Alexandra Isley is an American singer-songwriter and producer. She released her debut EP ''The Love/Art Memoirs'' in 2012. Isley has worked with artists including Scarface,

Terrace Martin Terrace Jamahl Martin (born December 28, 1978) is an American musician, rapper, singer, and record producer. He is perhaps best known for producing records for several prominent artists in the music industry, including Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dog ...

, Masego,

9th Wonder Patrick Denard Douthit (born January 15, 1975),
better known as 9th Wonder, is a Tank and the Bangas Tank and the Bangas is an American musical group based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The band won the 2017 NPR Tiny Desk Contest and in November 2019, they were nominated in the Best New Artist category for the 2020 Grammy Awards. They have released ...

, and

Lucky Daye David Debrandon Brown (born September 25, 1985), professionally known as Lucky Daye, is an American singer-songwriter from New Orleans. He is signed to Keep Cool Records and RCA Records. He released his first EP, ''I'' on November 9, 2018 and his ...

Early life and education

Born Alexandra Isley, she is the daughter of

Ernie Isley Ernest Isley (born March 7, 1952) is an American musician, best known as a member of the musical ensemble The Isley Brothers, and also the splinter group Isley-Jasper-Isley. Biography Ernie was born in Cincinnati, where his older brothers for ...

of the prolific soul group

the Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decades, ...

. Isley spent most of her childhood in New Jersey before moving to Los Angeles. She named

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

Toni Braxton Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1967) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. ...

Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and " ...

, and

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...

as early favorite musicians. She loved singing from childhood and her family supported her pursuit of music as a professional career. She began classical vocal training at age 12 and later graduated from LA County High School for the Arts. Isley received her bachelor's degree from

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

, where she studied in the jazz department. Isley has

synesthesia Synesthesia (American English) or synaesthesia (British English) is a perceptual phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. People who re ...

, and described the phenomenon to ''

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose paren ...

'': "There's a canvas in my mind, and the whole thing is painted, or it's a continuous wave of color...Sometimes I'll start composing something and I'll have to change the key because the color won't sit right with me."

Career

Isley released her self-produced debut EP ''The'' ''Love Art/Memoirs'' in 2012.

Okayplayer Okayplayer is an online hip-hop and alternative music website and community, described by ''Rolling Stone'' as a "tastemaker" and "an antidote to dull promotional Web sites used by most artists". The community was founded by The Roots' drummer ...

reviewed the EP positively: "please believe Alex’s lush vocals over her own calming production is capable of spawning a generation of love babies much like “Between The Sheets” did." Isley described her music as r&b with hip hop and jazz influences. Samantha Callender of ''

Essence Essence ( la, essentia) is a polysemic term, used in philosophy and theology as a designation for the property or set of properties that make an entity or substance what it fundamentally is, and which it has by necessity, and without which it ...

'' referred to her voice as "silky smooth vocals that ride neo-soul melodies." She has collaborated with artists such as

9th Wonder Patrick Denard Douthit (born January 15, 1975),
better known as 9th Wonder, is a Lucky Daye David Debrandon Brown (born September 25, 1985), professionally known as Lucky Daye, is an American singer-songwriter from New Orleans. He is signed to Keep Cool Records and RCA Records. He released his first EP, ''I'' on November 9, 2018 and his ...

and Masego (musician), Masego on "Good & Plenty (Remix)"; Chromonicci on "Interstellar"; and Christian Kuria on "Toroka." In November 2019 she released the joint EP ''Wilton'' with producer Jack Dine. In May 2020 Isley performed a concert for ''

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

'''s

Tiny Desk Tiny Desk Concerts is a video series of live concerts hosted by NPR Music at the desk of ''All Songs Considered'' host Bob Boilen in Washington, D.C. The first Tiny Desk Concert came about in 2008 after Boilen and NPR Music editor Stephen Thom ...

series. That year she was also a featured vocalist for the

Cautious Clay Joshua Karpeh (born January 30, 1993), known professionally as Cautious Clay, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer.

track "Reaching", on the soundtrack for '' Insecures fourth season. In 2022 she released ''Marigold,'' a collaborative album with Jack Dine. Jackie B. of

Soul Bounce ''Soul Bounce'' is an American daily Internet publication devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on R&B and soul. However, the range of musical genres covered extends to gospel, hip hop and ...

reviewed the project positively: "Alex Isley and Jack Dine remain as a melodious match made in heaven as they take us through a cycle from sprout to blossom to full bloom on ''Marigold''."

Personal life

Isley resides in Los Angeles. She has a daughter (b. 2017).

Discography

Albums

Extended plays

References

External links

Alex Isley
on

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

Alex Isley
on Discogs
Alex Isley
on Instagram {{DEFAULTSORT:Isley, Alex Year of birth missing (living people) Living people African-American women singer-songwriters American rhythm and blues singers Singers from Los Angeles Los Angeles County High School for the Arts alumni University of California, Los Angeles alumni 21st-century African-American women singers Singer-songwriters from California