2008 Woodie Awards
Piano Girl: An interview with Alexa Ray Joel
The Piano Man's daughter a rising star in her own right
Joel Ney
Issue date: 5/1/06 Section: Arts
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.
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.
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