After Mike Posner’s arrival in 2010 with his smash debut single “Cooler Than Me,” the 28-year-old Michigan native took some time away from the spotlight to endure a period of soul-searching and second album reluctancy.

He scrapped his follow-up project, then turned his attention to production and co-writing hits for the likes of Justin Bieber and Maroon 5. Changing his musical style to a more stripped-down sound, Posner crafted a four-song acoustic EP bluntly titled The Truth.

Somewhere in between those very personal collection of tracks, which were centered on the downside of fame and the lessons he learned along the way, came the original version of “I Took A Pill In Ibiza.” Explaining that the melody and transparent lyrics came while flying from New York to Moscow, and simply “wanting to tell the truth.”

“If you are a real artist, you look at the beautiful things and you look at the ugly things as well,” Posner told REVOLT. “What I found is the ugly things are actually really beautiful in their own way.”

As for dealing with the fame of the industry, he added, “I don’t think I’ve ever really been famous, I don’t think people really give a shit about me. I make music and songs that pierce the mainstream armor of pop culture that flow through the veins without people really noticing. I have songs that people know, but don’t know me.”

That makes him as cool as he needs to be.

Watch the full clip below.

With reporting by Jordan Diaz