She may have one of the most recognisable surnames in the world, but the singer-songwriter Alexa Ray Joel is making a name for herself. And although she's known for her romantic piano ballads, Alexa's new music has taken everyone by surprise – even her father, Billy Joel, who was the first person she played it to. "He was taken aback," she tells HELLO! in this exclusive interview ahead of the release of her new single, Riverside Way. "I was really happy because he loved it; it was thrilling. He was like: 'This is such a departure for you; this is really experimental.' And he asked me how I came up with it, because it didn't seem like me."
Alexa's alter-ego
The inspiration, Alexa says, can be traced back to a particular moment in time. "I think people primarily see me as a good girl," she says. "I rarely go out and don't drink that much. But a few years ago, I had this one summer where I had some inspiration; I went out and drank and was as wild as I can be. "I was like: 'Woohoo, I'm living!' I had a lot of fun and I wanted to channel it into a song." Challenging herself musically is crucial, she adds. "I think it's always important to mix it up. I hope it takes people by surprise."
The daughter of Billy and the model (and original Uptown Girl) Christie Brinkley, Alexa – who lives in Manhattan with her fiancé, the restaurateur Ryan Gleason – says there was never just one moment when she realised that she wanted to be a singer.
Sound advice from Billy Joel
"Music was always there," she says. "I grew up with my father always playing music around the house. It was like a musical, growing up with my parents. We were constantly putting on plays, and I didn't even know that my parents were stars. They made me feel like a star. "I feel so grateful to have grown up in such a creative environment, with parents who really encouraged me, because I know not everyone grows up like that. It was special. My father always says: 'Do what you love and you'll love what you do.'"
She is extremely close to both of her parents, who divorced in 1994 after nine years of marriage, and often turns to them for advice. Alexa says she is like her father when it comes to navigating the music industry. "He's an introvert, like me, and he doesn't always love dealing with the external – all the other people and the social networking stuff. He's always telling me to trust what you want to do and go with yourself, and you can’t go wrong. "He also loves to say: 'Don’t take any [expletive] from anybody,'" she laughs. "Classic New Yorker!"
Meanwhile, her mother, Christie, 71, is a "bundle of sweetness and love", Alexa says. "A lot of her advice is coming from a place of gratitude. My mother is more of an extrovert than me, so I'll be like: 'I don’t want to have to deal with X,' and she's like: 'Just think of how lucky you are that you're in a situation where you're able to work creatively.' She always fills a little bit of optimism into my cup."
Billy Joel's health update
This year, Billy, 76, revealed that he had been diagnosed with the neurological condition normal pressure hydrocephalus, which can affect balance and cognitive function. "My daddy's doing great," Alexa says. "I'm so proud of him because he's so resilient. I'm like: 'Boy, you've got some good hearty stock.' "I told him the other day when we had dinner that I've never seen him so healthy; he's eating more vegetables, he's doing white meat instead of red meat. I'm so proud of him. I'm like: 'You have nine lives!'"
In July, her father released And So It Goes, a critically acclaimed, two-part documentary containing five hours of footage. Watching it was a "huge nostalgic treat", Alexa says. "I cried like a baby watching it, because those were all very treasured memories for me. The love between my parents was something truly deep and special."
Wedding plans
Alexa, who has been with Ryan since 2013, finally found her match after becoming “a little disenchanted” with the dating scene in her twenties. "I thought: 'There aren’t many gentlemen out there; they can’t even pick up their phones.'" The pair met through her best friend, Samantha. “Ryan was really respectful,” Alexa remembers. “He sent a very long voicemail asking me out properly, and when we went out, he was opening the doors and was such a gentleman. Of course, he's gorgeous, too."
Ryan appears in the music video for Riverside Way, an experience that Alexa says was a lot of fun and has even made them consider taking acting classes together. "It's important to always find new life in a relationship and to try different things."
As for wedding plans, Alexa says that the couple, who got engaged in 2018, finally have time to plan something next year. And she has been inspired by her parents and their wedding, which was shown in the documentary. "They were sailing out on this fabulous boat on the Hudson River, and I turned to my mom and Ryan and said: 'I'd love to do something like that.' We're well and truly New Yorkers, so it will definitely be in NYC, whatever we plan to do."
A milestone birthday ahead
Looking ahead, Alexa will celebrate her 40th birthday at the end of December, and although she’s considering "something big and fabulous" to mark her milestone, the date has also given her pause for thought. “We're in a society that, unfortunately, is still burdened by sexism," she says. "[There's a] certain degree of sexism when it comes to women, and I see it with my parents. I feel like my mother is judged more for her age than her fame; she’s unbelievably gorgeous, but there’s more focus on how she looks for her age. "That’s why I try to ignore the numbers and say: 'Hey, go at your own pace, and you can survive any age and feel good.'"
Riverside Way is out now.