You’ve seen the photos. Maybe you’ve even been in the crowd when they scream-sing "New Song" together, looking like they have some secret language only the two of them speak. It's that specific type of chemistry—raw, slightly chaotic, and deeply rooted in a decade of shared history—that makes people wonder. What’s actually the deal with Maggie Rogers and Del Water Gap?
It isn't just a "collaborator" thing.
Most people think Del Water Gap is just the stage name for S. Holden Jaffe, but back in the day, it was actually a band. And Maggie Rogers was in it. Before the Pharrell video, before the "Alaska" virality, and before the Grammy nominations, they were just two kids at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute trying to figure out how to write a bridge that didn't suck.
The NYU Years: When Del Water Gap Was a Duo
They didn’t meet in a studio. Honestly, it started much earlier than NYU. They were actually sailing rivals at summer camps in Maine when they were like 11. Can you imagine? Little Maggie and little Holden racing sailboats on a lake, probably having no clue they’d be selling out arenas together twenty years later.
By the time they hit NYU in 2012, they were part of a tiny cohort of thirty students. Holden asked her to be "the Angus to his Julia Stone." It worked.
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For about six months, they were a unit. Maggie wasn't just a guest; she was a core member. They played the dives. They hauled gear through the New York slush. But Maggie is, well, Maggie. She has a massive creative gravity. She eventually realized she didn't want to just sing backup or even be half of a thing—she needed to be her own thing. They split the band amicably so they could both do the solo artist grind.
That One Song Everyone Obsesses Over
If you want to understand the Maggie Rogers and Del Water Gap dynamic, you have to listen to "New Song."
It sat in a vault for years. When Maggie released Notes from the Archive: Recordings 2011–2016 in 2020, she finally let us hear it. It’s a conversation. It’s a time capsule of two people who are clearly, deeply in love with the process of making music together, even if their personal relationship was… complicated.
There’s always been rumor-mill fodder about whether they were a "real" couple. While they've rarely put a flat-out label on it for the press, Holden has referred to her in old tour sets as the "love of my life." They were undeniably a couple for a long time. You can hear the ghosts of that relationship all over Maggie’s 2024 album Don't Forget Me.
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Collaborative DNA: From Surrender to the Feral Joy Tour
Even after the breakup—whenever that officially landed—the creative tether didn't snap.
When Maggie was working on Surrender, she brought Holden into the room. He didn't just hang out; he co-wrote and produced "Want Want" and "Anywhere With You." If you listen to "Want Want," it has that driving, sweaty, indie-rock energy that defines the Del Water Gap sound. It’s messy. It’s loud. It’s exactly what happens when two people who know each other's deepest insecurities sit down to write.
Holden then opened for her on the Feral Joy Tour. Seeing them perform "Want Want" live is a lesson in post-breakup professionalism—or maybe just proof that some friendships are bigger than a romantic timeline.
Why Their Connection Works (and Why It Matters)
- Shared Language: They learned to be writers together. Holden has said Maggie was the person who actually gave him the courage to share his art.
- Creative Conflict: They aren't "yes men" for each other. You can tell their collaborations involve a lot of push and pull.
- Mutual Culpability: Maggie has mentioned in interviews that her recent work deals with "mutual culpability" in past relationships. It’s a grown-up way of looking at a 10-year bond.
What’s Next for the Duo?
As of early 2026, both are at the top of their respective games. Holden is headlining his "Chasing the Chimera" tour, and Maggie is continuing to redefine what a "pop star" looks like by prioritizing folk-rooted honesty over TikTok gimmicks.
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Are they still together? Probably not in the way the "shippers" want them to be. But in the way that actually matters—the way that results in 3:00 AM studio sessions and songs that make you want to drive too fast with the windows down—they seem pretty much inseparable.
If you're looking to dive deeper into their shared world, start with the Notes from the Archive commentary tracks. Maggie explains the NYU scene in a way that makes you feel like you were sitting on the floor of a dorm room with them. Then, go listen to Del Water Gap’s I Miss You Already + I Haven't Left Yet. The parallels in their lyrics about yearning and "leaving the light on" are enough to keep any music nerd busy for weeks.
To really get the vibe, track down the live footage of them in Stockholm from 2023. It’s the first time they did "Want Want" together, and the energy is literal lightning in a bottle. Keep an eye on the credits for their next projects—it’s almost a guarantee they’ll be ghost-writing or producing for each other for years to come.