Maggie Rogers’ music is nothing short of, well, breathtaking. The Maryland native established herself almost overnight; during an NYU masterclass, her song “Alaska” brought Pharrell to tears, making the video of the encounter go viral. After that, she took off immediately, with a record deal, a concert tour, and most importantly, a Wikipedia page.

Rogers’ most recent album, Heard It In A Past Life, is the ideal selection for a late-night road trip. The album is 12 songs (46 minutes) long, starting with an upbeat invitation (“Give a Little”) and ending with an anthem of self-awakening (“Back In My Body”). The album goes from dancing in the dark (“The Knife”), to light and airy (“Alaska”), to 80s-style pop (“Retrograde”). It’s full of emotion, reflection, and wonder of what could’ve been and what could still be. In the penultimate song, “Burning,” Rogers sings “I’m in love, I’m alive, I’m burning,” which does a nice job of summing up both the album and her overall stance on life.

Heard It In A Past Life takes a variety of sounds – piano, guitar, synth, cowbell – and a lot of it is created by Maggie herself. She is impressive not only as a singer and lyricist but as a musician (or DJ) as well. She has a natural sense of pairing and is able to align the tones of words with those of sounds.

The best part about Maggie Rogers is that she’s in control; she’s authentic both lyrically and vocally, and her music is a testament to this. She tells her own story, not another’s, and draws her inspiration from her time spent traveling. In an interview, she admits to aiming for a fusion of European dance club music and outdoorsy, natural vibes. There is no doubt she’s accomplished this mix. Her iTunes genre, Alternative, doesn’t do her justice. There are nuances of indie, pop, dance, folk, and much more in this album alone.

After giving the album a listen myself, I was most struck by “Back In My Body,” “Light On,” and “Retrograde.” While “Light On” is definitely the most popular of the three, they all are soulful, emotional, and powerful, which, to me, define good music. Altogether, Heard It In A Past Life makes you want to dance, cry, and then pick yourself up and dance again. Maggie Rogers leaves us with this inspiring observation: “I found myself when I was going everywhere.”

Note: The original version of this article appeared on “Half Past,” 9:30 Club’s official blog.