Sindy: So your musical tastes really lean towards old-school jazz and blues. Is that what we're going to hear on your EP?
Alexa Ray Joel: The challenge for me right now is getting one cohesive sound together. Because my taste is so eclectic and every song really has its own thing going on. It's sort of funny, I wrote this song that could be construed as a jazz song, but it's also very bluesy. But my dad's like, "No, that's like a Patsy Cline song", so there's even a little bit of country influence in there too. But it's all very old-school - old blues, old jazz, old country, old influences, so that will definitely be reflected on the album.
Sindy: Great. So what do you do when you're not singing?
Alexa Ray Joel: I'm a real homebody. I just putz around my apartment. I live with my boyfriend in Brooklyn - it's just kind of a low-key, laid back environment. When you're in this industry, it's kind of hard to be relaxed so when I do have time off I just tend to watch old movies, go to cool new restaurants.
Sindy: So do you have any advice for young people who are interested in pursuing music too?
Alexa Ray Joel: I'd probably just say what my dad has said to me: That you have to know who you are and what you want to do, so that you can defend that. There are a lot of forces in the entertainment industry that have an interest in just pushing your career where you might not want it to go. So just look out for yourself.
Sindy: Thanks so much Alexa!
Alexa Ray Joel: Thank you.
For more information on Alex Ray Joel, check out her MySpace at www.myspace.com/alexarayjoel.
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