Detroit-bred singer and producer Mike Posner is a music industry veteran, but on his fifth studio album, he starts over. After a five-year hiatus filled with illness, depression, and addiction, his first solo album since 2020’s Operation: Wake Up begins with a triumphant declaration: “It’s a beautiful day to be alive.” Posner feels stronger than he could have imagined coming through the other side of his struggles, and The Beginning is a celebration, as well as a renaissance for one of pop’s most thoughtful songwriters. On “High Forever,” he kicks things off with a spoken-word introduction before reflecting on the triumphs and valleys that make life worth living. “You can’t stay high forever,” he sings.