Ilsey channels the Laurel Canyon spirit on her debut solo album

You’d think a songwriter would think a lot about writing songs, but as Ilsey explains: Songwriting is usually the last thing on her mind.

“Thinking kind of gets in the way of songwriting,” she says. “You can think afterward and you can edit with thinking, but you can’t come from a place of thinking when you’re trying to start something.”

LA-based songwriter Ilsey Juber has written hits for Mark Ronson, Miley Cyrus, Panic! at the Disco, Beyoncé and more. She’s just released her own solo album, From the Valley, and it’s a beautiful slice of the Laurel Canyon sound, produced by BJ Burton and featuring guest vocals from Justin Vernon of Bon Iver.

In this session, Ilsey talks about why now was the right time to make her own record and why competition is a good thing in the hypercompetitive LA music scene.