Maggie Rogers, a Grammy Nominee and Harvard Divinity School alumna

Maggie Rogers recently took an impressive leap, dethroning Mumford & Sons from Billboard’s first Adult Alternative Songs chart and becoming one of the most lauded new singer-songwriters since. But even with her blossoming career, the Grammy nominee still makes time for academic pursuits: currently attending Harvard Divinity School to achieve her Master of Religion and Public Life degree.

At 24 years old, She grew up along Maryland’s Miles River where her father worked as a Ford Motor Company dealer and her mother ran an end-of-life doula service before opening up a holistic healing practice. Starting playing the harp at age seven she later taught herself piano, guitar and banjo; becoming an accomplished songwriter as evidenced by 2012’s The Echo album which showcased her smooth soprano voice and ability to capture intimate emotions.

Rogers attended a Berklee summer program and won its writing contest, leading her to take more interest in songwriting. She started creating demos of her music in her broom closet before applying to New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music where she released Blood Ballet two years later.

Rogers found her breakthrough during her studies at NYU when she performed her signature song, Alaska, for Pharrell Williams during a master class. This video went viral and propelled Rogers into the limelight.

As a result, she found herself immersed in an old-fashioned label bidding war. “I would cross-reference all of the people vying for my attention,” recalling how she would carefully evaluate prospective suitors by their community ties and past work; some were great; however they didn’t sign the kind of artist she desired to represent.

He quickly secured a record deal with RCA Records and has since performed at numerous festivals such as Coachella, Glastonbury Festival, Lollapalooza and Boston Calling Music Festival – opening for pop band HAIM and country singer Kacey Musgraves respectively. Additionally she was selected to perform remotely at the 2020 Democratic National Convention due to the COVID-19 pandemic; performing from Scarborough Maine due to illness related issues was her way out! He credits Carrie Brownstein, Patti Smith Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth as musical influences; singer Brandi Carlile and Sharon Van Etten are considered “big sisters”.