Wonder Woman of the Week: Ingrid Michaelson

For this week’s spotlight, our Wonder Woman has a powerful voice that can silence an entire stadium. She’s a singer, songwriter, producer, and one epically incredible human being. She’s produced six studio albums to date, worked with legendary musicians Paul McCartney, Stevie Nicks, and Sara Bareilles- a former Wonder Woman of the Week herself- and is a proud and active feminist. The Wonder Woman of the Week is Ingrid Michaelson.

Ingrid Michaelson was born in 1979 in Staten Island, New York. At five years old, Michaelson began playing piano and later attended Mnahattan’s Third Street Music School for two years. She moved on to the Dorothy Delson Kuhn Music Institute where she met Elizabeth McCullough- a vocal coach who worked with Michaelson all the way through high school. Michaelson graduated from Staten Island Technical High School and later Binghamton University with a degree in theatre. [1]

The songwriting master entered the 21st Century with a powerfully explosive voice. Ingrid Michaelson’s fame first came from two television soundtracks rather than an independent record. Grey’s Anatomy and One Tree Hill both featured music from the budding musician. At the time, Michaelson was touring the country with a national theatre troupe, spending her spare time writing music and eventually compiling them into an online-distributed record called Slow the Rain. [2]

In 2006, Ingrid Michaelson debuted her first official record Girls and Boys. After winning awards from Mountain Stage and the advertising team from Old Navy, Michaelson joined the Hotel Café Tour in 2008. After her first tour, she immediately packed her bags for Europe to tour with Jason Mraz before returning to Manhattan to begin work on her next album. [3]

Everything was going perfectly for Ingrid Michaelson when the new millennium entered its second decade, but in 2013, Michaelson’s success took a turn. While caring for terminally ill family, Michaelson’s dog died, she began suffering from stomach pains, and throat issues forced the singer out of service. At one point, she was seeing three doctors per day. Michaelson refused to quit. As soon as her voice was back in working order, Michaelson resumed work on a stalled album that would become her most revolutionary piece. [4]

Ingrid Michaelson’s album Lights Out featured one song that the artist didn’t realize would become as significant as it had. The music video for “Girls Chase Boys” was assembled as a homage to Robert Palmer’s “Simply Irresistible,” and featured gender-bending models taking pride in themselves. The song, which was meant to summarize how break-ups really aren’t as terrible as people often think they are- became a symbolic address towards sexism, gender discrimination, and empowerment of love. [5]

The groundbreaking singer did not stop after Lights Out. Ingrid Michaelson began work on a new album promising to “not repeat herself.” The singer/songwriter may not have spoken about what exactly her next album’s music will be like or what the tone of the music will assume, but the inspiration for Michaelson’s music gives a clue. Michaelson’s biggest influences come from contemporary and historic artists alike. From Robert Palmer, Paul McCartney, and Stevie Nix to Regina Spectre, Sara Bareilles, and Death Cab for Cutie; Ingrid Michaelson’s music has developed a sound that blends seventies alternative pop with contemporary indie rock. [6]

Ingrid Michaelson’s fame sparked from an unlikely source- television. The songwriter took advantage of the early popularity to build a career in music, leaving the traveling theatre troupe behind. Michaelson overcame deaths in the family and serious medical issues in the same year to push even further into the music scene ultimately climaxing with the debut of Lights Out. The album became a rallying cry on the flagship single “Girls Chase Boys” for discussing sexism in the music industry. Michaelson rose above events in her life she had no control over to become an even more successful musician than before. Her story is far from over, and there will likely be more stories of success to write about Ingrid Michaelson- Wonder Woman of the Week.

“Biography.” 2016. last.fm. Accessed 6 January 2015. http://www.last.fm/music/Ingrid+Michaelson/+wiki

Fulton, Katherine. “Biography.” 2016. allmusic.com. Accessed 6 January 2016. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ingrid-michaelson-mn0000485204/biography

“Ingrid Michaelson.” 2016. billboard. Accessed 6 January 2016. http://www.billboard.com/artist/303814/ingrid-michaelson/biography

“About Ingrid Michaelson.” 2016. mtv.com. Accessed 6 January 2016. http://www.mtv.com/artists/ingrid-michaelson/biography/

Ross, Julianne. “In a Brilliant New Video, Ingrid Michaelson Perfectly Parodies Sexism in Pop Music.” 5 February 2014. mic.com. Accessed 6 January 2016. http://mic.com/articles/81267/in-a-brilliant-new-video-ingrid-michaelson-perfectly-parodies-sexism-in-pop-music#.DyZpUredU

Newman, Melinda. “8 Things You Need To Know About Singer/Songwriter Ingrid Michaelson.” 11 April 2014. hitfix.com. Accessed 6 January 2016. http://www.hitfix.com/news/8-things-you-need-to-know-about-ingrid-michaelson