8pm in the Haggerston and the room is already at full capacity. Loyal fans eagerly anticipate the arrival of LA based artist Alex Isley, whose soul infused music has the crowd excited for her first headline London show. While the crowd sings along to every lyric, she performs songs from her debut EP Dreams In Analogue & her latest project The Love Art Memoirs, both of which she describes as reflections of her own real life experiences.
“Dreams In Analog is my life experiences but I branched out and wrote about other people's experiences too. Like [the song] Ross and Rachel is because I’m obsessed with Friends so I wanted to pay homage to them in some kind of way.”
Not only does Isley’s work reflect her personal journey, every part of the songs are close to her, writing and producing all her own music.
“Producing and writing my own music is definitely work but it's so rewarding from a creative standpoint."
Music has always been second nature to Isley, daughter and niece of the famous Motown group The Isley Brothers, Isley grew up in an extremely musical household watching her dad and uncles make the music that has created the Isley legacy. “Watching the sound check, watching them in the studio… I think I absorbed it all”
From an early age Isley knew she wanted to sing professionally, learning the ins and outs of the industry from her dad, she was clear on what it took to make it in the music world. Her mum, who also works in the music business was an influence in helping her to finish her latest EP, ensuring the music she was writing was copyrighted. This soon led to her curating a collection of her most personal songs, which formed The Love Art Memoirs.
Love is the theme that runs through Isley’s music “I'm still trying to figure out different things about love. It's a release for me to make music and I’m just thankful people have identified with it and they enjoy it”
Songs like Into Orbit and My Theme tell her experiences of falling deep into a relationship while others like F.D.A depict those relationships breaking down, her latest EP coveys the high and lows of love in a emotional and captivating manner, something Isley does brilliantly throughout her work.
Her current song, La Brea, is an ode to an avenue near to where she grew up in her hometown LA. Currently working on her third EP, Alex Isley plans to keep spreading her stories of love through her music to new audiences around the world.