Pop singer Maggie Rogers recently dropped a new album “Surrender,” a cathartic explosion of feelings with each track.
Doing It All
As a young musician, Rogers played an eclectic array of instruments, starting with the harp, then moving on to the piano, the guitar, the banjo, and songwriting. Rogers also had a wide exposure to all types of music, listening to classical Holst and Vivaldi, jazz music, folk music, and soul music. Her extensive passion and interest in music landed her in New York University, where she studied music journalism. She would graduate with a music engineering degree.
At college, she would start a band named Del Water Gap, splitting up after six months to pursue a solo career. Rogers would perform a song named “Alaska” for Pharrell Williams at a class he taught at her school, making him cry with emotion. The video of this incident went viral, which led to Rogers getting signed with Capitol Records.
Right before she released “Surrender,” it also became known that Rogers would attending graduate school at Harvard for religion. While her master’s thesis on religion is only similar to her new album in title (both have Surrender in the name), a metaphysical and intangible aspect is certainly present in her tracks.
Emotions, Emotions, Emotions
Rogers says “Surrender” is “so much about feeling. ‘Surrender’ is about giving in to feeling as much as you can possibly feel, as an expression of being alive, whether that is love or anger—emotions that can take over your body.”
Roger’s belting singing voice in the chorus of “Overdrive” or her powerful singing in “Want Want.” show off these emotions.
“Want-want what you want-want then you want it /
And I want you, oh, ooh”
-from “Want Want”
In general, Maggie’s songs grip the listener with intensity and desire, giving into her wants and her feelings. The instrumentals back her up in beautifully unique ways, giving her songs a powerful feeling. Even the seemingly out-of-place spliced-up gasping noises in “That’s Where I Am” compliment her singing and pushes the energy of the song.
Maggie Rogers will be on tour across Europe for the rest of this year, which can be found by clicking here. It will be truly exciting to see what Maggie will do next with her finished degree and her musical freedom!
