Maggie Rogers has never been one to mince words. Aside from her powerhouse voice, one of Maggie’s superpowers is her ability to write pop songs fueled by radical emotional transparency. And while it’s thrilling when an artist bares their soul, that level of constant vulnerability can be unsustainable.
In 2019, after releasing her Grammy-nominated debut, Heard It In A Past Life, and then touring the album relentlessly, Maggie was desperately in need of time away from the spotlight. Just before the pandemic she retreated to her parent’s home in coastal Maine. There, she began writing and recording for her follow-up album, Surrender.

Maggie also started to think deeply about her role as a pop star, and the relationship between herself and the audience. In 2021 she enrolled in a masters program of religion and public life at Harvard Divinity School. There, her studies focused on the spirituality of public gatherings and the ethics of power in pop culture.

On today’s episode, producer Leah Rose talks to Maggie Rogers about how comforting it was for her to become a student again. Maggie also recalls the time she took motorcycle lessons to re-channel the massive amounts of adrenaline she experienced on her first tour. And, we’ll hear the song from Maggie’s new album that she says is the perfect distillation of where she is at now as an artist.

You can hear a playlist of our favorite Maggie Rogers songs HERE.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You Might Like

Rolling Stone Music Now
Rolling Stone Music Now
Rolling Stone | Cumulus Podcast Network
Revisionist History
Revisionist History
Pushkin Industries
The Rock Podcast with Denny Somach
The Rock Podcast with Denny Somach
Denny Somach Productions
Questlove Supreme
Questlove Supreme
iHeartPodcasts
Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums
Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums
Rolling Stone | Amazon Music
The Imbalanced History of Rock and Roll
The Imbalanced History of Rock and Roll
The Imbalanced History of Rock and Roll
Behind The Song
Behind The Song
The Drive | Hubbard Radio
Sound Opinions
Sound Opinions
Sound Opinions
Song Exploder
Song Exploder
Hrishikesh Hirway
DISGRACELAND
DISGRACELAND
Double Elvis
SmartLess
SmartLess
Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett
Wong Notes
Wong Notes
Premier Guitar