MAGGIE ROGERS - DOG YEARS

As a music student at NYU, Maggie Rogers began her time at University by experimenting with and producing pure folk music with a post-modern twist. However, after studying a year abroad in France she found a new love for dance music. After continuing her studies at NYU she set her sights on producing music that shows a fusion of the folk and dance genres. As Rogers was starting to create this new sound, Pharrel Williams was invited to host a masterclass at The Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. During this masterclass, some NYU students and young musicians, Maggie Rogers being one of them, got a chance to play some of their music to Pharrell. As a rough demo of Roger's debut single 'Alaska' starts to play, a look of surprise begins to unfold on Pharell's face as he shakes his head in amazement. After much anticipation, her debut single 'Alaska' was finally released and gained huge popularity and attention due to the video of Pharrel's reaction to Roger's demo of the same song. As of now the video has garnered over 3 million views on YouTube. 

While a co-sign and endorsement from Pharell via Twitter and a viral video of his stunned reaction to her music may be responsible for the majority of Roger's growing fanbase, her musical style alone is more than enough to get you interested. Her newest single continues her unique combination of folk and dance music. Much like her debut single 'Alaska', 'Dog Years' treats us to a catchy dance beat combined with Roger's personal and creative lyrics, her vocals soaring in and out of falsetto pitches. Throughout the song, the track carries a very deep synth-like grooving electronic beat that has a very retro 70/80s vibe to it. Technically, the song is mixed with a clean and crisp multi-layered sound. Through the mixture of dance beats and raw heartfelt vocals, there's something eclectic and natural about her unique sound. In many ways her vocals recall a young Florence Welch, both of their voices carrying a natural, pure and off-beat quality to them. 

With 'Dog Years' Roger's remains consistent in her goal to blend the folk and dance genres, creating songs with impeccable heartfelt lyrics that echo her rural upbringing and mixing them with unique percussion pieces and synth heavy dance hooks. Through her music, Roger's brings her technical and professional brilliance from being a music student at NYU and melds it with her instinctive knowledge and seemingly natural ability to create moving songs with compelling lyrics and chilling falsetto notes. Maggie Rogers' uniqueness and unpredictability as a young songwriter who exhibits a clear vision of what she wants to do and shows a remarkable confidence in what she knows she is capable of, makes me very excited to see her growth as a musician and an artist.