She's daddy's girl, but .

She’s daddy’s girl, but …
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Alexa Ray Joel, the daughter of singer Billy Joel and supermodel Christie Brinkley, is now a rising music star in her own right. ...

She has her father’s face, but fortunately, she inherited his musical talent, too.

Alexa Ray Joel, the daughter of singer Billy Joel and supermodel Christie Brinkley, is now a rising music star in her own right. As part of her first national tour, the soulful-sounding 20-year-old will stop in Chicago for a show at the Hard Rock Cafe Monday night.

She recently shared with us some thoughts on her career, her dad (who’s her best friend) and her annoyance with people calling her “The Piano Girl.”

Q. Is it hard to be taken seriously in the music business? Do they just see you as “Billy Joel’s daughter?”

A. They do, but I’ve been getting more respect than I thought I would because of the way I’ve gone about pursuing this. I’ve really been practicing and doing so many shows in small clubs without any hype. I’m not just looking for a free ride because of my dad. I’m starting to get some media attention now … and they always play up who my dad is. It’s a double-edged sword. There are always these corny headlines like, “The Piano Girl.” It’s a little annoying.

Q. When you were growing up, did a lot of famous musicians come to your house?

A. Yeah, I guess. I mean, I met Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Bette Midler, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston — people like that. But I just thought of them as people.

Q. Are Billy Joel fans also Alexa Ray Joel fans?

A. Oh yeah. That’s how they find out about me. I’m a huge fan of my dad’s — he’s my best friend — but just as long as you leave my show a fan of my music as well, that’s the goal.

Q. How do you describe your sound?

A. I’ve been calling it pop/rock/soul, but I honestly don’t know how to describe it. It has so many influences.

Q. Are you getting any radio play?

A. A little bit. I have some demo tapes, but I don’t have a CD out yet. I’m touring for the sole purpose of fine-tuning what I’m doing. It’s not for the purpose of promoting a CD.

Q. So you’re not having your dad hook you up with a record company?

A. He’s not hooking me up at all. I want to have my own team of people and I want to do my own thing. But it’s going to take a while.

To hear a sample of Alexa Ray Joel’s music, go to www.myspace.com/alexarayjoel.