Ingrid Michaelson

If there were a genre of music called Grey's Anatomy (and come on, there pretty much is), Ingrid Michaelson would be one of its key artists. Sensitive and smart, poignant and pretty, she writes intimate, introspective songs about love, heartbreak and growing up. Of course, she is the daughter of two sensitive artistic types -- Dad's a composer and Mom's a sculptor. Michaelson grew up on Staten Island, spent her childhood taking piano and voice lessons and got a degree in theater from Binghamton University. Along the way, she also started writing songs and self-released two albums. Pretty soon, her efforts earned her some high-profile fans -- namely, Old Navy and, yes, Grey's Anatomy, who decided Michaelson's dreamy, bespectacled musical aesthetic was just the thing for shilling casual wear and Meredith Grey's McAngst. And that, friends, is how you get to the top of the Grey's Anatomy genre, which is a pretty sweet spot in 2007.