[Janessa] You know, sometimes I like to just drive around
and drum up business, looking for people who need advice, of which there are many.
Would you like advice, sir?
Excuse me, would you like some advice?
You with the stupid hat, would you like some advice?
Dumb-looking couple, would you like some advice?
I love to help people.
My name's Janessa Slater, and I'm a media coach who's helped hundreds of bands.
This is Sound Advice.
[Janessa] So you graduated from Staten Island Technical School.
So shouldn't you be fixing my car right now?
[Ingrid] Well, I didn't go to school to fix cars.
It was more computer graphics and things like that.
[Janessa] Sort of like designing cars?
[Ingrid] No, not cars. There was nothing to do with cars.
It was more just drafting and building buildings and things.
[Janessa] Okay, I shouldn't be telling you this,
but my ex-husband, Darrent,
he works at a car dealership and can get you a very sweet deal
and maybe a very sweet job.
But you'd have to mention that I referred you so that he could sort of—
[Ingrid] Well, I don't really need a car or a job
because I'm pretty set for both of those things, but thanks.
[Janessa] Sweetheart, I've heard that before,
and as soon as it come it go away.
You know, money or your job.
[Ingrid] Or husbands.
[Janessa] Yes. Yeah. Although, he's coming back.
Just give him a couple more years.
But seriously, I love your song "Girls Chase Boys"
because, you know, I chase my ex-husband a lot.
There have been police chases relating to me chasing my ex-husband,
so that song, it's like you wrote it for me.
[Ingrid] It's not about one woman chasing after one man like a lunatic.
It's about culture.
[Janessa] It's about a girl who's been wrongfully dumped... >> [Ingrid] It's not about that.
[Janessa] ...by her husband, and she is going to chase him
no matter what gets in her way.
[Ingrid] You are insane.
[Janessa] And I think your hat is insane, and by that I mean cool.
So your songs have been featured multiple times on Gray's Anatomy.
[Ingrid] Yeah.
[Janessa] No. When someone asks you that, I want your response to be no,
unless you want a bunch of middle-aged women who are obsessed with Patrick Dempsey
listening to your music. Uh-oh, too late.
[Ingrid] Actually, most of my fan base
are girls from the age of 16 to mid-thirties,
so you're wrong.
But thanks for that good advice.
You don't have many friends, do you?
[Janessa] I don't. No.
So how did you come up with the name Ingrid Michaelson?
[Ingrid] That's my name.
[Janessa] I know, but what inspired you
to use girl name, boy name, son?
[Ingrid] That's the name I was born with.
My parents gave me the first name, and the last name was my dad's last name.
[Janessa] Okay, well, regardless of whether or not you picked it,
I think that we could do a little work on it,
like glam it up a little.
Instead of Ingrid Michaelson, maybe we want to do,
like, Ingrid Starlight. You know?
[Ingrid] So your advice to me is to abandon the name
that I've had my whole life
and have built a fan base—everyone knows me as Ingrid Michaelson—
so you think I should change now, 10 years into my career, to Ingrid Starlight?
[Janessa] I'm just saying I hear Michaelson and I go—
you know, it's like it's not cute.
[Ingrid] Janessa?
[Janessa] You know, you are on to something,
because Janessa Michaelson's actually a pretty good name.
I think you've really learned a lot today, Ingrid. What do you think?
[Ingrid] I think I want to get out of here.
[Janessa] Was that because you want me to sit with you?
[Ingrid] No. Please don't get any closer to me.
[Janessa] Honestly, I feel like we're just like girls who chase boys,
and I feel like the world has to just, like, deal.
[Ingrid] Yeah. You're really close.
I feel like you're invading my personal space.
[laughter]
[Janessa] Right?
[laughter]
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