Ingrid Michaelson is an indie-pop singer-songwriter based in New York. Taking up piano at the age of five, she attended Manhattan’s Third Street Music School and went on to the Jewish Community Center of Staten Island’s Dorothy Delson Kuhn Music Institute. Nevertheless, it wasn’t until after college that she seriously considered a career in music. With influences ranging from Fiona Apple to Coldplay, Ingrid has enjoyed commercial success thanks to songs like ‘Breakable’ and ‘Keep Breathing’ being featured on TV shows such as ‘Grey’s Anatomy’. After the release of her fourth album ‘Everybody’ back in August, and with a UK tour commencing on 21 Nov, we caught up with Ingrid to find out more.
Q1 How did you start out making music?
I grew up around music and I always composed little pieces as a child but didn’t look at it as a career until after I graduated from college. I was very nervous to play and sing in front of people. It crippled me, practically. But I went on a theatre tour shortly after college, and would have little time to play piano and sing. The only time I did have was usually in a venue with my fellow actors. Consequently, I had to play in front of people if I wanted to play at all. So I was forced into it, so to speak. Once the nerves went into hiding, I was able to pursue music and performing as a career. Now I adore performing almost as much as I do writing.
Q2 What inspired your latest album?
It is about the worst kind of break up, the kind where there is still so much love. That, and the idea that love is not the only thing that keeps two people together and how a life together can disintegrate if it relies only on it.
Q3 What process do you go through in creating a track?
When I write I often have the parts in my head… drum ideas, harmonies, a cello line. So getting in the studio and actually putting those parts down is like filling in a picture in a coloring book. Most times I know what colour goes where already. It’s fun to let someone else fill in some things too – like my producer Dan Romer, he really did make this album as colourful as it is.
Q4 Which artists influence your work?
Regina Spektor, Bon Iver, Death Cab For Cutie…
Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
Hello.
Q6 What are your ambitions for your latest album, and for the future?
I hope that people love my album and digest the songs and care about them as much as I do. That might be a lofty wish, but that’s what I want. As for the future, I want to keep making music that I love and that I am proud of.
MORE>> www.ingridmichaelson.com
Sections: Q&A I | Tags: Ingrid Michaelson
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