Tiffany

Tiffany: Party Like a Pop Star

by Jerry Nunn

Tiffany, the singing sensation many remember from the hit I Think We’re Alone Now, is appearing at Circuit, 3641 N. Halsted, for Chix Mix Productions on July 20. Windy City Times caught up to Tiffany on the road to her next gig.

JN: So where are you right now?

T: [ on the phone ] I just left Texas and I am on my way to Alabama, so there’s not a lot out here right now. [ Laughs ] I am doing a show there.

JN: Well, I want to go through your singing career and how it all got started. I read that you heard the song Delta Dawn and it inspired you to sing.

T: Well, I was already singing before that, but that was the first actual song I learned to sing. My mom liked the song and it was easy to learn. That was what I sang all day long. I listened to a lot of country music. I was always putting on shows for the family, and my grandfather would give me cookies to [ get me to ] sing.

JN: And then you traveled to my hometown of Nashville to do country music.

T: Well, I had done some state fairs and things before that. Nashville, at the time, was afraid of having someone so young, so they told me to come back when I was a little older. I didn’t want to wait so I came back to L.A. By the time I was 14 I was recording a demo.

JN: Then when did you realize things were picking up for you, career-wise?

T: When I was 14, I met George Tobin and signed a production deal. I started going in the recording studio and it took us about a year to do the first record. It was really MCA that we decided to go with. My manager came to me with the idea of singing in malls and I thought it was a great idea because I would always hang out there with my friends.

JN: Well, they did call you the “Mall Madonna.”

T: Yes, they did—“Mall Girl,” “Teen Queen.” I have heard it all!

JN: The newspapers tried to pit you against Debbie Gibson at that time. Was there any truth to that feud?

T: I think that was a media thing. There was a lot of pressure to prove myself and the papers wanted to make it a rivalry. It kept the pressure on and made us more competitive.

JN: This thing keeps going on today with the pop stars now.

T: I think it is probably not true with Britney and Christina either. It is funny now of days, Deborah and I are friends in Los Angeles and we have mutual friends. We razz each other about it.

JN: Was the Celebrity Fit Club experience a good one?

T: It was an amazing experience. I have never really had a weight problem, but when I am disciplined it shows and when I am not, it shows as well. When I am on the tour I want to eat and enjoy the good ol’ southern cooking when I am in the south. And at the end of the road, I was 30 pounds overweight. When I got back to L.A., people were like, “Girrrl, what happened to you?” When they called me for Celebrity Fit Club, I said yes.

JN: Who was your favorite person on the show?

T: Well, I have the utmost respect for [ Gunnery Sergeant ] Harvey [ Walden IV, who helped the celebrities lose weight ] . I bonded with [ fellow celebs ] Maureen [ McCormick ] and Ross [ “The Intern” Matthews ] . Dustin [ Diamond ] worked my nerves, here and there. Sometimes I wished he would just shut up, because there was a lot of drama.

JN: Do you think he was playing up to the cameras?

T: I think was some of that when the cameras were rolling. I was Kimberly [ Locke ] ’s friend and I didn’t think he was funny when he would say really mean things.

JN: So on that note, let’s get back to the music. You have a new CD called Just Me.

T: I am on tour supporting the CD and it is the singer-songwriter stuff that I love. Stevie Nicks is my idol.

JN: I just saw her in concert! She put on an incredible show.

T: I know. I love getting out there and doing all the songs new and old. I am really thankful that my fans allow me to do that.

JN: Is everything covered on your Web site?

T: Yes, it is www.tiffanymusicsite.com and it has all my tour dates are on there.

JN: Well, we are excited that you are coming to Chicago.

T: I love it there! It is one of my favorite places to play.

JN: Well, I don’t want to distract you from driving, so see you soon!

T: Take care.

To listen to this on-the-road interview, go to www.windycityqueercast.com . For more info about Tiffany's performance at Circuit on Friday, July 20th, check out www.chixmixproductions.com to find out where the party is! Tiffany also performs live at Hunters, Saturday, July 21st. (Event Details)

This interview was originally published in the Windy City Times and provided in partnership with www.windycitymediagroup.com.