Maggie Rogers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Maggie Rogers
Rogers in 2019
Born	Margaret Debay Rogers (1994-04-25) April 25, 1994 (age 31) Easton, Maryland, U.S.
Education	New York University (BFA) Harvard University (MRPL)
Occupation	Singer-songwriter record producer
Years active	2012–present
Musical career
Genres	Pop folk art pop indie pop folk-pop
Instruments	Vocals guitar piano banjo harp
Labels	Debay Sounds Capitol

Margaret Debay Rogers (born April 25, 1994), known as Maggie Rogers, is an American singer and songwriter. She also produces her own music. Maggie grew up in Easton, Maryland.

She became widely known in 2016 when a video of her song "Alaska" went viral. This happened after famous artist Pharrell Williams heard it during a class at New York University. She has released two early independent albums, The Echo (2012) and Blood Ballet (2014). She also has three studio albums: Heard It in a Past Life (2019), Surrender (2022), and Don't Forget Me (2024). In 2020, she was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist, which is a big award for new musicians.

Biography

Early Life and Music Beginnings (1994–2012)

Maggie Rogers grew up in Easton, Maryland, near the Miles River. Her dad used to sell cars, and her mom was a nurse who now helps people at the end of their lives.

Maggie started playing the harp when she was seven. She loved classical music by composers like Gustav Holst and Antonio Vivaldi. Her mom also played neo-soul artists like Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill. By middle school, Maggie learned piano and guitar. She started writing her own songs in eighth grade.

For high school, she went to The Gunston School and then graduated from St. Andrew's School (Delaware). There, she played harp in the orchestra, sang in the choir, and joined a jazz band. She also learned to play the banjo and became interested in folk music. Maggie spent many summers at a camp in Maine.

After her junior year of high school, Maggie went to a music program at Berklee College of Music. She won a songwriting contest there, which made her want to focus on writing music. During her last year of high school, she appeared on TV for the first time on DelmarvaLife. She also recorded her first album, The Echo (2012). Maggie sent her early songs as part of her application to New York University (NYU), where she was accepted in 2012.

College and Discovery (2012–2016)

At NYU, Maggie thought about becoming a music journalist. In her first year, she worked for a journalist named Lizzy Goodman. Maggie helped by writing down hundreds of hours of interviews with famous musicians.

She also started a band called Del Water Gap with S. Holden Jaffe. They later decided to focus on their own solo music. One of their songs, "New Song," is on Maggie's album Notes from the Archive: Recordings 2011–2016 (2020).

During her second year at NYU, Maggie released another folk album called Blood Ballet (2014). Music blogs said the album explored "deep personal emotions."

Maggie studied abroad in France while at NYU. After friends encouraged her to go clubbing in Berlin, she discovered she loved dance music. When she came back home, Maggie started mixing dance music sounds into her own songs.

In 2016, after two years of not being able to write new songs, Maggie wrote "Alaska." She wrote it in just fifteen minutes after taking a trip with the National Outdoor Leadership School. She played the song for Pharrell Williams, a famous artist who visited her class to listen to student music. Pharrell was very impressed and said, "I've never heard anything that sounds like that." A video of him listening to the song went viral in June, getting millions of views. This also led to her earlier albums getting hundreds of thousands of plays.

Maggie graduated from NYU in May 2016. She earned a degree in music engineering and production, and English.

Graduate School (2021–2022)

In September 2021, Maggie shared that she had started graduate school at Harvard Divinity School. She was studying "the spiritual side of public gatherings and how power works in pop culture." She wanted to learn "how to keep art sacred." She graduated in May 2022 with a master's degree. Her 2022 album, Surrender, was part of her studies.

From December 2023 to May 2024, Maggie is a fellow at Harvard Divinity School. She is continuing her research on how religion, spirituality, and pop culture connect, based on her experiences as a performing artist.

Music Career (2016–present)

Maggie Rogers performing live in Minneapolis, October 2018

Maggie Rogers performing live at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, California, 2019

After the video with Pharrell went viral in 2016, many record labels wanted to sign Maggie. She signed a recording contract with Capitol Records. This deal allows her to have more control over her music and image than many other artists.

Maggie's first collection of songs, an EP called Now That the Light Is Fading, came out on February 17, 2017. Her first major studio album, Heard It in a Past Life, was released on January 18, 2019. This album reached No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 chart. Maggie performed on popular TV shows like The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Saturday Night Live, and Today Show.

In April 2019, Maggie covered the Taylor Swift song "Tim McGraw" for Spotify. In November 2019, she sang with Dead & Company, a rock band with former Grateful Dead members. She performed their song "Friend of the Devil" and the Band's "The Weight." Also in November 2019, Maggie was nominated for Grammy Award for Best New Artist at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.

Maggie performed during the 2020 Democratic National Convention from Scarborough, Maine, because of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. She was introduced by Sara Gideon, a politician from Maine.

On November 13, 2020, Maggie worked with singer Phoebe Bridgers to cover the Goo Goo Dolls' song "Iris." This song was available for one day on Bandcamp, and people could pay what they wanted. All the money went to a group called Fair Fight Action. Even though it was only sold for one day, the song reached number one on the Digital Songs chart and No. 57 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the first time either artist had a song on the Hot 100 chart.

On December 18, 2020, Maggie released Notes from the Archive: Recordings 2011–2016. This album is a collection of songs she wrote and recorded over ten years. Some songs are from her first two independent albums, The Echo (2012) and Blood Ballet (2014). Other songs are from an unreleased rock EP and a band she was in called Del Water Gap. A special version of the album included Maggie talking about each part of her music journey.

Her second studio album, Surrender, came out on July 29, 2022. It includes the songs "That's Where I Am," "Want Want," and "Horses." Other artists like Florence Welch and Clairo also appear on the album.

On January 27, 2023, Maggie worked with country star Zach Bryan on the song "Dawns." This song reached No. 42 on the Billboard Hot 100. Maggie performed at the Glastonbury Festival in the UK on June 24, 2023, and at Lollapalooza in Chicago on August 5, 2023.

On January 24, 2024, Maggie announced her new song "Don't Forget Me" would be released on February 8, 2024. This was the first song from her third album, also called Don't Forget Me, which came out on April 12, 2024. Maggie wrote the album in just five days. She said some of the stories in the album are her own memories, and some are from other people.

Influences

Maggie Rogers looks up to musicians like Carrie Brownstein, Patti Smith, Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth, and Björk. She also calls singers Brandi Carlile and Sharon Van Etten her "musical big sisters" because they have helped her.

Performances

Tours

Headliner (Maggie was the main performer)

• Heard It in a Past Life World Tour (2019)
  • This tour included performances at big festivals like Coachella and Newport Folk Festival.
• The Feral Joy Tour (2022)
• Summer of '23 Tour (2023)
• Don't Forget Me Tour (2024)

Opening act (Maggie performed before the main band)

• Haim — Sister Sister Sister Tour (2018)
• Kacey Musgraves — Oh, What a World: Tour II (October 25, 2019)
• Mumford & Sons — Delta Tour (2018)
• Coldplay - Music of the Spheres World Tour (2024)

Festivals

Maggie Rogers has performed at many music festivals, including:

• United States: All Things Go, Coachella, Governors Ball Music Festival, Lollapalooza, South by Southwest, Boston Calling Music Festival, Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival, Firefly Music Festival, Newport Folk Festival, and Shaky Knees Music Festival.
• Europe: Glastonbury Festival in England; Rock Werchter in Belgium; Latitude Festival in the UK; Citadel Festival in London; Down the Rabbit Hole in the Netherlands; and at the Main Square Festival in France.
• Canada: Osheaga Festival in Montreal and Sommo Festival in Cavendish.
• Australia: Splendour in the Grass Festival in Byron Bay.

Personal Life

Maggie Rogers has a special condition called synesthesia. This means that when she hears music, she can also see colors. She says she is spiritual, but not necessarily religious.

Activism and Philanthropy

Maggie's song "Give a Little" was written on the same day that students across the country spoke up about important issues. She was inspired by their actions and wrote the song about being kind and working together.

Maggie performed at the 2020 Democratic National Convention. She also supported Sara Gideon, a politician from Maine. On June 16, 2024, the Governor of Maryland, Wes Moore, declared it "Maggie Rogers Day" in the state. He recognized her work in helping people register to vote, supporting women's rights, and working for fair concert ticket prices. Maggie has also supported Kamala Harris for the 2024 election and performed at a rally for her.

Discography

Studio albums

Independent albums

Compilation albums

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Promotional singles

Other charted songs

Music videos

Accolades

See also

In Spanish: Maggie Rogers para niños

Images for kids

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  Maggie Rogers in 2019