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5 Reasons Why Ingrid Michaelson Might Be The Perfect Pop Star By Michael C. Cooney

Discovering quality new music is a lot like falling in love. My newest love is the music of Ingrid Michaelson. In fact she might be the perfect pop star. I had always heard of Ingrid Michaelson, but I never actually knew much about her. To me, she was that pop star who sang that cool little song in that commercial. Truthfully, I haven’t been interested in pop stars since the downfall of Michael Jackson. But Ingrid Michaelson is much more than an ordinary run-of-the-mill pop star.

The first time I saw Ingrid in person was at this year’s ASCAP Expo. She was interviewed. Then she played a few acoustic tunes. 

On that day, my musical love light was officially lit. In the weeks and months following the Expo I began downloading all of Ingrid’s albums. I listened to them over and over. I got to know them, as if they were new friends. With each note of each song, my musical love light began burning a bit brighter.

As a music journalist, what are the signs that you might be falling into musical love? When you find yourself turning up the volume, and dancing in your pajamas, in front of the bathroom mirror, with the dog—this is a pretty strong indication. I was smitten with Michaelson's precise musicianship. I had fallen head-over-heels for her unique skill as a song writer.

Then came the tour this past summer in support of Michaelson’s latest album, “Lights Out.” It was at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles, where Ingrid truly made her case, to be crowned pop royalty. Here are 5 reasons why Ingrid Michaelson might be the perfect pop star: 

                    1. Ingrid Michaelson has the presence of a super star (without the attitude)

Emerging amidst a visual spectacle of dizzying multicolored spotlights, Ingrid Michaelson appeared center stage, and the entire crowd suddenly came alive.  The band was explosive, as they launched into the silky funk of  Michaelson’s “Time Machine.” Ingrid was instantly dazzling. Powerfully prowling across the stage, Ingrid Michaelson served notice that she is the real deal. As she spoke to the crowd throughout the evening, there wasn’t even a hint of her putting on airs or copping a celebrity attitude. She was consistently playful and warm with the crowd. Not only is Ingrid the real deal, but she’s also a real person. 

      2. Ingrid Michaelson is a stand-up comedian

Over the course of the show, an often excited, at times slightly nervous Ingrid displayed a devilishly self-deprecating, down-to-earth, occasionally slap-stick sense of humor.  Michaelson repeatedly joked about her apparent inability to use ramps and staircases on the stage without falling over. She quipped that it would be easier to take a deep breath, if she and her band were not all currently wearing girdles.  She warned the crowd against the dangers of trying to play the piano in high heels. Michaelson also comically recalled facing down a small woodland creature, which invaded her home. 

    3. Ingrid Michaelson is simply a truly talented musician

Along with all the pop pageantry, and blockbuster bells and whistles, of the show, there were plenty of magical musical moments. Michaelson has consistently proven herself as an immensely talented master melody maker. Ingrid and her band wowed the crowd with flawless gems like, “Maybe,” “Home,” and “Keep Breathing.” Filling the stillness of the cool summer night air, one after another, Ingrid’s songs sparkled. There was even an unexpected, expertly concocted medley of random radio hits including: U2’s classic, “With or Without You,” Lady GaGa’s “Poker Face,” the Carly Rae Jepsen smash, “Call Me Maybe, and more” Yes, Ingrid Michaelson can rearrange and prerforrm any song, anywhere, anytime. She is that good.   

      4. Ingrid Michaelson is one of the best pure songwriters to come along in a very long time  

It seems like there is a formula to writing modern pop songs these days.  Most tunes on the charts sound almost exactly the same. 

Maybe the greatest thing about Ingrid Michaelson is that as a writer, she never follows any formula. She has never been a formula kind of woman. 

Unlike other pop stars, Ingrid doesn’t resort to singing bubble gum songs about breaking up with her boyfriends.  Her catalog isn’t full of hits written by other people.  An undeniably clever lyricist, Michaelson writes about real emotions, and real struggles. Then she wraps them in beautifully structured, old-school unforgettably good melodies. Ingrid a grown up. She is unabashedly, unapologeticly real. 

Perhaps it is her dedication to being real and true that has earned Ingrid such a diverse and devoted fan base. At each of her shows, an audience of all ages, ethnicities, and orientations, sings along with every lyric of every song.  With songs like, “Blood Brothers,” “Soldier,” “Be Ok,” and “The Way I Am, featuring the now famous line, “I’d buy you Rogaine, when you start losing all your hair,” Michaelson has built a reputation as a champion for those of us who have been labeled as “different,” or “weird.” 

Never sentimental or preachy, Michaelson writes from a place of honesty, about overcoming obstacles, surviving pain, learning to love yourself, and simply having a good time.      

     By the end of the show, the Greek theater was practically bursting with a kinetic excitation, as Michaelson and the band pumped up the crowd with the mega hits “Afterlife,” and “Girl Chase Boys.” An eclectic cluster of screaming pre-teens rushed from the back row toward the stage, leaving their parents in the dust. Everyone was on their feet, dancing. It was a celebration.  

           5. Ingrid Michaelson can really really really sing!

Filling Up My Spirit At The ASCAP I Create Expo By Michael C. Cooney

I have to admit that we were a bit surprised when my small start-up company was granted press credentials for the 2015 ASCAP I Create Expo. Prior to the expo, we were not even sure what ASCAP was, or what they do. Before earning my Masters degree in 2007, and becoming a music journalist, and a filmmaker, I spent 10 years working in the music industry. Even I knew very little about ASCAP. My company, The Able Cafe, had applied for press access to the Expo simply as proponents of all things creative. I was hoping to rekindle an old flame with my first love, music.

Having been born with Cerebral Palsy, I’ve had to deal with being labeled as “different,” and “weird.” Over the course of my life, music has been a friend, an inspiration and a constant companion. Throughout all my many successes and struggles, music sustained me. Music is in my soul.

As founder and president of The Able Cafe, I seek to establish a creative place to help give a voice to the struggles, hopes, and dreams of young people with disabilities. The power of art and music can transcend any physical limitation.

When I arrived with my team at Loews Hollywood Hotel, and began meeting reporters and writers from iconic music news outlets, I started to feel at home right away. Cameras and interview questions were at the ready. This was where we belonged.

Making our way to the open event—a speech by ASCAP president, the legendary Paul Williams—everything literally fell apart. My walker suddenly broke into pieces. I found myself face down on the ground, sounded by hulks of twisted metal. There were tiny cuts on both my elbows and my forehead, and the cuts were leaking droplets of blood onto the ground. I was quickly convinced that the entire Expo weekend was going to be a total and complete failure.

After finding a chair in the shade, away from the crowds, I dispatched my assistant to try and locate a replacement walker somewhere in the city, as quickly as she could. I sat alone with my broken walker, demoralized. The only thing I could do was wait.

But I wasn’t alone for long. Within seconds I was surrounded by a small crowd of people. I was used to attracting crowds. Every time I fell down in public, strangers would eventually gather to inquire with concern about my physical condition. To my surprise, this crowd was very different. As expected, they asked if I had been hurt, and they offered help. But these people also wanted to talk to me about writing, and music.

Within minutes, I met people who had come to the Expo from all around the world: singers, music producers, sound engineers, journalist, and of course, songwriters. One man from France had even taken it upon himself to run back and forth from where Paul Williams was speaking, and report to me what was being said. At the conclusion of the lecture, my new French friend told Paul about me. When I was physically unable to go to the Expo, the Expo came to me.

As we talked, this group of strangers began to educate me on the meaning and purpose of ASCAP, and why the organization is so needed. I learned that in today’s digital-downloading music industry, the songwriter is often forced to toil in anonymity, underpaid and devalued. ASCAP (The American Society of Composers Authors And Publishers) was founded by by writers and publishers in order to ensure enforcement of copyright laws, and to stand up on behalf of every embattled songwriter. Everyone I met that day expressed a burning desire to create music. They were all filled with hope, and searching for inspiration; so was I.

With a myriad of music industry heavyweights participating in Master Session interviews, one-on-one mentoring, and panel discussions, there was plenty of inspiration and food for the creative soul to be found everywhere at this year’s expo. Again and again I was stuck by the feeling that The ASCAP I Create Expo was much more than an typical industry schmooze-fest. It was a celebration of the power of creativity, and a chance for creative people to commune and connect. The ASCAP I create Expo was food for the creative soul.

Throughout the many workshops panels and interview sessions, I kept returning to one question: How do those of us who have been labeled as “different” use our creative talents to express ourselves and connect with the world? As a writer with Cerebral Palsy, I have struggled with this question for most of my life. Every other disabled person I’ve met from all around the world seems to be struggling with the same question. When you feel isolated and alone, how do you find your voice, and the strength to break out?

Many of those speaking at the Expo revealed stories of feeling alone, with only their music to keep them alive. Following a rivetingly tender acoustic performance of his 1988 hit, “Endless Summer Nights,” prolific hit- maker Richard Marx told a room full of writers, “Lots of very big music industry people told me that I just didn’t have what it took to make it in this business, and I almost believed them. I almost quit. Then one morning I woke up, and said ‘Fuck them!”

Marx, who in a career spanning decades has written numerous smash hits for himself and others, including Keith Urban, Luther Vandross, and NSYNC, went on to say, “I love writing a song, recording it, and hearing it come through those speakers for the first time. Even if no one is ever going to hear it. I need to write songs. Without songs to write, I would just die.”

Ingrid Michaelson, the emerging pop princess and mater of melodies, recalled that in her lowest moments she used to lie in bed and wonder if anyone would ever hear her music. “I knew that if anyone ever heard it, someone was going to like it,” she said. “The key is to find a few people who really appreciate what you do. It takes a while to find those people in your life.” Michelson, who has long been a champion of those who have been labeled as “different“ also said, “I never write a song because I have something say. Nothing I have to say is all that important. I write, and hopefully someone finds their own meaning in what I’ve written.”

Mike Reid, who has penned hits for Bonnie Raitt and Ronny Milsap, among others, as well as enjoying his own successful recording career, spoke about a writer’s struggle to express themselves. “After you write a song, it no longer belongs to you. It belongs to the person who is hearing it.” he said, “There’s the song in your head, the one you meant to write, then there’s the song that everybody else hears, and they can often be two very different songs. The most important thing is to write what is true.”

When asked why his songs have stood up so well over time, 2015 Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Bill Withers answered very simply, “I was just trying to find words that rhymed.”

The best advice for those labeled as “different” came from Desmond Child, the writer responsible for such mega hits as Aerosmith’s gender-bending, “Dude Looks Like A Lady,” Joan Jett And The Blackhearts’ rocking lament, “I Hate Myself For Loving You,” and Bon Jovi’s New Jersey working class anthem, “Living On A Prayer.” Desmond is also living with an attention deficient disability. ’We have been given gifts with our disabilities,” he said. “The challenges we face make us stronger. One soul is not better than another soul. Our souls make us equals.”

The most moving and memorable moments of the Expo came with a once in a lifetime, live acoustic jam session featuring Mike Reid, Hanson, Kevin Cronin of REO Speedwagon, and legendary Motown songstress Valerie Simpson (one half of the duo, Ashford And Simpson.) The intimate, small room full of songwriters was spellbound. We were treated to power-packed renditions of arguably some of the greatest songs ever written, sung by the people who wrote them.

Valerie Simpson nearly blew the roof off of the venue, belting out striped- down, spiritually infused versions of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” and “I’m Every Woman.” Cronin plucked and strummed his guitar with fury, as he led the capacity crowd in a sing-along of “Keep On Loving You,” and “Time For Me To Fly.” Mike Reid brought everyone to tears as he teamed up with Hanson on “Stranger In My House” and the heartbreaking Bonnie Raitt hit, “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”

The magical evening came to close with everyone on their feet. The all-star band gleefully jammed out REO Speedwagon’s “Roll With The Changes,” and a particularly joyous version of Hanson’s signature tune, “Mmmbop,” which left the crowd truly overcome with happiness.

My Able Cafe team and I left the Expo having made many new friends, and we found ourselves now belonging to a very cool group of creative people. Most of all, our musical souls had been renewed.

Founded By Los Angeles-Based Music Journalist, Filmmaker, Michael C. Cooney, The Able Cafe Is An On-Line Creative Space That Celebrates The Talents, And ABILITIES Of Those Who Are Truly Different!