Joel has had a long and accomplished career in music. By the age of 15, she was already completing full songs, accompanying them on the piano, and writing poetry. She sang alongside her father in the final year of his Madison Square Garden residency in 2024. Her favorite Billy Joel song is Lullaby (Goodnight, My Angel), which he wrote for her.

Known for melodic ballads, Joel is challenging herself with her new single, Riverside Way. “I like the idea of sort of getting outside of myself and almost writing this alter ego song,” she says. “I think people see me as very much the good girl and the ballad girl, and this soft girl both musically and image-wise. And I thought, well, what if I just go in completely the opposite direction?”

The result is a heart-thumping song with dark imagery, where Joel sings about meeting a “bad boy” and “going under, with a thunder, got a hunger.” She explains it’s about losing control. “I've always secretly enjoyed the feeling sometimes of just getting lost in something or someone, whether it's music, whether it's a physical expression. As beautiful and wonderful and powerful as love is, I wanted to explore and touch upon lust and fantasy with this song.”

Riverside Way is the first single on the upcoming 5-song EP from Joel. She came up with the melody in the bathtub. “I'll hear the melody and the rhythmic baseline first before the lyrics get flushed out,” Joel says. “So that's pretty much how Riverside Way came to life, and I was really thrilled that it did come into my subconscious so naturally and organically.”

The EP is the latest in a long and accomplished career, including her 2021 poignant pop single Seven Years, inspired by her long-term relationship. During the pandemic, she contributed to charity events, including a virtual variety show for The Felix Organization, which benefits children in foster care, founded by Darryl McDaniels of Run-D.M.C. In 2022, Joel collaborated with HOBO Bag for their Naughty & Nice collection, also creating a playlist inspired by the theme.

Joel is on the board of “Rockers on Broadway,” a celebration of the Broadway community, and has performed at the annual events honoring artists like Diane Warren and Billy Porter.

Her performances at Café Carlyle have showcased her eclectic repertoire, including original songs, Broadway numbers, and nods to her father and Ray Charles. The New York Times praised her in a 2014 review headlined, “A Singer Confidently Following Her Heart.”

Joel became part of The Gap's "Back to Blue" television ad campaign, performing her interpretation of Billy Joel's 1977 song, Just The Way You Are. Her Notice Me single, released in 2010, was listed as a "Hit-Bound song" on the Sirius XM Hits 1 Satellite Radio Channel. Newsday wrote the song had 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.”

Joel has also ventured into the fashion world, appearing on magazine covers, participating in fashion weeks, and serving as a fashion correspondent. She's also an advocate for women, addressing issues like online bullying and body image. “I have so many remarkable young women who follow my social media. These women often write to me with stories of their struggles with a body image, as well as general battles with finding self-esteem and self-love. I can relate to this on a deeply intimate and personal level, as I was bullied quite a bit by the media when I was younger. You could say I was an exceedingly late bloomer; I didn’t really grow into myself, or feel remotely good about myself, until my late 20s.”

Joel showcases her talents not only in music but also in acting, with appearances in Fox's Family Guy, and auditions for Broadway productions. Her philanthropic efforts are marked through her performances at charity events for organizations such as Smile Train, the Rainforest Foundation benefit concert, and the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. A self-described “cat-lady,” she’s also championed animal rescue efforts.

You can follow her journey on Instagram @alexarayjoel