Last year, television taught us two important things. First was that if we ever get chilly, Ingrid Michaelson will lend us her sweater. Second was that an independent artist can place music on an Old Navy commercial and jumpstart an entire career.

Thanks to its use in the ubiquitous sweater commercial – as well in key scenes of the ever-popular “Grey’s Anatomy” – Michaelson’s instantly loveable song “The Way I Am” has sold over 630,000 downloads, making it a phenomenon by any standards.

But the truly wondrous thing is the way Michaelson’s thousands of insta-fans have rallied around her entire album, Girls and Boys. What should have been an enjoyable 15 minutes for the Staten Island native has evolved into an auspicious career. Now Michaelson makes a regular habit of selling out venues and gracing the pages, stages and airwaves of every TV show, magazine and radio station that counts.

Fly Magazine caught up with the singer on her way to New York to discuss her phobias, her “librarian chic” fashion movement and all of those pesky Lisa Loeb comparisons.

Fly Magazine: I have to admit that I just couldn’t imagine your album living up to the song.
 Ingrid Michaelson: Or living down to the song! [laughs]

      FM:      Do you feel like people are getting invested in your music beyond the phenomenon of the Old Navy commercial?
     IM: Two months ago, my friend was like, “There are no bad articles about you!” And I was like, “Yeah, that’s because no one’s writing about my music!” They’re not reviewing my music, they’re only writing about the fact that I’m going about [my career] in a different way, an independent way. But there’s a little bit of it here and there – more people are kind of digging into the music. It’s nice to be noted for what you’re doing, not just how you’re doing it.

     FM: What do you make of all the attention in general?
     IM: I think it’s great. I got a lot of opportunities because of it. But now I have to step up and show that I’m worthy of all the opportunities and the attention that I got. There’s a little bit of pressure on me now. Now is the time when my music has to come forth. I feel like the further in my career I go, the more I will be able to prove to people that I’m worthy of the cover of Billboard Magazine that I got. The cover – that’s a big freaking deal. I felt like I almost didn’t deserve it. So now I feel the desire to prove myself.

     FM: Entertainment Weekly called you the “deft mistress of quirk folk.”
     IM: The what mistress?

     FM: The deft mistress.
     IM: Oh, OK. I thought you said death. I was like, “God, that’s really depressing and mean!” But that’s a nice title. I’ll take that. It’s kind of confusing – like, what did they call me in the Village Voice? “Quirk pop librarian folk chic.” They had, like, eight different words to describe the type of music I make. I love all of the funny descriptions.

     FM: I think my favorite review was just, “Ingrid Michaelson is the shit.”
     IM: Who said that? That’s awesome. I should make T-shirts that say that and sell them on the road.

     FM: When you got that first phone call about “Grey’s Anatomy,” what was going through your head?
     IM: When I got my first placement and I got the phone call, I knew that something was going to come of that, because I’m confident in my music. I’m not saying that everybody loves it. I know that people don’t like it, for sure, thanks to the Internet. [laughs] But I knew that enough people would connect to it if they had a chance to hear it.

     FM: When you look at numbers like 630,000 downloads of the song …
     IM: I have a gold single! Is that what it’s called, when you sell 500,000?

     FM: Yeah, it’s crazy! How do you process that?
     IM: The way I look at it, I’m always ready for everything to just kind of stop, for everything to just come crashing down and then that’s the end of it. I’m well aware of the fact that nothing is really lasting. So I sort of look at it like, it’s awesome I’ve sold so much, but be really thankful for it and don’t expect anything else. If that’s all you ever sell, then shit, you sold over 500,000 singles, and that’s awesome. So I’m trying to do the whole zen, be-in-the-moment thing, which sometimes works. Sometimes it doesn’t.

     FM: What a downer.
     IM: I know [laughs], but it’s sort of the way I work. If I ever get a massage, as soon as they start, I think, “Well, I only have 45 minutes left. That sucks.” Not like, “Oh, that feels really good.” More like, “Oh, it’s almost over.” I have a retirement fund set up and I have a financial planner. I’m getting ready for the end.

     FM: Do you still live with your parents?
     IM: Well, what I like to say is that I stay with them. [laughs] Since January, I’ve been home for maybe two weeks. I’m trying to wait until my touring schedule slows down and then be a normal girl and have my own apartment.

     FM: That will be in the year 2028.
     IM: I know, I know! Eventually, though, I have to do it.

     FM: So I hear that you have a pair of magical glasses that make you sound exactly like Lisa Loeb.
     IM: Evidently. Yeah, I do. I’m wearing them right now! It’s amazing how – I don’t want to say a mean adjective – but it’s amazing how stupid people can be. I almost take offense to it, because clearly [journalists] really haven’t even listened to my music and they’re only looking at my face, and because I’m wearing glasses, I sound like Lisa Loeb. If I wasn’t wearing glasses, nobody would make that comment – ever! It just angers me.
          I like reading comments on YouTube like, “If she lost the glasses, she’d be so much hotter.” If I lost the glasses I wouldn’t be able to see anything! I used to try to wear contacts when I first started playing music. And then I’m like, “Fuck it. I’ve been wearing glasses since I was in the fourth grade.” And now I see girls showing up to my concerts and they’re all wearing glasses. And it’s just like, “Aw, that’s the cutest thing ever!”

     FM: It’s because of the “librarian chic” movement you started.
     IM: Actually, I came up with the idea of “librarian emo,” so then we changed it to “lemo.” Because I wear T-shirts and Converse and emo-y things, but I’m also like a librarian with my cardigan sweaters and my glasses. I think lemo is going to be the new hip clothing trend.

     FM: What do you think about when you’re mapping out your career?
     IM: I want to write smart music that’s not generated for the masses, but for people that really care about music. If the masses like it, if it gets on an Old Navy commercial or whatever, that’s cool, but I don’t want to pander. I want to keep growing my fan base, hopefully.

     FM: And you’ve got at least one clothing line to start.
     IM: Lemo!