Ingrid Michaelson is the epitome of originality. Discovered in 2007, at the musically-elderly age of twenty-seven, via the then un-orthodox medium of MySpace, Ingrid Michaelson is climbing the musical ladder to fame. Though many adore Ingrid for obvious reasons: her charming personality, catchy lyrics, and stunning vocal capabilities, what set her apart from other stereotypical independent singer-songwriters are her stage presence and raunchy humor, making her a bit of a rebel. Ingrid Michaelson is not all love songs, rainbows, or fuzzy pink bunnies, although it does seem her voice is the vocal equivalent of the latter two. Her songs are quirky, fun, and infectious. However, what really sets Ingrid apart is the often “Mature Audience Only” label that should be stamped on the comedic routine that inevitably accompanies her show. The combination of beautiful songs with x-rated humor makes for an incomparable evening out.
Ingrid Michaelson never starred in a Disney Channel Original or appeared on American Idol; rather, Ingrid was discovered in a fashion not popular to its time. She was discovered through the old-school social networking site MySpace, and luckily for us, just in time. Ingrid Michaelson had said that if she had not found sufficient “traction” in her musical career by age twenty-seven, then she would have quit the business. But in 2007, at the age of twenty-seven, Ingrid was discovered by Lynn Grossman’s company, Secret Road, which essentially locates music for TV shows and movies. However, the company quickly realized that Ingrid had more than just a few songs in her, so they began to manage her full-time. With her career taking off, full-time management was necessary to coordinate the multitude of activities in her every day.
So, what is a typical day in the life of a touring artist like Ingrid Michaelson like? Busy, stressful, but come show time, not nerve-wracking at all? When I asked Ingrid about getting nervous before shows, she responded, “No, I don’t get nervous at all.” Ironically, Ingrid’s take on the stress a musician must deal with is that “The shows don’t stress me out. Everything else does. All the promotions, and radio things, and interviews – those things, they mount up and sort of, can get you down, but you know, it’s all to further the project so, gotta keep-on keeping-on.”
There can be drawbacks to celebrity, like teenage wannabes or even crazed stalkers and creeps. When asked about weird encounters she’s had with fans, Ingrid couldn’t recall any crazy stalker stories, just your typical underwear thrown onto the stage (tags still on them) and balloon structures of herself. You know, typical stuff. It’s hard to be considered crazy for Ingrid, because she is so off the wall herself. When asked about her craziness Ingrid told me that, “when I’m on stage it’s just like, there’s sort of like, I lose track of, my, brain.”
Before putting down the paper, walking over to your computer, opening Garage Band to upload your own song to MySpace, and hoping to be discovered, it helps to realize that like any job, singing is not all positives. Ingrid’s days are extremely busy by her description. “Well, usually I’ll have, like a phone interview, or two, or three, and then we’ll have a radio show we have to go to, then we have [to] load in all the instruments, and I go to the gym usually at least once a day, or at least I try to go everyday, and then I’ll have a meet-and-greet with some fans before the sound-check, and then we have sound-check, then we have dinner, and then we have the show, then we do it all over again the next day. People think we just show up and all I do is that show, but our days are filled with stuff.”
If the non-stop schedule, late nights or long bus rides don’t deter you, then maybe you’re meant to be a singer. Here’s what it takes, in the words of the infamous singer-songwriter, Ingrid Michaelson: “do what you wanna do whole-heartedly, you know, don’t expect to be rich and famous cause if that’s all your in it for then you’re gonna be disappointed, do it because you really love it and because it, fulfils you. And then you’ll be happy, even if you’re singing at a coffee house for, 20 people. You know, [if] you’re doing something you love, do it”
The days of a musician can be long and stressful, but if singing is your true passion, and you are willing to work at it 24/7, then you just might be successful, like my favorite singer, songwriter, and comedian Ingrid Michaelson. Singing isn’t your thing? Don’t worry, as long as you’re doing something you love, everything will Be OK.
