Maggie Rogers background is that she is a wunderkid who has lived up to her hype, impressing audiences, critics, and making her mentor Pharrell Williams very proud. When I first heard her, even after just a couple of listens to hit singles “Alaska” and “Dog Years”, it was clear to me that she was special. This was 2016 mind you, as the Pop world was still deeply obsessed with the most banal Whisperpop of Selena Gomez, and the imitable motivational Synth Pop of Taylor Swift and Katy Perry, and the torturous EDM-lite Pop of The Chainsmokers, Avicci and Marshmello. I was subsequently floored by her first EP Now That The Light is Fading, yet then she went away for a long time and I wondered why. Apparently, she was developing her sound, shying away from the consequences of fame, and gearing up for this fantastic full album, Heard it in a Past Life. I was once again floored with the new singles “Fallingwater”, “Give a Little”, and “Light On.” Finally getting a chance to listen to the album in its entirety, there were of course some inclusion of tracks which were on the previous EP, but hearing the total sounds in all of their immense diversity, I noticed that whether she was tackling Art Pop or Funk or the occasional crowd appeaser, each track sounded freakin’ perfect. It takes an unbelievable amount of intelligence and patience to make Pop the way that Maggie Rogers does, and as she wields one of the most attractive voices over some of the best arrangements found in the business of Pop music, she is already proving to be a worthy choice for the top of my list. This whole time, she seems to have acted in an unhurried manner, dismissive of the specifics of success windows or the maintenance of industry buzz, and rather, seems to be only motivated by making as many masterpieces as she can.
