Chrisette Michele does Patchogue proud

Chrisette Michele wants to reclaim the word "hipster" and make it a compliment once again.

The Grammy-winning Patchogue native moved to Williamsburg nearly three years ago and fell in love with the hipster Brooklyn lifestyle, which she half-jokingly says revolves around "art, coffee and yoga." Not only did it inspire her to write a dreamy, neosoul anthem "Rich Hipster" celebrating the culture, but it gave her a new, more open approach to her music that filters all through her fourth album, "Better" (Motown), which hits stores Tuesday.

"Everything that I was doing while I was there felt really honest -- from the black skinny jeans and coffee cups to the indie concerts and falafel," she says. "The song is this celebration of me loving New York, about being this girl from Long Island who never saw color and moving to Williamsburg, another place that doesn't see color at all."

It's an idea she wanted to support. "There's a new breed of young people, whether they be in hip-hop or rock -- you've got Bruno Mars, you've got Lil Wayne, you've got Wiz Khalifa -- who are all adopting sort of a hipster-esque lifestyle in style and fashion, but they've got money in their pockets," she says. "My whole thing was: Why don't we talk about being rich in art and rich in heart?"

Michele says she's ready for the backlash from both sides. "It usually happens when you see people in communities who are different," she says about the current anti-hipster sentiment. "No one takes the time to ask questions or see what they're all about. It's a free-spirited lifestyle, and it's a lifestyle that seeks to be very nonjudgmental."

As for hipsters not wanting to be a part of an R&B song, she jokes, "There are a lot of rules about being a hipster, and one of the main rules is that you're not allowed to call yourself one. I am definitely breaking all the rules by even writing a song called 'Rich Hipster.' " (Michele says she teamed up with rapper Wale on the song so she didn't have to break another rule. "R&B singers aren't allowed to brag, so I wanted someone to do it for me," she says, laughing, "and Wale was so kind to talk about my many fur coats so I didn't have to say it.")

Michele didn't put much stock in rules when she was working on "Better." "Singing about love has never come naturally to me," she says, when asked about how she picked the old-school ballad "A Couple of Forevers" as the album's first single. "I needed to break the 'love song' ice and work my way into the feeling that it's OK to fall back in love. 'A Couple of Forevers' was the one song that told a story about love and didn't apologize about it."

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The song is also unusual for Michele, who is best known for her breakup ballads like "Goodbye Game" from "Let Freedom Reign" and "Blame It on Me" from "Epiphany." She laughs at the thought, shouting, "I know! Everything's great from out of nowhere! How did that happen? I was actually nervous that some people will think, 'Oh, she's all happy now.' "

The thing is: she might be. Following her spring tour opening for Keyshia Cole, Michele will open for Mary J. Blige this summer and plans to headline her own shows this fall. She's thrilled about "Better" finally being released -- after being delayed for nearly a year by what she calls "paperwork," as she moved from Def Jam to Motown within the Universal Music Group. And she feels more confident in herself as an artist.

"Part of maturity is knowing what you want to contribute to culture and society and being OK with that," she says. "For me, it's positivity. That's what I want to contribute. If that means having a smile for every person that I meet, then that's what I'll do."

She attributes part of her new attitude to a two-month juice cleanse. "It cleansed me on the inside and it cleansed me spiritually," she says. "I shed all this weight -- spiritually, emotionally and physically. . . . That led me to a new sense of happiness, a new sense of accomplishment and love. I used to joke that I was the token angry black woman, but now I am healed. This album sounds healed."

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WHO Chrisette Michele's fourth album, "Better," is in stores Tuesday

WHEN | WHERE 7 p.m. Tuesday, Luxury Infinity Yacht at Hudson River Parks, Pier 40, Manhattan

INFO $40; 212-243-4940, summersplashconcert cruises.com

BODY OF WORK

Chrisette Michele says she took a new approach to writing and recording her new album, "Better," hoping fans would embrace her openness. Of course, things weren't going too badly before this. Here's a look at her previous work:

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'I AM' (2007)

PEAK No. 29

HITS "Be OK," "If I Have My Way," "Best of Me"

VIBE As debut albums go, "I Am" was a fully formed statement of who the neosoul singer was at the time, one who revered jazz greats but could still hang with the hip-hop crews. The mix won over Grammy voters, awarding her best urban/alternative performance for "Be OK" and landing her a nomination for best R&B female vocal performance for "If I Have My Way."

'EPIPHANY' (2009)

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PEAK No. 1

HITS "Epiphany," "What You Do," "Blame It on Me"

VIBE She sought out collaborators for her follow-up, teaming up with Ne-Yo, who co-wrote half of the album's 12 songs, and getting a more commercial R&B sound. However, it's the timeless ballad "Blame It on Me," which she co-wrote, that showcases her voice's power and unique sound.

'LET FREEDOM REIGN' (2010)

PEAK No. 25

HITS "I'm a Star," "All I Ever Think About"

VIBE Focusing on esteem-building and conquering adversity, Michele takes control again on her third album, stretching to find more up-tempo songs, though it's a ballad -- the powerful "Goodbye Game" -- that once again takes center stage. Though it sort of got lost in the shuffle, released in the pre-Christmas scrum against Rihanna's "Loud" and Taylor Swift's "Speak Now," it still holds up.