Alexa Ray Joel, the 20-year-old only child of musical legend Billy Joel, is preparing her debut album of songs while currently touring Hard Rock Café and other rock venues throughout the United States. Judging by a few song demos privately shared prior to their wide release, her musical talent seems to surpass the current efforts of many of the modern female stars of our generation. Her compositions "Jaded" and "The Revolution Song" are charged with fiery piano solos and satisfying lyrics, creating really terrific modern rock. I recently briefly interviewed the Piano Girl for an exclusive talk with The Ticker.
Joel Ney: You've cited both classical composers like Frederick Chopin to modern rock gods like Elvis Costello as your influences. What genre of music do you find you listen to more in your spare time?
Alexa Ray Joel: I love both genres of music...it just depends on my mood. When I'm trying to wind down, I listen to classical music more often. As a child, my father used to play Chopin preludes to me before I fell asleep at night, so I got used to listening to that before bedtime, and I still do today!
When I'm cleaning my apartment or doing something that requires physical activity, I generally listen to more upbeat music, like pop or rock, because it gets me, well, motivated! I think I generally listen to rock music more often, especially lately, as I find it closer in style to my own music, and it just influences me more these days. Also, I've had five years of classical piano training, and as a result of that, I find rock music more refreshing... probably because I was never officially taught how to play it on the piano!
JN: Do you have a songwriting ritual or a preferred time of day to write your music?
ARJ: I pretty much always write music at night, and I've been that way for as long as I can remember. I think the nighttime is more condusive to songwriting because it shuts you off from most other people, places and things. And if I'm going to write a song, I need to be completely isolated and committed to being inside my own little world of ideas. Sometimes, I like to turn all the lights off in my apartment, because it helps me tune out everything all the more--the view outside my window, blaring traffic sounds... everything. Then, there's just me and the piano. That definitely helps me feel the intensity of the creative process, and I'm all the more able to be fully inside of the moment.
JN: Do you have a favorite love song?
ARJ: I love "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," sung by Roberta Flack. I also love the way Roberta sings "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow," which was written by Carole King. My all-time favorite love song, although it's not conventionally a "love song" by traditional standards, is "Goodnight My Angel," (otherwise known as "Lullabye"), which was written by my father. I think it's one of the most beautiful simple melodies I've ever heard, and the orchestration perfectly complements his voice. Ever since I was a child, that song has always comforted me.
JN: What albums are you listening to right now?
ARJ: Lately I've just been downloading songs onto my iPod, so I haven't been listening to any albums in full. I can't seem to get enough of Randy Newman's music these days. I've been downloading the acoustic versions of his songs, because I think when a song is that well-written, it often sounds best in its purest form (a.k.a. solely voice and piano). He uses a lot of lush, suspended chords in his songs, and his simply-phrased, almost conversational vocal style combined with his extremely melodic melodies is very evocative to me.
I just recently discovered the Dixie Chicks, and I can't seem to get enough of them either. I admire Natalie Maines's voice because it's so strong and crystal-clear, and she can sound very poppy when she wants to, but never "cute." Although their music is more country than pop, it's still refreshingly contemporary and the unique arrangement of their harmonies is like nothing I've ever heard, particularly on their cover of "Landslide" (by Stevie Knicks).
JN: Any definitive plans on releasing your own debut album?
ARJ: I'm very excited because I just finished recording my demo, which will soon be ready to shop to record companies. If I get a record deal, I'd love to take some time to write more material before I make any definitive plans to record an album. I've been very busy touring lately, and I want to make sure I have a good block of time set aside for songwriting.
JN: In a dream duet album, any particular musical artists come to mind with whom you'd like to collaborate?
ARJ: I would've loved to have collaborated with Ray Charles!
JN: Anything your fans don't know that they'll be most surprised to hear about you?
ARJ: That I'm a huge fan of my father's, but that doesn't mean I enjoy hearing every single fan's detailed stories about how their cousin's ex-boyfriend's wife met my dad twenty years ago!
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