maggie rogers
You know how there are Swifties? Well, no hate on Tay-Tay but she ain’t it for me!
I will probably have a swarm of the fan base defending or trying to string me dry, but I truly mean no “bad blood.”
When it comes to singer/songwriters, I lean more towards the folky, soulful indie sounds. This is a piece I have wanted to put together for some time now.
Today’s featured artist is Maggie Rogers.
She is the reason this blog sprouted. After watching her now-famous Masterclass with Pharrell, I deep-dived into this Americana pop-folk singer’s biography, and, more closely, discography.
Discovering her after her debut album, Heard It In A Past Life, upbeat and poppy melodies like those found in “Give A Little” or “On + Off” of course, including her most known songs from the album like “Light On” and “Alaska.” The lyricism and her version of storytelling, taking us through vivid landscapes and emotions, was not even what sold me on the freckle-faced artist.
No, it was her, period.
I’ll explain.
After learning she was still working through school and advancing her education in music, along with her transition from strictly folk music to dance after studying abroad and falling in love with the electronic dance music scene there, to the way she can knock out hundreds upon hundreds of songs while the world was holed up during quarantine - Rogers fascinated me. On top of that wildly impressive resume, it stuns me still that she can knock out album after album in such short periods (mind you they are time out in-between so I mean more so in starting to finalizing the albums)… One of her albums she wrote and mastered in two weeks, writing multiple songs in one day - legit, one in the morning, one after lunch, and another later in the evening. When I say the woman is impressive, I mean in the otherworldly sort of way. To continue, because at this point, need I say more, she seems like the most down-to-earth human. Now, as fans of celebrities, musicians, and artists, we truly never really know how these artists and celebrities are behind the curtains. This opinion comes from the countless interviews, podcasts, and written articles based on interactions with Maggie. People and artists like that should be protected - those willing to stand up for rights, to choose a side, to have a mind and be proactive in their community…it says a lot and brings about the admiration we should instill in the people we lend our time, attention, and money to.
It’s been years now that I have been listening to Rogers’ music, and I was finally able to see her live in Miami last year. I knew that she would be incredible to see live. From all the videos I had seen before attending, I knew that Maggie was one of those who truly gave her all during performances - she was born to write, sing, and perform. I attended her concert alone, as I do most shows I truly anticipate. Taking the train from a county over to come down to Miami, transitioning into the Metro Mover (if you know Miami, especially downtown Miami, you know this is like our little above-ground subway), and then making my trek on foot to the FPL Solar Amphitheater located adjacent to Bayside, the buzz of the crowd was spine-tingling.
Immediately, I made my way to the merch table where I encountered a fellow solo concert-goer, a truly sweet human who was doing a work-stay from England. We immediately connected and ended up watching the show together. From the moment the tickets went on sale, I knew that I needed to be as close to the stage as possible. This is an artist that inspired me so reverently and whom I admire to the utmost degree. So there we were, my new friend and I sitting 3 rows away from the “Don’t Forget Me” performer. That night it rained, it was humid and hot, and I was soaked to the bone, but, man, was it a spectacular show. I screamed, sang, cried, danced, and ended up creating a little group of harmonies within those surrounding us. Connected to her audience is putting it lightly. She gave an electric performance even in the most intimate songs like “I Still Do.” There are not many artists I will go back and see again, she is one of the ones that warrants repeats.
Maggie deserved a post on this blog because it was after learning of her passion and follow-through that I decided that I wanted to live in this space. This space is the music, with creatives that were put in this realm to create, perform, and express - “Where words fail, music speaks.”
