"And I walked off you
And I walked off an old me
Oh me oh my
I thought it was a dream
That's how it seemed"
Hard -nosed hip hoppers are known not to be shaken by anything – except maybe the songs by Maggie Rogers. With her hit "Alaska", the American student moved none other than her (guest) lecturer Pharrell Williams to tears.
The idea for the song - which has already been clicked millions of times on YouTube - came to her during a master class course at the renowned Tisch University of Arts, where pop queen Lady Gaga studied. The task for Maggie Rogers and her fellow students: write a song that should be evaluated by a prominent musician at the end. The text and the idea for the melody were ready in just under 15 minutes.
Instead of great drama, the 23-year-old relies above all on simplicity, which is also expressed in her video: There is no spectacular backdrop, no exaggerated lighting effects, neither make-up nor a flashy stage outfit. The focus is solely on the gentle sound of Maggie Rogers' voice, which is underscored by subtly melodic electro and folk sounds.
Is something missing? Not really. Or, to paraphrase Pharrell Williams aptly, “It's incomparable. It's a drug for me." At least that's how the Allude team thinks and has already named Alaska the summer hit of 2017.
