Maggie Rogers, Dance-Meets-Folk, and Pharrell Williams

In the Spring of 2016, a video of a New York University masterclass with music producer Pharrell Williams went viral as a result of the legendary artist-producer’s reaction to a song by senior Maggie Rogers. “Alaska” is a spacious dance-meets-folk track that Rogers crafted just 24 hours before the class. As one of the fellow students in NYU’s Clive Davis program invited to attend this event, I was able to witness the whole experience firsthand. Just by watching Williams’ reaction while listening, before he even said anything, everyone in the room sensed something big was about to happen.

Fast forward almost a year, and Rogers’ much-hyped debut EP finally arrived. While she may be known as Pharrell’s protege, her release Now That The Light Is Fading doesn’t just fall back on her success story. Each one of the five tracks holds its own encapsulating Rogers’ unique background of folk and electronic influences.

Maggie Rogers Blending Genres

Rogers grew up in rural Maryland playing banjo, and after a year abroad in Paris, she began to add electronic elements to her sound. These two genres, combined with Rogers’ rich collection of self-gathered nature samples recorded while on a number of hiking trips, work together to create a musical blend with wide appeal.

Gems on Now That the Light is Fading

While “Alaska” is certainly a standout based on its viral popularity, Rogers’ five song collection is full of gems. The hauntingly beautiful “Color Song” evokes the feeling of falling asleep under the stars. Cricket samples make up the musical backdrop and Rogers’ soft lyrical delivery creates an almost lullaby-like tune. While in some cases, nature samples could become gimmicky, Rogers ability to expertly intertwines them feels nothing short of authentic. The track itself is a riff off of a song Rogers used to sing at summer camp, which only strengthens Rogers’ sense of self in her work.

As Maggie Rogers told the music site Pigeons and Planes, her aim with Now That The Light Is Fading was to make dance music “feel as human as possible.” By using folk-style storytelling and nature samples, she’s created a body of work that feels like its own genre while maintaining its approachability to more mainstream fans.

Read more about Maggie, her music, and her current tour on her website Maggie Rogers.

Hannah Currie

Hannah Currie is a student at New York University’s Clive Davis Institute for Recorded Music and intern at Live from the Artist’s Den.

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