2019 is the Year for This Rising Female Singer-Songwriter

Maggie Rogers is a name that has begun circulating after she opened for Mumford & Sons on their recent tour.

But she didn’t get where she is by pure luck. Rogers had always been dedicated to music, attending the Berklee Five-Week Performance Program during the summer of her Junior year in high school, and later enrolling in NYU’s prestigious Clive Davis Institute. She first caught the public’s eye when her song, “Alaska”, was played for Pharell Williams at a masterclass at NYU.

Rogers typically uses big, wide acoustic instruments to accompany her beautifully soaring voice. Her songs feel very open and connected to nature.

In her hit, “Fallingwater”, she uses strings and a very bright piano to cushion the moving vocal harmonies. The song is very well tied together with a simple folk-like drum pattern. At the bridge, she takes the pressing anthem and slows it down, as the song comes to a finish. It’s a rather different way to end a song and gives the listener the feeling of a train slowing and coming to a stop as it arrives at the station.

Rogers also uses many nature noises, drawing influences on singers such as Bjork. This is especially prominent in her song, “Alaska”, which she says was written about an outdoor camp that she attended. She mimics the birds and water sounds using synths and pads, layered with a repetitive, driving folk beat.

Her debut album, “Heard It in a Past Life” is set to be released on January 18, 2019.