Alex Isley is the daughter of Ernie Isley, the legendary guitarist of The Isley Brothers. She sings praises to her uncles for inspiring her, and developing her profound ear for music and songwriting. Alex grew up listening to Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Mariah Carey, and Aaliyah, but, to little surprise, it was her father and uncles proved to be the most influential.
Since the release of her 2012 EP Love/Art Memoirs, the Los Angeles singer, songwriter, and producer has worked with Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder, Lucky Daye, and Masego, making a name for herself in the music industry—, considering she already has a reputable last name.
“I absorbed all of their music…just watching them onstage. Those are the best teachers, for sure.”
Isley has quietly established herself as one of the new leading voices in R&B, which is why we featured her in our SCENES: SoCal Soul documentary, highlighting emerging R&B artists from Southern California.
SCENES zeroes in on communities of artists and fans who are shaping what’s next in music and culture on a global level. SoCal Soul is more a collection of artists who are grouped together due to their location and love of R&B music than a unified sound, but each artist who’s featured in SoCal Soul is eager to add to the West Coast’s detailed R&B history.
In 2019, Isley released the collaborative EP Wilton with producer Jack Dine. Building on their chemistry, the pair released the joint album Marigold in 2022. Both are featured in SCENES: SoCal Soul, in which Isley talks about how she and Dine’s working relationship came to fruition and has strengthened over time. “I had come across a couple of great producers along the way and had started working there, but initially we were just vibing and seeing what happened,” Isley says. “Jack said, ‘We should put out a project,’ and I was like, ‘We should, that would be a great idea.’ That was the beginning of Marigold and here we are.’”
Through the years, Isley has gone from releasing some of our favorite songs such as “About Him,” “La Brea,” and the Masego-assisted “Good and Plenty,” to performing NPR Tiny Desk concerts, to having her music featured on Insecure.
She is currently working on new music, which she plans to release soon. In the meantime, she hopes that other artists feel more empowered to roll the dice and go after what they want moving forward.
“I hope that people will be inspired to take risks or do something that they’ve been afraid of.”
Listen to Alex Isley on SoundCloud, and check out our SoCal Soul playlist for more R&B.
WATCH SCENES: SOCAL SOUL
Credits: Directed by C.T. Roberts. Portraits by Ira Chernova. BTS by 70mm.
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