With a folk-pop sound that stays organic and pure, Ellie Lawson has succeeded with her debut album, The Philosophy Tree. Now we talk to her about songwriting, meeting Ellen DeGeneres and life after labels.

There's an indie style about Ellie Lawson. Even though she isn't with a major label, you wouldn't know the difference. This gal combines the rhymes and style of Ani DiFranco with the melodies of Alanis Morrisette – and she's been meeting success at every step. Her pop sensibilities give her the potential to be huge, yet her down home roots keep her real.

With a new manager and tour plans for Japan, Lawson is also busy recording her second album. Her goal is to stick with her music and get it out more, and she says she would like to go beyond mainstream radio.

The Philosophy Tree is distributed through Barnes and Noble, but she wouldn't mind re-releasing it with the right investors.

"I haven't approached anyone yet," says Lawson. "I feel that I have been on a wild learning curve in terms of the industry so I hope that this will help me make some great decisions and come up with some interesting ideas for the promotion in the future."

But that doesn't mean she doesn't like national TV. Last April she graced the waves on the Ellen DeGeneres show playing the hipster positive track, "Gotta Get Up From Here."

"Ellen was the best- she gave me mad love," Lawson glows. "I get messages all the time on MySpace.com about being heard on XM radio. Those guys are very supportive of the underdog and when they hear something they think is good- they play it as they can play what they like!"

It's been a busy year for Lawson. She was featured in eight magazines including Vogue for a VO5 campaign. She also had a song featured in the Jennifer Lopez movie, "Monster in Law."

But her success hasn't come easy. She was with Atlantic Records until they decided not to release the record.

"(It was) because ‘nothing was going on' and so it felt ludicrous that all these great things happened so organically after their decision but yet they hadn't released the record so no one could buy it," Lawson recalls. Last August when The Philosophy Tree was released, Lawson said she had to start again on her own having gone through all of the mainstream promotion events.

Now Lawson is living in Brooklyn and enjoys reading and watching movies in her spare time. She listens to a lot of KRS One, Tribe Called Quest, Guru, Cannibus and Fugees. Kanye West is also in her mix.

"I like being motivated and uplifted by lyrics in music," says Lawson, adding that music and books inspire her to write and create tunes.

"I am inspired by my journey in life and working out the lessons to learn through music and I am inspired to communicate to people as a live act as this is new to me having come from a studio/bedroom background. I am keeping this in mind when I am writing now," she adds. "It feels so great that this is finally my real job and I have the opportunity to make a second record."

For more information visit: http://www.ellielawson.com