INTERVIEW: TIFFANY – April 2019

According to a recent press release: “Billboard premieres Tiffany’s ‘I Think We’re Alone Now 2019’. The remake of the inescapable and chart-topping single, ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’ gets a reboot as Tiffany is back with the newly released remake of her iconic 1987 hit featuring re-imagined sultry vocals and electrifying guitar riffs. The single was released to radio and streaming platforms earlier this week, and the video was premiered exclusively by Billboard. The new video features Los Angeles landmarks from the original video, including Venice Beach, Ventura Blvd, while adding new elements like her original high school and recording studio where she first recorded her early projects. The record was produced by Mark Alberici from Go On Then Records alongside Tiffany earlier this year. (Check out video here: Billboard). As connecting fans with her new music continues to be a major part of Tiffany’s career, Tiffany is pleased to be joining The Mixtape Tour, headlined by New Kids on the Block and featuring 3 other iconic acts, including Salt-N-Pepa, Debbie Gibson, and Naughty by Nature. The tour is set to kick-off on a 53-city, three-month North American leg beginning May 2, 2019, with worldwide tour dates to be announced. The tour kicks off on May 2nd in Cincinnati, OH.” We get Tiffany discuss new music, touring, and much more…

Toddstar: Tiffany how are you?

Tiffany: Good. How are you?

Toddstar: Great – thank you for asking. This is great getting to speak with you again. I spoke with you a couple of years ago when you were coming through Michigan and playing at a great little place called Lexington Village Theater back in 2016.

Tiffany: Oh my goodness yeah that was a little while ago. I’m still doing my thing, still out on the road.

Toddstar: We’re so glad you are. You recently had the remake of “I Think We’re Alone Now” which you updated a little bit, brought some adult aspect to [check the video out HERE].

Tiffany: Thank you for bringing that up. I am so thrilled about it. If you guys haven’t checked it out please do. Gosh, almost 400 thousand views already in a week. So, I’m very very happy about that. The word is getting out. You know it was just something that we wanted to do to celebrate The Mixtape Tour of course and also for the fans. I mean I was actually going to re-release “I Think We’re Alone Now” this year anyway as a little fun surprise for my fans. And then, all of these things started happening. The Umbrella Academy put it out in one of their episodes. And so, that kind of sparked a fire and then of course I got the call for The Mixtape Tour for New Kids on the Block and that was perfect timing. So, I was like, “Okay I guess I’m doing something right here. I was going to make this happen but it’s just meant to be.” I am living it and I’m loving it and it was so much fun to do that video all over again going back to my high school, going back to the studio, going back to all of the different places. Some of those places I haven’t been to in years and then some of them we added new, like my school, my high school. I just wanted to tell the tale of me being an L.A. girl and getting my start. That’s what “I Think We’re Alone Now” is about. Me, a girl from Norwalk. They picked me up from school when I did my video and there was no fancy pants provided for that stuff. And that’s kind of how we did it this time. We just walked around the streets and shot stuff and my friends came and wore Children Behave shirts. I’m starting my own line of Children Behavers which means if you’re mature and adult enough and you’ve been through the 80’s then we can own it now and we don’t really have to be children behaved. So, that’s kind of a fun little wink wink to be a little cheeky.

Toddstar: Well, we all came through the 80’s great. You’re blazing. You hit with one of my favorite albums of yours back in 2000 when you released The Color of Silence. I still listen to that on a regular basis. And then, you veered with Rose Tattoo, and then you came back to pop with A Million Miles which I had the privilege of discussing with you guys a couple of years ago. But now you’ve got Pieces Of Me out there. What is it about the material on this disk that you really hope your fans wrap their heads and hearts around?

Tiffany: You know I mean the music really for me it’s all about the music. I love connecting with my fans through the music and then you start the relationship there and it leads to other things obviously. But I mean I’ve been very luck as an artist to have great songs in my life from the very beginning and now as a singer songwriter to be able to write those songs and tell those stories and connect still with my fans. I think that’s so important what my new album is about, Pieces Of Me, which is me telling not just my own life stories but telling stories of my fans, telling stories of my girlfriends and family members. I mean we’re all living lives, it is a different time and day. The 80’s, people becoming and reminiscing what they, “I Think We’re Alone Now,” thinking about what they wanted for their future. When they were dancing around their room and maybe finishing high school, and their first love, and thinking about the person they wanted to be. I mean I think it’s something 30 years later to hope that we are those people and if not then we can get on it now. But I think that’s what my new album talks a lot about is changes, and failures, and about owning yourself, and about celebrating yourself because there’s only one of you no matter what. And I think that that’s again, I kind of say, “Everybody will get together, we’ll reminisce, we’ll have a really good time.” And I think they’ll continue the musical journey with me into the new album. That’s my hope. Because I’m just telling the stories that we’re all living now. And I’m out on the road all the time connecting with my fans doing what I love to do. This is what I love to do, live performing more and more on the road. So, I’m totally committed. I’m booked until middle of next year so it’s going to be great to get this music in everybody’s hands. And there really is something about songs that could have been. Even “I Think We’re Alone Now,” there’s a bond there. I sing [Tiffany literally sings to me over the phone] ‘Children behave…] and everybody goes crazy, and there’s a connection and it feels amazing to be delivering something fun and happy like that.

Toddstar: I love all 11 tracks. But I’m really curious – you had the lead track “Beautiful.” Who was the inspiration behind “Beautiful”?

Tiffany: Who was the inspiration behind “Beautiful?” Well, I wrote it in L.A. and actually beautiful was a challenge. I was headed to the studio and my producer was pulling up tracks and we play with a full band and they fly in and we kind of create while we’re in the studio a very old school process. And so, he was just going to listen to some stuff to be inspired. I said, “Oh that’s cool.” And Mark Alberici my producer was like, “Well no that’s not for you. I think it’s a little too punk.” And I went, “Well hold on a second. I don’t know. I hear The Go-Gos and I hear retro, let me work with it. So, I went away for literally five minutes or so and then I was getting all of my little bits and pieces which is a joke now because everything is Pieces Of Me, but all of my stuff to get ready for the day. And literally the lyrics just started flowing out of me. But what I was thinking about was L.A., about beautiful people, about beautiful hearts. L.A. is very superficial so yes it’s always called the beautiful people so that’s where I started. But then, I started to think about beautiful from a whole different angle. Beautiful means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. And I really wanted to make that what everybody wants to take on as their own. And so, it’s meant to be about, again I want to touch you. You see beautiful people all the time. You want to be connected to them. So, again there’s that little flirty kind of cheeky thing.

Toddstar: You do it well.

Tiffany: Well, thank you. So, I mean it’s fun to have a little bit of flirtatiousness and be a little sexy like that. So, hopefully it’s a sexy song. I meant for it to be fun. Again I hear a lot of Go Go’s out of that and that makes me smile because I’m a huge Go Go’s fan. Belinda is an amazing person. And that’s what I really want right now with my music and my sound. I still want it to be very current. But I want you to hear those little threads of retro that just make us smile for some reason, kind of throw back a little bit. And I don’t know, it makes me smile. I hope it makes other people smile.

Toddstar: Well, I think it will. You mentioned touring and you mentioned The Mixtape Tour. I remember one of your first big dates here in Detroit way back when was at Pine Knob and New Kids On The Block opened for you. What’s it like to know that 30 years later you’re hitting the road with these guys once again?

Tiffany: Oh this is magical. I mean I’m very excited. I think I have a lot of different emotions and it’s going to be a lot of different emotions. Probably the first show I’m going to be a mess. I mean there’ll be legit tears just because this is special. It’s great to have all of the other artists involved and to really bring in that musical experience to everybody. So, everybody’s getting a full night of great music. Nobody’s sitting down. We’re going to rock it. But for me, I think because of my past with the New Kids this is really special. It’s great to reconnect with them. It’s great to see them on stage. And yeah, when they’re singing songs like “Please Don’t Go Girl” I’m crying over there. I think really more than anything it’s because I remember watching it all happen for them and I remember being so proud just from touring with them. I mean they’re my friends and it’s great to be sitting here 30 years later and seeing them so successful and so happy first of all, that’s most important, and just living their lives. So, I think that’s probably where the tears come from now is more of a celebration that we all made it and that we’re all really doing what we really love. And that people still love it and they still support it. And we couldn’t do it without the fans. And again, I’m in awe of how many fans the New Kids have and how many hearts they’ve touched. And to think that I had a hand to play in that is really cool. It’s an amazing feeling that I put them on stage at Westbury because they didn’t have an opening act and they were there and they were willing to do it. And I was like, “Alright.” Who would have known that that would have just opened up the doors to what we have as the Blockheads now. So, it’s pretty awesome to just know that I went with my heart. It just seemed right and great things happening from it.

Toddstar: Well great. I for one can’t wait till you hit Detroit with this tour so all the fans can also experience your great music, your hits – what you’ve built over the last three decades. I know you’re busy and you’ve got so much to do in preparation for this tour, but I would like to give you a second to fill your fans in about your relationship with the NSAI and what that’s doing for you and your music going forward.

Tiffany: Well, we definitely have to make sure that songwriters are getting paid. I’m a songwriter and it’s really not just a money factor but this is our livelihood. We have to stand up for ourselves. A lot of people don’t realize that there are people that are really writing this music and really this is what they do, this is their job. As much as we love to create and just give freely, I’m not in that boat because I have other avenues, but my friends are. This is their full time thing that they write for TV, and film, and other artists. And it’s awesome to be able to get music right in your hands and to have that freedom but it still needs to be accounted for. And the people who created that content still need to make sure that they get some money. So, there’s a gray area here from the people who are loving, and using the music, and enjoying the music to the people who are creating it. There’s a big gray area in between. And those people that have the powers that be just need to do the right thing and set up a bit of something that’s going to really work in favor for everyone. And I don’t know. I’m very positive. I think that that can happen there just has to be a want to. So, there’s still a lot of gray area and we’re still working through it but I think it’s getting sorted. I do think it’s getting finalized a little bit. I just came from Nashville, Tennessee where I live. So, home of a lot of, lot of, lot of song writers there and it depends on who I talk to put it that way. But for me I do see some movement. We’re going to stay on it because again it’s really not the battle of music or people just wanting to get paid or get there. It really is about this is some of these people, this is our livelihood. This is what they do and this is their job. So, free doesn’t really work when you have to pay your rent.

Toddstar: Well, I hope all of the fans do the right thing and, if they haven’t already, go out and pick up their copy of Pieces Of Me. It’s a great disc and I can’t wait to see what the next chapter holds after you’ve completed The Mixtape Tour Tiffany.

Tiffany: I appreciate it. Yes definitely check out the disc, the new video, and I will see you in cities to come on The Mixtape Tour.

Toddstar: Thank you so much Tiffany. We’ll talk to you soon.

TIFFANY LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

Category: Interviews