriter, and producer has taken a major step toward achieving his goal with the release of his debut album,

31 Minutes To Takeoff

— an eclectic, lovingly crafted collection of soulful tunes that showcase his innovative spirit and motivation to create something that sounds like nothing else out there. He co-wrote and/or co-produced every song on the album, conjuring up killer hooks and irresistible beats with a host of top-notch collaborators, including Benny Blanco (Ke$ha, Katy Perry), Greg Kurstin (Kylie Minogue, Lily Allen), The Smeezingtons (Bruno Mars, B.o.B., Travie McCoy), and members of Boyz II Men (who provide soulful harmonies in

Déja Vu).

The album’s relentless genre bending sound could only come from someone who has been steeped in music and driven to make it his entire life, as Posner has been. During consecutive summer breaks, as a Sociology and Business student at Duke University, he attempted to peddle his tracks to the major record labels.

Among those tracks was Cooler Than Me, a breezy ode to a former crush that Posner recorded in his dorm room using a $200 mic. Two years later, Cooler Than Me is a smash success having sold over one million copies. It so far has hit No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Digital Songs Chart. In March 2009, Posner released his first dorm-room recorded mixtape, A Matter of Time, by exploiting a loophole in the iTunesU software, which allows professors to post their lectures for free download. A Matter of Time climbed to No. 1 on iTunesU.

Posner’s success sparked a major-label bidding war and he signed with J Records the summer after completing his junior year at Duke.

31 Minutes To Takeoff is now out in CDs under Sony Music.