So I've had a week to reflect on what I'm pretty sure will be one of my favourite records of 2019 (you heard it here...) and I am desperate to recommend it to as many people who will listen. I have very rapidly fallen pretty hard for Maggie Rogers. From her energetic, carefree performances to her beautiful lyrics and catchy hooks, there's a lot going on and a whole lot to enjoy.
It took me a couple of years of hearing her name on various line-ups and playlists and adding a couple of her tracks to my own playlists to take a proper listen to Maggie, once she was announced as opening act for Mumford & Sons on their recent UK arena tour. I was hooked pretty quickly. Her set at the Nottingham show presented a humble young artist at a relatively early stage in her career exuding the confidence and stage presence of a rockstar. She looked completely at ease in front of the arena crowd, but was clearly not taking any of it for granted.
Maggie's early track Alaska went viral after a video of her impressing none other than Pharell Williams with the track at a masterclass at her university surfaced online. She's been building momentum since that, performing on various America TV shows (most recently an incredible performance of Burning for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Light On for The Ellen Show), touring around the world and releasing the hugely acclaimed Now That The Light Is Fading EP.
Finally, for both Maggie and her thousands of adoring fans, her debut album Heard It In A Past Life was released last Friday. After a few (OK, several) listens I can confirm that it is 45 minutes of solid joy, a pop masterpiece as it were. The likes of already well loved singles Alaska, Give A Little and Light On all feature, alongside new tunes such as the almost-title-track Past Life, a raw and honest piano-led ballad which really showcases her gorgeous vocals. Elsewhere, Burning has become a new favourite of mine while closing track Back In My Body is an empowering tune that I can't get enough of - and then, without realising, the album has restarted and I'm enjoying it all over again.
In the run up to the release of the album, Maggie shared this live session video she performed last year in Paris for La Blogothèque. It's a glorious, heartwarming version of Light On which made me feel all fuzzy inside and I hope it makes you feel the same! I truly can't implore you to listen to her record enough - check it out on Spotify here and grab your copy from your local independent store.
It took me a couple of years of hearing her name on various line-ups and playlists and adding a couple of her tracks to my own playlists to take a proper listen to Maggie, once she was announced as opening act for Mumford & Sons on their recent UK arena tour. I was hooked pretty quickly. Her set at the Nottingham show presented a humble young artist at a relatively early stage in her career exuding the confidence and stage presence of a rockstar. She looked completely at ease in front of the arena crowd, but was clearly not taking any of it for granted.
Maggie's early track Alaska went viral after a video of her impressing none other than Pharell Williams with the track at a masterclass at her university surfaced online. She's been building momentum since that, performing on various America TV shows (most recently an incredible performance of Burning for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Light On for The Ellen Show), touring around the world and releasing the hugely acclaimed Now That The Light Is Fading EP.
Finally, for both Maggie and her thousands of adoring fans, her debut album Heard It In A Past Life was released last Friday. After a few (OK, several) listens I can confirm that it is 45 minutes of solid joy, a pop masterpiece as it were. The likes of already well loved singles Alaska, Give A Little and Light On all feature, alongside new tunes such as the almost-title-track Past Life, a raw and honest piano-led ballad which really showcases her gorgeous vocals. Elsewhere, Burning has become a new favourite of mine while closing track Back In My Body is an empowering tune that I can't get enough of - and then, without realising, the album has restarted and I'm enjoying it all over again.
In the run up to the release of the album, Maggie shared this live session video she performed last year in Paris for La Blogothèque. It's a glorious, heartwarming version of Light On which made me feel all fuzzy inside and I hope it makes you feel the same! I truly can't implore you to listen to her record enough - check it out on Spotify here and grab your copy from your local independent store.
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