The Diy Diva ; What's a Smart Singer-Songwriter to Do When She has Catchy Tunes to Peddle, but Doesn't Wish to Be Beholden to a Major Record Company? New Yorker Ingrid Michaelson Opted for the 21st-Century Equivalent of a Cottage Industry with Her Own Label and Website - and Found a Huge Fanbase. 'No One Tells Me What Songs to Sing,' She Tells Stuart Husband

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Ingrid Michaelson is ordering breakfast the American way. 'I'd like some cereal, but could I have some soya milk on the side? And some chopped strawberries? Is that possible?' The waitress at the West London hotel, initially quizzical, is quickly won over by Ingrid's amiable candour. The 30-year-old is nursing a cold, but her pallor is offset by her perkiness; she gives off a quirky-indie vibe, which is more than fitting - she has sold 400,000 albums and 1.5 million singles on her own Cabin 24 label, and The Washington Post has labelled her 'the poster child for indie success'. She beams, 'It's hard work running your own show, but I absolutely love it.'

Ingrid has carved out a niche for herself without any assistance from a major label: 'Why have them take 85 per cent of my income, and tell me to wear more glitter?' she contends. Her songs - infectious harmonies, addressing universal themes such as self- doubt and the joys and vagaries of love - were first heard on her MySpace page, where they caught the ear of Alexandra Patsavas, music supervisor for Grey's Anatomy. In no time, nine of her songs had been slotted into the show, including 'Keep Breathing' which soundtracked the 2007 season finale as Preston Burke jilted Christina at the altar.

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The Diy Diva ; What's a Smart Singer-Songwriter to Do When She has Catchy Tunes to Peddle, but Doesn't Wish to Be Beholden to a Major Record Company? New Yorker Ingrid Michaelson Opted for the 21st-Century Equivalent of a Cottage Industry with Her Own Label and Website - and Found a Huge Fanbase. 'No One Tells Me What Songs to Sing,' She Tells Stuart Husband

More than 25 million fans blubbed through the scene, and immediately afterwards Ingrid's name shot to the top of Google's most-searched list. Similarly, when her song 'The Way I Am' was chosen for US clothing chain Old Navy'...

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