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Alexa Ray Joel

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Alexa Ray Joel
Joel in 2018
Born (1985-12-29) December 29, 1985 (age 39)
New York City, U.S.
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • pianist
Years active2006–present
Partner(s)Ryan Gleason (2018–present; engaged)
Parents
Relatives
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
  • keyboards
Labels
  • ARJ Music
  • Audio Bee
  • The Hang

Alexa Ray Joel (born December 29, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She is the only mutual child of singer/songwriter Billy Joel and model Christie Brinkley. Joel released an EP Sketches (2006) and several singles on independent record labels. She has performed at numerous charity events and New York City fashion events.

Early life

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Joel was born on December 29, 1985,[1][2][3] in Manhattan, New York.[1][2] She is the daughter of singer-songwriter Billy Joel and model Christie Brinkley.[3][4][5] Her middle name, Ray, honors the musician Ray Charles with whom her father recorded the song "Baby Grand".[6][7] Through her mother, she has a half-brother, Jack Paris Brinkley (né Taubman, born June 2, 1995), and a half-sister, Sailor Brinkley Cook (born July 1, 1998).[8] Joel also has two half-sisters on her father's side: Della Rose (born August 12, 2015) and Remy Anne (born October 22, 2017).[9]

Her father wrote his 1993 song "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)" for her. It is her proclaimed favorite song he has written.[10][11] His 1989 song, "The Downeaster Alexa", bears the title of a boat he named after her but is about the struggles of Long Island fishermen.[12] She is also referenced in her father's 1989 song "Leningrad" (with the line "...He made my daughter laugh, then we embraced..."), in which "He" refers to a Russian man who became a circus clown after being in the Red Army.[13]

Like her father, Joel is known for her own melodic songwriting and has noted that her musical upbringing gave her a "unique inside-peek into the songwriting process", and that "It's no wonder I write music in the same way (my father) does: melody first, and lyrics second."[7] Joel said that by the age of 15, she was finishing complete songs with piano accompaniment, and writing poetry.[7]

Career

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In 2005, at age 19, Joel assembled a band[14] and performed her first live show at Maxwell's in Hoboken, New Jersey,[14] In 2006, Joel played nearly 100 shows,[citation needed] including a Hard Rock Cafe tour completed in May 2006.[15]

Sketches

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Joel self-released and independently distributed[16] the six-song EP Sketches in August 2006.[17] Joel explained "It's called 'Sketches' because it's like raw sketches... About three of the songs, actually, were done in one take."[15] Joel designed and illustrated the CD cover, packaging, and inserts that included her handwritten lyrics.[18] Sketches also included a pop/rock cover of Neil Young's "Don't Let It Bring You Down."[18]

After Sketches

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Joel performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (April 2007),[19] the 2007 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival (June 2007),[20] and the Albany Riverfront Jazz Festival (September 2007).[21]

Joel performed onstage with her father during the 2008 Rainforest Foundation Fund Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall on May 8, 2008.[22] Other charity events at which Joel has performed include the "Save Sag Harbor" benefit concert (2008),[23] the "Stage For The Cure" benefit for pediatric cancer (New York City, 2008),[24] a benefit for "The Art of Elysium" (artists for seriously ill children; The Hamptons, 2009),[25] a benefit for Habitat for Humanity (Long Beach, New York, 2010),[26] the "Right To Play Day" benefit (Sag Harbor, New York, 2010),[27] and the Eric Trump Foundation benefit for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (New York City, 2010).[28] She has also supported animal rights, including the Animal Haven's Speakeasy Bash (New York City, 2012).[citation needed]

Joel and her father performed the song "Baby Grand" at a Barack Obama election fundraiser at the Hammerstein Ballroom on October 16, 2008.[29]

Joel debuted her single "Invisible" on The Wendy Williams Show in October 2009,[30] the song being described as a "piano-driven ballad... about a bad breakup."[31]

Joel in 2010

Alexa Joel's single, "Notice Me", released on May 24, 2010,[32] was listed as a "Hit-Bound song" on the Sirius XM Hits 1 satellite radio channel in August 2010.[33] Newsday described the single as having a "carefree braininess" and "bouncy guitar riffs and an instantly hummable chorus" that made Joel's work "sound like Regina Spektor crossed with Katy Perry."[34] "Notice Me" is Joel's first collaboration with producer Tommy Byrnes and her first since signing with Long Beach, New York management company OCD Music Group/The Hang Productions.[34][35] Joel described the "Notice Me" video as using fashion to show both a modern look and a vintage throwback look.[12]

Joel did residencies in New York City, including the Oak Room of the Plaza Hotel (late 2010-2011,[36] said to add a "contemporary vibe"[37] to the "storied venue,"[36]) and the Café Carlyle at the Carlyle Hotel (April 2014).[38]

Fashion

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Joel is active in New York fashion events. She performed at Manhattan's "Fashion's Night Out" in 2009 (Elie Tahari),[39] 2010 (Bloomingdale's),[40] and 2011 (Bloomingdale's).[41] Joel interviewed celebrities and designers as a host for social networking website Julib.com during New York Fashion Week in September 2012[42][43] and February 2013,[44] and she performed at the launch of Bobbi Brown's book Pretty Powerful: Beauty Stories to Inspire Confidence,[45] also appearing with Brown on Today.[46] In 2017, Joel posed for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue along with her mother, Christie Brinkley, and her half-sister, Sailor Brinkley Cook.[47]

She was on the cover of BELLA magazine's Beauty Issue in 2018.[48]

Endorsements

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In February 2010, Joel was chosen the new spokeswoman for Ultimark Products' Prell brand of shampoo, with Joel's songs to serve as background for commercials.[49]

In September 2013, Joel became part of The Gap's "Back to Blue" television ad campaign, performing an interpretation of her father's 1977 song "Just the Way You Are."[50]

Personal life

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On December 5, 2009, Joel ingested a large quantity of Traumeel, a homeopathic alternative to ibuprofen. Joel was reported to have taken "several pills"; an NYU Medical Center toxicologist said the drug has "no active ingredient" and indicated that it was essentially impossible to overdose ("basically you'd be taking more of nothing").[51] Interviewed six months later by ABC News, Joel described herself as having been "distraught and in so much pain"[52] after the end of a four-year romantic relationship but not wanting to bother anyone since it was the holiday season. "I wasn't trying to kill myself. I was panicked. I was not thinking clearly at all. I was in so much pain and I just wanted to numb it."[52] "The intent was to calm me down because I was having a panic attack."[34]

Joel told People magazine that her April 2010 nose job came after five years of consideration and was to correct a deviated septum and to feel better about herself,[53] Joel having been "self-conscious of pictures taken from the side."[54] Joel explained that her surgery waited until she "was in a better place" than at the time of her Traumeel incident four months earlier, further stating that she is "done with plastic surgery".[54]

In a July 2010 interview with 20/20, Joel talked about "moving out of (the) shadows" of her "two megastar parents" and about recovery from her December 2009 crisis with depression.[55] While she acknowledged that it had been "scary" to be "compared to a rock and roll legend", her confidence was said to be "helped along by a wider acceptance" by others.[55] Stating that "I'm not a blond girl with blue eyes and that's fine",[55] she added that Ultimark Products approaching her to be the face of Prell shampoo was a "big confidence booster".[55] Describing overcoming the relationship dependence that triggered her December 2009 Traumeel incident, she said: "I've got to get a new band, whole new songs, whole new career plan. Everything changed after that incident."[55]

In 2013, Joel began dating restaurateur Ryan Gleason.[56] They became engaged on January 1, 2018.[57] As of 2021, the wedding was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[58]

Discography

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Sketches

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(August 2006) (EP, Audio Bee (label))[59]

  1. "The Heart of Me" – 5:23
  2. "Now It's Gone" – 3:32
  3. "Don't Let It Bring You Down" – 3:05
  4. "The Revolution Song" – 4:17
  5. "Resistance" – 4:07
  6. "Song of Yesterday" – 2:53

For All My Days

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(January 2008) (single, Audio Bee (label))[60]

  1. "For All My Days" – 4:42

Invisible

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(October 2009) (single)[30]

  1. "Invisible"

Notice Me

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(May 2010) (single,[61] Audio Bee or OCD Music Group/The Hang Productions[34] or ARJ Music[62] (label))

  1. "Notice Me" – 2:48

"All I Can Do Is Love"

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August 1, 2011 (single, ARJ Music)[62]

  1. "All I Can Do Is Love" – 3:50

Beg You to Stay

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(November 8, 2011) (single, ARJ Music)[62]

  1. "Beg You to Stay" – 4:48

Just the Way You Are

[edit]

(September 16, 2013) (single)[50]

  1. "Just the Way You Are" – 4:13

References

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  1. ^ a b Billy Joel, Christie Brinkley have their first child, a girl (archive), Lexington Herald-Leader (Kentucky, U.S.), article published December 31, 1985. Born "about 11:45 pm Sunday"; December 29 fell on a Sunday in 1985.
  2. ^ a b "Brinkley, Joel Parents of 'Uptown Girl'". Los Angeles Times. December 30, 1985. p. 2. The 6½-pound girl, as yet unnamed, was born in a Manhattan hospital at about 11:45 pm Sunday, said the spokeswoman, Geraldine McInerney.
  3. ^ a b "Joel and his 'uptown girl' have a girl". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. December 31, 1985. p. A3. Model Christie Brinkley has given her husband – singer-songwriter Billy Joel – something new to sing about, a 6½-pound daughter, a spokesman for the family said Monday.
  4. ^ "Elton John, Billy Joel – New Face 2 Face tour dates for 2009". February 10, 2009. Archived from the original on December 29, 2008. ()
  5. ^ "In Focus: Billy Joel" from photos section of movies.msn.com (archive) showing Joel at the age of two years with parents; photo dated June 27, 1988.
  6. ^ Stout, Gene, "Billy Joel Delivers – Few Surprises," seattlepi.com (Seattle Post-Intelligencer), December 3, 1986 (retrieved July 21, 2009) (archive).
  7. ^ a b c Mrowicki, Matt, "Turning A Fantasy Into A Promising Career" interview (archive), Chorus and Verse, June 2006.
  8. ^ "Christie Brinkley" model profile (archive), New York magazine, undated profile was downloaded March 9, 2011.
  9. ^ "Billy Joel Welcomes Baby". Yahoo! News. August 12, 2015. Archived from the original on November 26, 2015.
  10. ^ SHOWBIZ TONIGHT transcript (archive), CNN, November 17, 2006.
  11. ^ Schlansky, Evan "Alexa Ray Joel: Q&A" (archive), American Songwriter, May 1, 2007.
  12. ^ a b Ragogna, Mike, "Life Is Good: Conversations With Jason Mraz and Alexa Ray Joel, Plus Alexa's New Video 'Notice Me'" (archive), The Huffington Post, November 18, 2010.
  13. ^ Joel, Billy, "Billy Joel 'Leningrad' Lyrics" for lyrics (archive), and "Billy Joel Biography & Timeline" for 1987 concert date (archive), both from billyjoel.com, both downloaded and archived March 26, 2011. More specifically, see "New Billy Joel Q&A – Are The Lyrics To 'Leningrad' A True History, ..." (archive), BillyJoel.com, September 7, 2011.
  14. ^ a b Deming, Mark, Biography, All Music Guide, AMG (later AllMusic), presented with attribution to AMG by Billboard.com and without attribution to AMG by MTV.com (archive), late 2006.
  15. ^ a b Waddell, Ray, "Like her father, Joel embarks on musician's life" (archive), Reuters attributing to "Reuters/Billboard," October 22, 2006.
  16. ^ Madison, Tjames (sic), "Alexa Ray Joel 'Sketches' out tour" (archive), LiveDaily (succeeded by Soundspike.com), September 21, 2006.
  17. ^ "Alexa Ray Joel a Strikes Chord of Her Own" (archive), People magazine, October 8, 2006.
  18. ^ a b Worley, Gail, "Alexa Ray Joel" (archive), LivingRoomNY interview, after October 16, 2008, performance at Hammerstain Ballroom.
  19. ^ "Billy Joel's Daughter Makes Solo Debut"(), Artistdirect, article published April 25, 2007. Photo: nojazzfest.com Gallery "53 of 80" Archived June 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ "Schedule" of the 2007 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival (archive)
  21. ^ Brooks, Albert (photographer), Albany Riverfront Jazz Festival (archive), albanyjazz.com, Albany, New York, September 8, 2007.
  22. ^ "In Focus: Billy Joel" from photos section of movies.msn.com (archive), event date: May 8, 2008, Rainforest Foundation Fund benefit.
  23. ^ Tuma, Debbie, "Christie Brinkley, Billy Joel gush as daughter Alexa wows 'em in concert" (archive), New York Daily News, August 31, 2008.
  24. ^ "GNYC presents M.E.A.N.Y. FEST 2008 kick off Stage For The Cure Benefit for Pediatric Cancer" (archive), Highline Ballroom (New York), October 2, 2008.
  25. ^ "Alexa Ray Joel and Michelle Trachtenberg" (archive), InStyle, July 20, 2009.
  26. ^ "Alexa Ray Joel performs in Long Beach" (archive), newsday.com, event date June 12, 2010.
  27. ^ Stirling, Jay, "Hamptons Play Day A Success" (archive), Right to Play website, August 16, 2010, publication date for August 14, 2010, event.
  28. ^ "After Party at Hudson Terrace" (archive), EricTrumpFoundation.com, September 14, 2010.
  29. ^ Rush, George and Hutchinson, Bill. "Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel headline Barack Obama midtown cash bash" (archive), New York Daily News, October 17, 2008.
  30. ^ a b Web pages from wendyshow.com: "Alexa Ray Joel" (archive) with embedded October 21, 2009, "WendyWilliamsShow" YouTube video (archive) of Joel's debut vocal performance of "Invisible"; and Alexa Ray Joel Is Not “Invisible” (archive) (flash player) vocal performance of "Invisible"; and "Invisible" (archive) includes video of Joel explaining story behind "Invisible."
  31. ^ Gamboa, Glenn. "LI Sound: Alexa Ray Joel's 'Invisible' is strong intro" (archive), newsday.com, October 30, 2009.
  32. ^ "Alexa Ray Joel’s New Beau" (archive), hollywoodnews.com, June 22, 2010.
  33. ^ See voting box at right side of page at archive of sirius.com/siriusxmhits1 website, archived on August 8, 2010.
  34. ^ a b c d Gamboa, Glenn. "Long Island Sound: Taking notice of Alexa Ray Joel" (archive), newsday.com, June 10, 2010.
  35. ^ The ocdmusicgroup website "The Hang Productions" (archive), "About Us" tab and "Artists" tab.
  36. ^ a b Gamboa, Glenn. "Review: Alexa Ray Joel @ The Oak Room, 1.10.11" (archive), Newsday.com, January 11, 2011.
  37. ^ Gallagher, Brian Thomas. "Midtown Girl: Alexa Ray Joel Goes Ahead with Her Own Life at The Plaza's Oak Room" (archive), The New York Observer, January 4, 2011.
  38. ^ Holden, Stephen (April 2, 2014). "A Singer Confidently Following Her Heart". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 16, 2015.
  39. ^ Pascoe, Jessie. "Fashion's Night Out 2009 – A guide to navigating the evening's boutique bacchanalia" (archive), MetroMix, published September 3, 2009.
  40. ^ Kalikow, Liat, "The Top 11 Musical Moments At Fashion's Night Out" (archive), MTV.com, September 11, 2010.
  41. ^ Amodio, Joseph V. "Alexa Ray Joel loves Bloomie's" (archive), Newsday, September 9, 2011.
  42. ^ "Alexa Ray Joel Hits New York Fashion Week" (archive), Live Trading News, September 6, 2012.
  43. ^ Ruggiero, Nina, "Alexa Ray Joel says she wants her own identity" (archive), Newsday, September 13, 2012.
  44. ^ "Alexa Ray Joel Playing Host Again For The Style And Social Network JULIB.com" (archive), PapierDoll, February 12, 2013.
  45. ^ Rodulfo, Kristina, "Inside Bobbi Brown's Book Launch Party for Pretty Powerful" (archive), Harper's Bazaar, September 21, 2012.
  46. ^ "Bobbi Brown, Alexa Ray Joel celebrate inner beauty" (archive), MSN, September 27, 2012.
  47. ^ Jensen, Erin (February 8, 2017). "Christie Brinkley, 63, makes splash in 'Sports Illustrated' Swimsuit Issue". USA Today. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  48. ^ "BELLA New York - May/June 2018 The Beauty Issue". Issuu. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  49. ^ Gamboa, Glenn (Newsday), "Alexa Ray Joel becoming Prell shampoo spokeswoman" (archive), Boston Herald, February 24, 2010.
  50. ^ a b Gamboa, Glenn (September 16, 2013). "Alexa Ray Joel tackles 'Just the Way You Are' for Gap". Newsday.
  51. ^ Gaskell, Stephanie. "Nearly impossible to overdose on drug – Traumeel – that Alexa Ray Joel took", New York Daily News, December 7, 2009 (archive).
  52. ^ a b Launier, Kimberly, and Escobedo, Monica, "Alexa Ray Joel Opens New Chapter With New Album"(online article with embedded video), abcnews.com, June 17, 2010 (archives of and full article text). Related YouTube video "Alexa Ray Joel Opens Up"() was posted to YouTube channel "ABCNews" on June 16, 2010.
  53. ^ Hamm, Liza, "Alexa Ray Joel: 'I Hit Rock Bottom'" article (archive), People magazine, May 17, 2010, which was linked from the "Press" tab (archive of 2010-08-19) of Joel's website.
  54. ^ a b "Alexa Ray Joel Nose Job" (archive), Huffington Post, April 28, 2010.
  55. ^ a b c d e Cuomo, Christopher (interviewer), "Alexa Ray Joel Sings an Upbeat Song" abcnews.com online video of ABC News 20/20 television broadcast (archive), June 18, 2010, which was linked from the "Press" tab (archive of 2010-08-19) of Joel's website.
  56. ^ "Decked Out: Singer Alexa Ray Joel's Old Hollywood-Meets-Bohemian Glamour". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  57. ^ "Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley's Daughter Alexa Ray Joel Is Engaged — See Her (Huge!) Ring". People. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  58. ^ "Alexa's Wedding". Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  59. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas, "Sketches Review" (archive) allmusic.com, includes track listing.
  60. ^ allmusic.com (archive) listing for For All My Days.
  61. ^ Thomas, Devon, Alexa Ray Joel Takes to Howard Stern To Promote "Notice Me" (archive), CBS News, July 15, 2010.
  62. ^ a b c archive) of music search website AllSongsBy.com (search results for "Alexa Ray Joel" under 'Artist' category).
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