Heard It in a Past Life
| Maggie Rogers
Heard It in a Past Life
Heard It in a Past Life is the major-label debut studio album by American singer Maggie Rogers. It was released on January 18, 2019, via Debay Sounds under exclusive license to Capitol Records.The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200.-Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
Show All-
Whitman Wire
“Heard It in a Past Life” ultimately sets the scene for a musical career promising exploration of a multitude of musical genres. Maggie Rogers blesses her listeners with her inspiring passion for music and taps into an overflowing reservoir of artistry.
-
Rolling Stone
The singer-songwriter’s major-label debut is full of tuneful goodness and relatable detail.
-
DIY Magazine
The record finds a way of making her atypical pop sit comfortably in the mainstream, offering something genuinely new. Coming a long way since sitting adjacent to Pharrell in the studio at NYU, Maggie Rogers has certainly found her own voice.
-
NME
Maggie Rogers writes empowering, honest songs about falling hopelessly in love, getting your heart broken and discovering your self-worth. Her debut album is the work of an idiosyncratic talent.
-
Consequence of Sound
The new queen of indie pop proves that she is here to stay on her debut full-length.
-
Pitchfork
Three years after an encounter with Pharrell turned her into a viral phenomenon, the accidental star finally delivers her debut album, but her talents are eclipsed by overproduction.
-
The Guardian
Now her debut album is here. Has it done justice to that evident promise? Unfortunately, what made Rogers stand out – a warmly idiosyncratic voice and a strong grasp of melody made less conventional with looping samples and unexpected beats – is still best showcased by her 2017 EP, Now That the Light Is Fading.
-
Independent
Despite moments of greatness, she has set her own bar too high. After she was discovered in a viral YouTube video, Rogers took her time with her debut album – but it never quite reaches the mountainous heights of her breakout song.
-
Variety
The newcomer makes musical comfort food out of ambivalence and anxiety in an arresting major-label debut.
-
Atwood Magazine
In ‘Heard It in a Past Life’, Maggie Rogers combines tales of identity, life, and love with a carefully crafted sound for a debut album that’s fully representative of herself.
-
Glide Magazine
Maggie Rogers 2017 EP Now That The Light Is Failing was hailed as a fresh burst of indie pop and now on her debut full length Heard It In A Past Life, Rogers proves it wasn’t hype as she continues her meteoric rise with a lush modern sound arraigned around confident lyrics and singing.
-
The Ringer
With her debut album ‘Heard It in a Past Life,’ the 24-year-old NYU grad is making good on her once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and asserting herself as a bold young artist.
-
Thank Folk For That
Maggie Rogers is a pure emblem of musical fusion. Her roots in folk remain the bedrock of her music, as she effortlessly weaves in generous inspiration from electronic, pop, and r&b into her evolving style.
-
The 405
She may have broken to relative stardom in a modern way yet the music presented on her awaited debut Heard It In A Past Life feels deep rooted in nostalgic Americana, a wash of soft palette colours.
-
UPROXX
The songs on Heard It In A Past Life are all beautiful, lush with layers of Rogers’ clear, elastic voice, but they’re also driven by beats that speak to her Paris revelation . . . .
-
Newsday
A sparkling debut combining her folk roots and newfound love of dance music.
-
The Current
Even if we took all of Maggie Rogers' songs that we've already played on the Current, set them aside for a while, and played only entirely new songs from Heard It in a Past Life, it would rank among the more compelling releases of 2019.
-
The Music
"The pulse of 'Heard It In A Past Life' is near enough irresistible."
-
Northern Transmissions
While themes of self-discovery, anxiety and insecurity permeate the album, Heard It in a Past Life nonetheless stands as a powerful mission statement, marrying influences from the dance music she embraced while in Europe during a gap year and the folk music of her upbringing with finesse and conviction.
-
All Music
While it sometimes feels like Rogers could be even bolder than she is on Heard It in a Past Life, it's a strong debut that shows how well she's growing into her fame as well as all the dimensions of her music.
-
GoldenPlec
But now comes ‘Heard It In A Past Life’, Rogers’ long-awaited major label debut . . . , which brings a few more ‘wow’ moments. It’s a lush piece of work in her distinctive style, blending elements of folk and pop with the energy and textures of dance music.
-
Paste Magazine
The charts are starved for something real and down-to-earth, and her songs, while heavily produced in comparison to some of her folksier beginnings, have an earnestness to them that can’t be fabricated.
-
The Saturday Paper
Pharrell Williams thrust Maggie Rogers and her song ‘Alaska’ into the spotlight. Now, with her debut album, Heard It in a Past Life, she’s taking a more rootsy, spiritual and sedate path to long-lasting success.
-
Spectrum Culture
She takes you on an adventure, and while it’s one oft-traveled (see: heard) before, a maestro like Rogers takes the listener for a smooth ride.
-
Immortal Reviews
While it may seem that Rogers spent Heard It In A Past Life, the truth is that she’s very confident of who she is. Heard It In A Past Life is almost like a diary, with Rogers retelling some of the stories that made her who she is today.
-
Clash Magazine Music
Increasing in familiarity and its endearing nature upon repeated listening, Rogers has released a fantastically spritely and fluid debut album, one that shows off her various talents without doing any of them a disservice.
-
Chicago Tribune
Maggie Rogers lets bombast rule on debut album, 'Heard It in a Past Life'
-
Bernard Zuel Music Journalist
What Maggie Rogers brings to the party is a background in folk/pop, a liking for R&B, and a leaning to intensity which could play well in piano ballads. Heard It In A Past Life, not a debut album but the first for a major label, finds Rogers neither here nor there, and the lack of commitment is a killer.
-
Refinery 29
She brings her unique, ethereal voice, with its timbre so reminiscent of Joni Mitchell, to ground her commercially ambitious debut in something grittier.
-
The Crimson
The album exemplifies her ability as much as it also reveals a story pulsing beneath the ebullient folk-tronic percussion and layered metaphors. That story hints at a much fuller picture, one of a young artist struggling from darkness into the light.
-
Gigwise
Throughout the whole listen though, what continues to stick out about Maggie Rogers is her incisive lyrics, it's this strong songwriting that brings all these new sounds and styles together and is what will continue to set her apart from her contemporaries.
-
The Diamondback
Rogers’ foray into the electro-alternative genre creates a piece of work fit for sitting back and relaxing while allowing a clogged mind to find inspiration.
-
Beyond The Stage
It is clear through the 12-song album that fame is something Rogers has grappled with since day one. But, the honesty and sincerity in her music about her struggles is what is going to make her a star. Each song on the album is carefully crafted with love, care, and the desire to share her truth with the world.
-
London In Stereo
Rogers has since welded rootsy sounds with propulsive electronics. The result is a debut album that’s unmistakably pop but crafted using creative, natural sound – a mourning dove cooing here, lap taps there.
-
The Modern Record
In an era where too much of the pop music we consume is coated with mechanical functionality, Maggie Rogers has cultivated an infectious record with a integral human sound to it.
-
The Ithacan
"Heard It In A Past Life" is an emotional release from Maggie Rogers. She sings delicately about her time and struggles in the limelight.
-
Daily Journal
Over 12 tracks on her debut full-length album, “Heard It in a Past Life,” Rogers explores the curiously fertile melding of folk and dance.
-
The AU Review
Heard It in a Past Life’s strength comes as a result of Rogers and the time she’s taken to put these tracks together. It is joyous and clean; heartfelt and emotive. It’s subtle in its heartbreak, and obvious in its intention.
-
Student Edge
This here is 'easy-listening', and that should indicate how easy it is to listen to, in the background, rather than plant you, Pharrell-like, in your seat for its entire runtime.
-
The Musical Hype
Rising alternative musician Maggie Rogers delivers a captivating effort on her highly-anticipated debut album, ‘Heard It in a Past Life.’
-
Soundigest
Rogers wanted to culminate an album that spoke volumes to who she is, both artistically and personally. She achieves that with the maturity and courageousness of an artist that’s been present for years.
-
mxdwn Music
Heard It in a Past Life is the picture perfect journey of one finding themself through their music. The Florence + The Machine like vocals, the Lorde awkwardness and the ability to take risks as Pharrell does has already turned this girl into an indie princess.
-
Diandra Reviews It All
Maggie Rogers sounds magical. No, its not that you hear literal spells being cast in her debut record, Heard It In A Past Life, but there is a natural humility and earthiness to her sound that makes her feel like a new music genre called “serenity.”
-
Dork
She might spend most of this record looking back, but she still sounds like the future. On ‘Heard It In A Past Life’, Maggie is explosive, emotional, and vulnerable.
-
Plugged In
Heard It in a Past Life is filled with honest, thought-provoking lyrics that follow the singer's personal journey and tell a story of someone who is simultaneously looking at her past while expectantly longing for all that is yet to come.
-
Medium
Unfortunately, the final product is one where its highlights are outdone by questionable decisions, unnecessary production calls, and, even with Rogers’ potential, wasted opportunities.
-
34TH Street
Rogers shows serious talent for giving each song its own life, whether it's to get the audience moving or hanging onto every word. Heard It in a Past Life is the perfect encapsulation of her musical range in a field she’s so perfectly suited for.
-
Albumism
While her debut isn’t a genre-redefining classic, Rogers’ promise and passion are manifest throughout. Heard It in a Past Life is an encouraging chapter in what will hopefully be a very long musical career.
-
Substream Magazine
Heard It In A Past Life is very much like the hand written notes that Rogers has shared with fans. It’s intimate. It’s vulnerable. It’s freeing and forthcoming.
-
Baltimore Magazine
On each track, she embraces the change, rediscovers herself, and emerges newly potent and powerful, ready for the road ahead.
-
Time
An understated, idiosyncratic mix of pop, folk and dance music, the album confirms Rogers as a tender but powerful musical force, putting her in the company of a group of solo female artists claiming space outside of the typical machines of pop, country or R&B.
-
Yahoo! Entertainment
It’s not surprising that she would feel highly ambivalent about the star-making machinery, and not entirely a shock that, perhaps as a result, she’s written nearly an entire album about ambivalence.
-
The Gryphon
Whilst her folk roots are still present within the indie electro-pop album, Rogers stays true to her love of dance music and nature; synthesisers are set alongside the layering of samples of babbling brooks and frogs.
-
Stack
On her debut album, Maggie Rogers includes her break-out hit Alaska and the sample-heavy On + Off – both from her 2017 EP Now That The Light Is Fading – but the rest is new, and it’s similarly gorgeous.
-
Exposed Magazine
The resulting debut LP Heard it in a Past Life sees Rogers take control of her own musical narrative and cut through the hyperbole, featuring commanding vocal performances and honest lyricism.
-
Mystic Sons
While there isn't much in terms of experimentation throughout the release, Maggie Rogers has been able to deliver a strong and confident collection that will prove the singer as a brilliant young talent.
-
The Skinny
While Maggie Rogers' major label debut lacks some vital elements, it acts as a stepping stone from a talent who is just about to surge ahead.
-
The Daily Mississippian
Overall, “Heard It in a Past Life” is the right stepping stone for Rogers. Exposing her own humanity through her debut album is proof that the rookie artist is sticking to her guns.
-
Surviving the Golden Age
Maggie Rogers has developed into a full-fledged pop star, with . . . the release of her new album, Heard It In a Past Life, cementing her status as a legitimate and extremely talent artist. Rogers seamlessly blends her singer-songwriter sensibilities with sparkling, intricately layered music to create songs that invite the listener to consider their place in the world while they dance the night away.
-
A Bit Of Pop Music
Maggie Rogers convincingly tells the story of the past two years of her life, without romanticizing the fame or success. At the same time her sound is more refined and her melodies more anthemic.
-
NOW Toronto
Maggie Rogers's debut album shows she's more than a viral flash in the pan. The singer/songwriter, who notably moved Pharrell Williams to tears, mixes major label pop aspiration with a studious folk-indie sound on Heard It In A Past Life.
-
Ben's Beat
Rogers recently retweeted a quote she gave in 2016 where she said she wanted to “make dance music, or pop music, feel as human as possible”, and that’s exactly what she’s done here.
-
Maine Campus
This dance album with folky vibes is a fun, distinctive pop record revealing Rogers’s passing from one world of normalcy to an unexpected rush of fame.
-
The Press Release
Heard It In A Past Life explores the themes of growth, love, and uncertainty both individually as well as how they have all been intertwined since her popularity has skyrocketed.
-
WTOP
Williams may have unwittingly aided Rogers’ development but she has charted her own course and the singer-songwriter emerges this month with her eagerly anticipated — and astonishingly good — debut full-length album, “Heard It in a Past Life.”
-
Schummthing Special
Overall, I had high expectation, which is my problem, but she didn’t meet them. My favorite songs from this album ended up being the two that I had heard before and other folk focused songs.
-
Honey Punch
Maggie Rogers’ “Heard It In A Past Life” is her record, no one else’s, she made it out of her own free reign. It’s a beautiful record at that. An album that addresses’ her struggles and achievements in her rise to fame.
-
Grimy Goods
MAGGIE ROGERS FINDS HER FOOTING, FINDS HER VOICE—SHOUTS IT FROM THE MOUNTAINTOP ON HEARD IT IN A PAST LIFE.
-
The Ruff Draft
While it is her first full-length album, Maggie Rogers is bringing fresh, raw tracks which fall under their own category of folk/pop/electronic.
-
Elsewhere
We judge the artist by the work and – although this album was most certainly not made with my demographic in mind – it offers some very classy and memorable contemporary pop songs.
-
Sounds and Books
With great love for soul, funk and R & B, Rogers has arranged their twelve pretty flawless pop songs on Heard It In A Past Life .
-
Tinnitist
The Alaska singer-songwriter goes big — too big — on her major-label debut.
-
BeatRoute
Rogers’ transcendent vocals belt out thought-provoking lyrics with the album having an overall lyrical theme of reminiscing, revival and letting go of resentment.
-
The Vermont Cynic
Overall, “Heard It in A Past Life” is definitely worth the listen with its focus on a number of complex feelings such as love, anxiety, fear and security. Rogers expertly manages to create an album that simultaneously breaks and heals your heart over the course of 45 minutes.
-
Hotpress
Rogers still writes old-fashioned songs, which given another production sheen could trouble Nashville’s front ranks – but she has substituted the folk for a beat-driven dance-pop approach, which is sure to take her tunes to a worldwide audience.
-
The Irish Times
Now primed to kickstart the year with a vibrant collection of songs – hints of Bjork, Adele, and Sigrid indicate notable mainstream success – there is much to recommend Rogers’s take on electro-pop.
-
The Herald
Heard It In A Past Life sees a more polished Rogers, 24, who has tapped into electro-pop instrumentation to colour her folk song stories.
Rate This Album and Leave Your Comments