The Banter

My mother is an artist and my father is a composer so yes I grew up with 2 very artistic and very accepting people.  I think usually when a person is artistic or is an artist they are also very supportive of whatever it is that you want to do, so I think its because of how supportive and loving of me and that’s why I am where I am.  Not that they were artists per se but I am sure that didn’t hurt.

You also studied Musical Theatre
I went to college and studied musical theatre and then I taught children’s theatre for about 4 years until I had to pick as to whether I was going to tour and do music or stay home and work with kids.  I thought I can always come back and do this if music fails miserably so I may try it now while I can.  That was about 3 years ago this May, so a little over 3 years ago I quit my job.

You released Girls & Boys and uploaded it to Myspace where several songs were picked up by Greys Anatomy including “Keep Breathing” which was used in Season 3s finale.  Was this the turning point in your career as an artist?
That was definitely the beginning, Greys Anatomy used 8 or 9 of my songs now and that was the third one.  I already had some buzz going on from them having used some of my other songs, but that one was a big deal as it was the season finale.  The next big jump was when my song “The Way I Am” was used on an Old Navy sweater commercial in the states.  The song sort of flew and everybody was downloading it and it started getting played on the radio because of the commercial, that was very unplanned and very unexpected but, yeah, very appreciated.

The Way I Am was also featured in American Idol recently with Didi Benami performing it.

Oh yeah, somebody sang that.  You don’t know what they are going to do, you can be like “do this song!” you can’t pitch things to them it is whatever the contestant or the producers want.  We got a phone call saying one of the girls wanted to sing it with the band, not just an audition because somebody auditioned with it too, and yeah it was really exciting to watch and see that millions of people were judging my music, it was cool.

Were you happy with the version performed?
I think from a judge point of view, if I was one of the judges, I agree with Simon (Cowell).  It was kind of slow and its not hat you want to come out of the gates with that song, you want to come out of the gates with something really dramatic and ear catching.  Not to diss my own song but I know what it is, but yeah she did a good job.

As a singer songwriter and very much an indie artists what is your opinion on formats such as American Idol?
Honestly, I like American Idol and X-Factor and all of these things because it’s actually taking somebody with talent and bringing them.  There are a lot of artists that can’t sing and they are just auto tuned to sound like they can sing at least we are seeing people that actually have a talent in some form.  So I enjoy it but I would never do it because it’s not my style. I think that not everybody that wins American Idol has lasting power, Kelly Clarkson is still pretty huge she was the first one and Carrie Underwood but they both have incredible voices, even if you don’t like that kind of music you listen to them sing and you are blown away.  Every once in a while they really do come up with somebody who has lasting power but not everybody a number of people I don’t even know where they are now or even who they are.

The Way I Am had a belated release in the UK this week and next week will see a special edition of Everybody and Girls & Boys released also.  You co-wrote the song "Parachute" with Marshall Altman (Cheryl Coles UK top 5 hit), this special edition CD will see your version of the song featured on it.
I did like a funky, quirky version of it.  I figured why not?  Everybody knows the song so do a different version of it.  Have you heard it yet?

No not yet
I have it in many variations on my computer.  Do you like that song?  I am interviewing you now (laughs).  Do you like Cheryl Cole I should say, people have quite strong opinions on her, but I didn’t even know who she was.

(Ingrid plays her own version of Parachute for us through her laptop)

There has been some quite strong opinions on the number of times Cheryl Cole has been lip syncing along to the track.
I was asked to do a television show and lip sync but I had to beg and plead and they finally let me do something different.  They wanted me to pretend to play an instrument, but to track and I guess that’s sometimes they was it is down round here but where I am from you don’t do that, you play live.  There was the whole debacle with Ashley Simpson lip syncing on Saturday Night Live and the track was the wrong track with her signing the song she had already done so since then people tend to sing live.  But yeah I begged and pleaded with them to allow us to do an acoustic trio so I was like “yay…live” because that’s not what I do you know.

Does the fact your success has came through your own label, Cabin 24 Records, give you even more satisfaction?

Yeah I guess so.  I never really thought about what I was doing as I was doing it, it just kind of felt like the right decision.  I like having a lot of control, I think that’s a problem of mine actually, I could benefit of letting go a little bit.  I guess I am proud yeah, I never really sit around and think about it, I just sort of go forward but I am proud of what I have achieved and what my team people of people who believe in me and work with me have achieved, I think we have done really well for where I am, who I am and how I got there.  I wouldn’t say I am proud of me, I am proud of the fruits of our labour.  I always can do better.

You have often been labelled the Queen of Myspace.
Myspace is like dead, is it dead over here? It’s such a shame because it was so amazing when it was in its heyday.  Record producers, record labels and everyone would just check out where people were and how many plays they had now.  Its so sad everything comes in fits and waves doesn’t it though?

You also like to Tweet

I do, I like to tweet.  Its very non committal

Do you feel platforms such as myspace, Twitter and other online social platforms have also helped your career?
I think between Greys Anatomy, myspace and itunes that’s why I am where I am.  I think you see something on TV, your hear it, you type it in, you look it up on google, you find it on itunes, you buy it!  Where as ten years ago you had to write down the name of the song, you would maybe lose the piece of paper etc.  So yeah I have definitely benefited from the digital age for sure.

You are known for great banter with your audience, can Glasgow expect some laughs this evening.

It kind of varies depending on the audience.  If I have an audience who I feel like they want that kind of thing then that what happens, that’s what usually happens.  I have never played in Glasgow before so I don’t know.  I heard you were a rowdy group but I guess that is with rock concerts not female singer/songwriters. (laughs)

Can we expect to see you rap?
I haven’t been doing the rap lately, the Vanilla Ice rap.  It’s so silly, I’m very silly.

Silly is good
No, it is good.  There is a fine line between being silly and just being a clown and I think I toe the line.  I definitely like to make people laugh that’s for sure, almost as much as I like to perform and write music.  I like to make people laugh but there’s a different sense of humour here and in the United States, there’s a difference in sense of humour in every country you go to, it’s interesting to see how one joke hits audience but doesn’t really hit the next audience or does.  In Germany they just laugh at everything they probably don’t even know what I am saying and just laugh.
 

Have you had much of a chance to see any of Scotland?

We came in this morning and we are leaving at 10 and I have to sleep so I am not going to see any of it.

Are you left disappointed at how little you get to see of countries and cities when touring?
Yeah I do, I can’t complain because I have kind of a half day off in London so I am going to get see there.

You were in Ireland for two days, did you get to see much over there.

I did but I got in at 6am to Dublin and by the time I got to the hotel it was around 9am and I was like “stay awake, stay awake” but I fell asleep at around 10 and slept until 4 and then exercised and then my band I went out for some food.  So I had some food, went back to the hotel and then next thing it was some promo, and then the show and then we left and then we went to Manchester and done the same.  It’s a hard existence especially when you have a really nice home that you are away from and loved ones.

Speaking of loved ones you are engaged aren’t you?

August, next August, We both could go to City Hall but its more for like parents and friends, they want to be there.

Finally as a not for profit organisation written entirely by volunteers we are keen to find out more about artists involvement with charities and voluntary organisations.  What can you tell us about your involvement with Red nights.

Red is an organisation that help to prevent and help people with HIV and Aids in Africa.  They go to certain artists and promoters and say can we charge x amount of dollars and give this percentage to red and then I also talk about it on stage and say “You many not know this but you have given half your ticket price to helping red…”.  They approached me every time, its been 3 or 4 times now but I also have an EP called “Be Ok” and half of the proceeds of the lead track “Be Ok” go towards Stand Up to Cancer, which is a cancer charity in the United States and we have already given them close to thirty to forty thousand dollars through that.  So it’s something that I can do.

The Way I Am is out now.

Everybody/Girls & Boys double CD is released 24th May

www.ingridmichaelson.com



Photography by Daren Borzynski