Maggie Rogers: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

Stephen Thompson | August 7, 2017 -- Maggie Rogers became a viral star on the strength of a video in which Pharrell Williams raves about a demo of what's become her signature song, "Alaska." Since then, Rogers has signed a label deal, toured extensively and released a sweetly approachable, inventively arranged EP called Now That The Light Is Fading.

For her Tiny Desk debut, Rogers performed all three of the EP's best-known songs, opening with the recent singles "On + Off" and "Dog Years," the latter of which she calls "a song for all the pups." Then, after dismissing her band, she treated us to a few warm words about public radio before introducing "Alaska" — a song whose buoyantly clever arrangement translates beautifully to the solo acoustic treatment she gives it here. She needn't have buttered us up; we were already all in.

Now That The Light Is Fading is available now.

SET LIST

"On + Off"
"Dog Years"
"Alaska"

MUSICIANS

Maggie Rogers (vocals, guitar); Grant Zubritsky (bass, synth); Alan Markley (keys); Dana LaMarca (drums).

CREDITS

Producers: Bob Boilen, Niki Walker, Morgan Noelle Smith; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Niki Walker, Tsering Bista, Kara Frame; PA: Jenna Li; Photo: Liam James Doyle/NPR.

[dsroaddogg]

I lost my wife and pup this fall in a car accident - Maggie, I ended up on this video one night out of the blue. You gave me a second wind to keep going and not give up, so please know that you're inspirational.

[annadelrosario]

This is a person who has found herself

And is continuing to do so

[coletteremie]

I moved to Alaska for veterinary medical school 2 years ago, all alone, leaving everyone I love in New York City, and this song kept coming up in my automatically generated YouTube playlists. It sounded so familiar to me, and I realized it was a song my best friend used to play all the time when I was at his apartment. But I never knew the name, because she never says it in the song. One day this fall I was walking through the forest, super recently after moving back to Alaska, ecstatic to be following my dreams but so deeply missing everyone I love, jamming out to this and I finally had the foresight to actually look up the name of this song that I love so much. When I saw that it was called Alaska I started crying

[theycomingclash]

Whoever mixed this audio deserves a spot in heaven. This is simply beautiful

[gageiiiiitttt]

Her charisma is somewhere between chill and pure joy.

[mcg]

Little easter egg / nugget for the viewers here that I haven't seen mentioned in the video or any of its comments: the book on the table next to Maggie Rogers titled "Meet Me in the Bathroom" is a compilation of interviews released by music journalist Lizzy Goodman.

Maggie Rogers her freshman year at NYU interned for Goodman, and its Maggie Rogers herself that transcribed most of these interviews for Goodman so that the book could be made. Guess it all comes full circle after a while.

[chuchuchuchia]

This version of On+Off is so much better and pure beauty

[tomiwaaina]

awww she sounds so nervous when she talked but sang so confidently

[David-vuxq]

Anyone else ever realize that that is actually a pretty big desk.

[OnScreenKhemistry]

Listening to Maggie’s music is a spiritual experience.

[GabbyDario]

She literally looks like a Glossier ad

[erinberglund]

this is one of my favorite tiny desks EVER

[allimc]

She's said that growing up, she could only find guys to play with, and she never felt included or heard when playing with them, so she started making tracks on her own. It made me smile when the chorus hit and showed her in front of a band of guys playing her song.

[v.i.pdance]

i can't really describe it but this genre of music always feels like it's the last period of a great day full of energy

[LtZacFighter]

0:00 - On + Off
4:28 - Dog Years
10:05 - Alaska

[lexthanexpected]

such a difference between her singing and talking voice

[michaelkartman]

“This is a song about, coming back into your body.. Yeah, okay”

This woman is so herself, so pure. A true treasure

[sinjon]

This version of Alaska is straight fire. She’s such a great live performer

[vevayoung]

"this is a song about coming back into your body". alaska has been on repeat for me the last few months, it's so wonderful to hear this stripped down, raw version. I cried big fat tears. I know it's time for me to come back into my body. it's just so hard to move forward.

[philipgardiner]

A Star is Born…. and look at today! She owned the stage at Lollapalooza. ❤