Raised in the heart of LA’s Valley, Ilsey grew up surrounded by the music industry. Her father, after all, is none other than Laurence Juber, lead guitarist for Paul McCartney and Wings. It was only a matter of time, therefore, before she ventured into the world of songwriting — and over the past decade, she has penned lyrics for the likes of Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus. Now, she unveils her debut solo album, From The Valley — a captivating project that cements her own name and individualised sound firmly in the indie scene. An astonishing blend reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac and Joni Mitchell, it reflects emotional depths and literary landscapes. With Bon Iver lending his magic to two tracks and her lead single “No California” igniting TikTok, Isley is bursting into the industry with her debut.

Ilsey is set to grace London’s Royal Albert Hall in April, supporting the iconic Train. Wonderland had the honour of sitting down with Ilsey to catch up on her forthcoming debut album From The Valley, inspirations growing up and her thoughts ahead of play at Royal Albert Hall…

Stream the album…

Read the exclusive interview below…

Who have been major inspirations to you both personally and professionally?
Growing up I would have to say my family were my biggest inspiration. My dad was playing guitar in the delivery room when I was born and I grew up with so much music around me. My mother had a band as well as being a screenwriter, and my grandfather was a television writer and producer. I am so incredibly fortunate to have had all of these people showing me that I could fearlessly pursue my own creativity. My parents also introduced me to my first loves musically. The Beatles, The Eagles, Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac, all of Motown… Still my favorite music to this day. Every person I’ve gotten to make music with has inspired me in some way. Everyone’s creative process is so different, that’s why it’s so much fun to collaborate. Mark Ronson is someone I’ve looked up to creatively for as long as I can remember and I’ve learned so much working with him over the years. BJ Burton, who produced this album with me was and still is a huge inspiration. Justin Vernon, Miley, Harry, Lykke Li… all artists I will forever be in awe of, and who I will never stop learning from.

Talk to us about the early days, how did you first fall in love with music?
I first found success as a songwriter kind of on accident. I was in a band for a while called The Canyons. We ended up signing a publishing deal with Sony Music Publishing. When the band eventually broke up I went to Sony and asked if there were any producers or writers that I could try collaborating with. I just kind of figured it would be for myself as an artist, but I started writing all of these songs and then they were being sent to my publisher who would pitch them to various artists. I really had no idea until I got a call that Rihanna was interested in one of the songs. It became obvious that this was a path I needed to follow.

Who is the person you’ve worked with that you personally found most impressive?
I can’t really pick one person that I can say is the most impressive. I’ve been so fortunate to work with some extraordinary people. Justin Vernon has been such an important part of my journey to discover my voice as an artist though, so if I had to pick one maybe him.

What provoked your decision to step out as your own solo artistic pursuit?
I’ve always known that I would make an album eventually. It was all about timing and finding the people who I felt could help me musically express myself. When I met BJ Burton it became obvious that he was the producer I needed to work with and the album just unfolded from there.

Congratulations on your new debut album, From The Valley! Can you talk to us a bit more about the message and meaning behind this album to you?
I guess the message and meaning of the album in a sense is self discovery. I found myself in a lot of ways making it. The songs are about heartache and longing and I think writing them I worked through a lot of the heartache.

What challenges did you face when creating the LP?
The biggest challenge in making the album was that we started before the pandemic hit and then when it did we had to figure out how to not lose momentum. I was lucky enough to get to travel to Wisconsin to Justin’s place and to Minneapolis where BJ’s studio is which gave the project a whole new burst of energy. Dealing with the pandemic and all of the heaviness that came with it was definitely a challenge though

Talk us through the collaboration with Bon Iver on the new album?
BJ introduced me to Justin and within 20 minutes of us meeting we started writing “On Wrong Side”. It feels like we’ve known each other forever because the writing is just so easy when we are together. Heart of gold was an idea I had when I wasn’t flying to Wisconsin. I couldn’t stop listening to the song. It felt like it really tied all of the songs together.

The lead single “No California” is having a moment on TikTok, what is it like to watch one of your songs sky rocket?
It’s pretty surreal having one of my own songs out there connecting with people. It’s definitely a very different feeling than having another artist singing a song I’ve worked on. More vulnerable but so rewarding. I feel like we all just want to be seen and heard for who we really are. It feels like validation that being most authentic version of myself is really the only way to live and create art.

You are coming to London to play the iconic Royal Albert Hall as support for Train in April! What are you looking forward to the most about this experience?
I am so excited. I love Train. Pat is a friend and being able to support them on tour is a dream come true. Royal Albert Hall is one of those places that feels almost mythical. To know that I get to stand on a stage that so many people I look up to have stood before is extremely humbling. All of my British family as well as my parents and fiancee will be there for that show which just makes it even more exciting.

What is the rest of 2024 looking like for you? Anything else exciting in the pipeline?
I’ve been doing some writing for the next album already. I’ve also been working with some amazing artists on their upcoming projects which hopefully I can share about soon. I’m just really looking forward to following where this album takes me and getting to play the songs live for people. It’s still so surreal to know that people actually know these songs now. I’m truly grateful to everyone who is listening.