My friends and I share similar tastes in music, leading us to obsess over the same songs for weeks at a time. Last semester, my friend Caroline begged me to listen to a new song by some artist named Maggie Rogers. Little did we know that this new artist, rather than just the song, would become our newest and longest musical obsession.
After listening to her single "Light On" on repeat for days, I finally searched Maggie Rogers on YouTube in hopes of finding a music video for the soothing and soulful song that I couldn't get out of my head. What was meant to be a quick search turned into an hour long binge watch of all of her music videos, documentaries, and guest performances on several talk shows. I fell in love with her style, quirkiness, and confidence, which transpired into all of her songs and videos.
Maggie Rogers describes herself as a "banjo player from the Eastern Shore of Maryland" in her biography on her official website. She was introduced to the professional music industry by Pharrell Williams, who fell in love with her song "Alaska" during a master class at NYU. He applauded Rogers' originality and dedication to her roots while also incorporating the pop aspects of today's chart-topping favorites into her songs.
As a person who feels their most confident when singing and dancing to powerful, passionate music, I found myself connecting with Maggie Rogers as she lets her body move in whatever way feels right while performing. Through her insane ability to write lyrics that are simplistic, yet heavy in their meaning, she shows her authentic, carefree personality, demonstrating that she is very much her own person. She tells the story of how she got to this gratifying place in her life through her album "Heard It in a Past Life."
My friends and I are very much looking forward to attending her concert at Radio City Music Hall next October. The power in her music is so evident while just listening through headphones that I can't imagine the passion and fierceness that will come from seeing her live in concert.
