Tiffany On Touring, Pieces Of Me, And Reality TV

Singer and actress Tiffany has had an amazing career, filled with highs and milestones that many artists can only hope for. We were fortunate enough to speak with her last week in the midst of her headlining tour to talk about her latest album, touring, and her acting career.

You're in the midst of a national headlining tour right now. How's it going?
We're busy bees! Today, we have a show in Pennsylvania so we're en route there from Washington. We're in the van now, driving. It's going very good. The reviews on the tour have been outstanding. It's a good thing.

In December, you'll be going on the Ultimate '80s Party tour with the first stop in Raleigh. What can folks expect from these shows?
I'm hosting. They can expect a night of fun. There's going to be lots of '80s music played. I'm going to let the crowd dictate what they want to do and what they want to hear. I'm really excited to be in the midst of all this and celebrate the '80s. Obviously, it's not the music I'm still doing, I'm still singing "I Think We're Alone Now," but I'm always down for an '80s party.

Let's talk about Pieces Of Me. You released that album about a year ago and it features a grittier, more rock sound. What inspired you to make an album with a harder sound?
It's really something I've always wanted to do. My influences have always been Stevie Nicks or Heart, Led Zeppelin, and on and on. I've always been that kind of '80s hairband rock chick. It's really not a stretch for me to want to do this type of music. I've been on this mission for awhile and it's really nice that it's catching on. The fans, I love them for all their support and for loving the new music and getting the story behind it. It's really great to see people buyig a ticket based on the new music, which is a big accomplishment. It's taken me a couple years to get here. It's lovely to sit down and have the fans singing the songs back to us. They're requesting the new stuff. It's really turned a page for me. I feel like I've accomplished a lot this past year, just having that response alone.

It seems like a lot of the subject matter on the album is a bit sad, dealing with struggles and disappointments. You seem to be doing a great deal of soul-searching on this album.
Oh yeah. Definitely. I think I'm always that person. I'm much more of a soul searcher. I'm a deeper soul. I think that's what we showed on this album. A lot of change in my life, a lot of people leaving my life, people coming in. That's pretty much life.



You just released a video for "Waste Of Time." Tell us about that song.
I loved doing the video. It was shot in California at Joshua Tree. I haven't done videos in awhile. I started to hate videos, to be honest with you. I'm excited to be working with all the new people in my life and doing videos that I love. The song is about heartbreak, about pursuing something that may not work out. It's about being vulnerable.

You hit the road this past summer with New Kids On The Block, Salt-N-{epa, Naughty By Nature, and Debbie Gibson. What was that tour like?
Everybody's family. I adore everyone on that tour, it was so much fun. I got a chuckle seeing the boys every day again like in my childhood. Hearing the songs, watching them connect with their fans. It really was a celebration of music, a celebration of the fans who supported us all these years, and our friendship together. It was really great to be around my buddies. It wasn't like working at all. I think it's good to have friends in the music industry that understand what you're going through, that understand all your heart's desires.

I thought the format of the concert was really unique.
That was all Donnie Wahlberg, I believe. I know all the boys were involved in the production, but I believe that was his brainchild--bringing a great night of music with two different stages. He's very hands-on. Every rehearsal, every walk-through, even on days of shows, Donnie was out there. His work ethic is amazing. I admire him for that. I think he did an outstanding job putting together a great show.



What was the impetus to re-record "I Think We're Alone Now" earlier this year?
I've been doing the new music and then you go into retro, it felt disjointed. Having great songs like "Could've Been" and "I Think We're Alone Now" and many others, they're well-written songs and they can take on many different lifeforms. We had been doing the rocked-out version of "I Think We're Alone Now" live and just decided to record it.

You've done a great deal of acting and we love both your SyFy movies. Any chance we'll see another one somewhere down the line?
I'm not too sure about that. I'd love to work with SyFy more because I love science fiction. If I have the time, I would definitely love that. More than anything, I think I'm going to be doing some cooking stuff in the near year and incorporate that with being on the road.

You were a contestant on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! I'm always intrigued by these live-in-the-wild reality shows. What was that experience like for you?
It was harder than I thought it was going to be, to be honest with you. I enjoyed the experience.. much more when I was out of the jungle. Again, it was one of those soul-searching things for me to just be there, be out of my element, be away from people. I didn't know anyone. You don't have your family, your producers, your managers, anyone. That was one of the reasons I did it, to re-ground myself before this next wave of my life. I love adventure, but I have to say it was a really hard show, from the food that you're eating to the stress of the competitions to staying out in the environment, not getting sleep. You're really out in the wild. At first, I thought they were playing on our psyches by doing sound checks of baboons, but more and more I realized those were real baboons. You have to be careful, there are snakes and spiders. There's a lot you have to be worried about and pay attention to. I lasted nineteen days and that was the best that I could do. It's a very stressful situation.

You're in charge of a music festival and can get any five acts, living or dead, to perform on the bill with you. Who do you choose?
The Rolling Stones. Foo Fighters. Let's put AC/DC in there. Let's put Janis if I can invite anybody.

What song do you all perform together for the final jam?
I would say we'd have to do something from the Rolling Stones.

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