Background and career
Ingrid Ellen Michaelson (born December 8, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for her 2006 single "The Way I Am" and her 2014 single "Girls Chase Boys", both of which achieved success on Billboard's Adult Contemporary and Adult Top 40 charts, and received platinum certifications by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). She has released eight independent albums.
Ingrid Ellen Michaelson was born on December 8, 1979, in Stapleton, Staten Island. Her father, Carl Michaelson, was a manager of copyrights for the publishing company Carl Fischer Music and a composer on the side. Her mother, Elizabeth Egbert was a sculptor of Dutch ancestry. As a child, Michaelson performed in a musical theatre group called Staten Island Kids On Stage. She took up piano at age four, and trained until age seven at Manhattan's Third Street Music School. She continued piano at the Jewish Community Center of Staten Island's Dorothy Delson Kuhn Music Institute. While there, she met vocal coach Elizabeth McCullough, who worked with her through high school. Michaelson is a graduate of Staten Island Technical High School and Binghamton University, where she received a degree in theater. While at Binghamton University, she was a member of the Binghamtonics, a co-ed a cappella group; the Pappy Parker Players, an improv comedy group; and the theatre repertory company under Sue Peters.
While living on Staten Island and mainly busking in Lower Manhattan, Michaelson self-released her debut album Slow the Rain on January 10, 2005. In 2006, Michaelson independently released her second album, Girls and Boys. The album, like her previous music, was streamed on Myspace. A music producer from the ABC drama Grey's Anatomy found her music online. After being contacted by the music producer, Michaelson began to be approached by several record companies. Wanting to retain all of the rights she had as an independent artist, Michaelson developed a deal with Original Signal Recordings, acting as the marketing and distribution arm for Michaelson's label. Through Original Signal, Michaelson re-released Girls and Boys into mainstream marketing on September 18, 2007. It peaked at No. 63 on the Billboard charts and received positive reviews from critics. "The Way I Am", a song from the album, was featured in an Old Navy commercial. In less than 3 weeks, more than 65 appearances in prime-time had been made, including 17 season premieres. In 2007, Ingrid played her first Holiday Hop, an annual Christmas concert in New York City. In 2006, Michaelson teamed up with William Fitzsimmons on his album Goodnight, which was released that same year.
In October 2008, Michaelson released her third album, and first compilation album, Be OK, a charity record to support cancer research. In December 2008, Michaelson and Sara Bareilles released "Winter Song." The song was featured on The Hotel Café Presents Winter Songs, a compilation of holiday tracks sung by a lineup of female singer-songwriters. Michaelson and Bareilles performed "Winter Song" for Barack Obama and his family at the National Christmas Tree Lighting in December 2010.
In 2009, Michaelson released her fourth album, Everybody. Everybody debuted on No. 18 on the Billboard charts. It features the single "Maybe". In 2010, Michaelson co-wrote the song "Parachute" with Marshall Altman for British singer Cheryl Cole. It was featured on Cole's debut solo album 3 Words, peaking at No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart. Michaelson initially believed the track was "so poppy" that she could not release it herself. However, after the song was reworked by "Everybody" producer Dan Romer to make a more "interesting, funky production", Michaelson released the song as a personal single. On January 24, 2012, Michaelson released her fifth album, Human Again. Human Again debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard chart and received positive reviews, with critics praising the album's unique sound. To promote the album, Michaelson embarked on The Human Again Tour, with three North American legs, and one international leg. In 2012, with her husband and fellow musician Greg Laswell, Michaelson co-wrote and sang the duet "Landline", which appeared on his album of the same name. In September 2012, she was featured in a campaign called "30 Songs / 30 Days" to support Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, a multi-platform media project inspired by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's book.
On February 4, 2014, Michaelson released the lead single, "Girls Chase Boys", from her album Lights Out. The song reached No. 52 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Afterlife" and "Time Machine" were released as the second and third singles.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
