Alexa Ray Joel is the new face of Prell shampoo nearly 25 years after her model mother, Christie Brinkley, starred in ads for the hair product. The singer-songwriter has signed a deal to appear in print and TV ads for Prell while her music will provide the soundtrack, she confirmed to Page Six.
Alexa, 24, said, “I am so excited and honored to be named the new face of Prell — especially following in the footsteps of my mother, who was a Prell girl.”
The iconic shampoo, introduced by Procter & Gamble in 1947, was famously advertised by Brinkley in a 1986 ad when she was just married to Alexa’s dad, Billy Joel. In the clip, Brinkley waves a huge mane of hair, saying Prell is “my body building system for hair.”
Alexa inherited her mom’s glossy locks. She was recently approached by honchos from Ultimark Products, which bought the Prell brand in late 2009, to become their new model. But sources say that while she liked the idea of succeeding her mother, she was persuaded to sign because of the opportunity to promote her music.
A spokeswoman for Alexa added, “This is Alexa’s first ad campaign. It is for print and TV for spring and summer. We will also shoot a fall campaign.”
The deal marks a remarkable turnaround by Alexa, who was rushed to hospital on Dec. 5 after swallowing a handful of homeopathic pain pills.
But on Dec. 31, she wrote on her Facebook page about “many exciting new developments for the New Year,” including “new creative projects” and working with girls to combat heartbreak-related depression.