Maggie Rogers quickly rose to fame back in 2016 after a video of Pharrell Williams listening to her song, ‘Alaska,’ went viral. In the New York University masterclass session, Pharrell Williams was found teary-eyed and awestruck after listening to Rogers’ electro-folk song.

Despite going viral over two years ago, Rogers took her time in forming herself as an artist and curating her debut album, Heard It In A Past Life. Whilst her folk roots are still present within the indie electro-pop album, Rogers stays true to her love of dance music and nature; synthesisers are set alongside the layering of samples of babbling brooks and frogs.

Heard It In A Past Life tells the story of Rogers’ journey post-Pharrell encounter. She sings of love, heartbreak and finding herself in the whirlwind of her new-found reality. The catchy beat and lyrics of ‘Overnight’ help Rogers tell the bittersweet truth of getting older and how quickly life and people can change – overnight. Yet the emotional and intimate lyrics of ‘The Knife’ are also juxtaposed with infectious electro-pop beats which you cannot help but bob your head to. She slows things down in ‘Past Life,’ a song in which she echoes the sound of early Stevie Nicks. However, it is undoubtedly ‘Fallingwater’ that truly showcases Rogers’ vocal abilities, as she admits “I didn’t know that I could sing like this. Something woke-up.”

‘Back In My Body’ is appropriately placed as the last song on the album, illustrating how far Rogers has come and that she has found her feet again. The wholesome lyrics, “I’m back in my body” and “this time I know I’m fighting” bring a perfect close to Heard It In A Past Life – Maggie Rogers is not going anywhere. She is here to stay.

Annabel Martin

Header image via BBC