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Steve Howey

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People Enchanting Entertainer On the road, stage, TV, and at home, Tiffany brings loads of fun and flavor Words by Vanessa Pascale • Photo credit Emily Jones Tiffany Darwish – or simply "Tiffany" as everyone knows the iconic 80s pop star best, and I are seated in a cozy corner of Stanton Social's lounge in New York City. Straight from the hair salon, the bubbly singer looks like a rock star in a black leather jacket and The Rolling Stones U.S. Tour '78 tee juxtaposed against Tiffany & Co. jewelry. "I just got my hair done today. He said, 'What do you want?' I said, 'Oh no, I'm your creation. I don't want to stifle your creation.' I think you get the best of people when you let them do exactly that," says Tiffany, whose long, curled auburn locks are highlighted with multiple shades of red. "I know for me that works great, so whoever I'm working with, I want them to feel they can bring their personality to this." This conversation was spurred by us talking about the collaborative process for her upcoming album. Over the last year, the independent artist has been on tour doing her acoustic show. "The A Million Miles show is probably the best for the fan, or somebody who's, 'Oh Tiffany, but what's she going to sing? 'I Think We're Alone Now?' Do I come dressed as 80s?' No. Come dressed as yourself and come ready to have a night of music. Not just from myself, but also the musicians I bring to the venue." Of course, Tiffany performs her hits, but no show is the same. It's a party, where cocktails are highly encouraged, and the audience is given shakers and tambourines so that they can play along. Tiffany works off her audience and likes to bring people up, be spontaneous, and get crazy. However, if the crowd is more on the conservative side, she's totally fine with pulling up a stool. She notes that her biggest talent as a performer is bringing that personal experience. "Not everybody has that and I'm very proud that I was put into country music and the mall tours and just all the different people who influenced me in the beginning have made me this type of performer. I love what I do." Tiffany has also been writing songs for her new album, which she hopes to release March 2018. "This album is different than what I've ever done before. This album really is more of a musician's album —it's kind of a collaboration. Obviously, it's a Tiffany project, but it's more of a band sound." The new album is "retro rock with a modern flair… with guitar parts along the lines of the Foo Fighters. The fan already knows my heart and I think they're waiting for me to be kinda plugged into the next level of musicians that they respect as well." This December, Tiffany plans to go to New Orleans to put the base tracks together, then she'll send them out to other artists to see who would like to be a part of it. "Anybody whose performing on this album, I want them to really embrace it and pick the track they'd like to be a part of." As for who she'd like to work with, she tells me, everyone from country writers "to people like my friends from *NSYNC to Damon Sharpe, who was my background dancer. I still want to keep with pop writers as well as rock writers… We've got a lot of little lifelines out there right now." The recording process will be an explorative journey that takes place in several cities: New Orleans, London, New York, Los Angeles — unlike anything she's ever done before. Her latest album A Million Miles (2016) was Americana meets pop and included ballads that opened people's eyes and ears to her breadth of talent. "People go, 'Oh my God, I didn't know you could sing like that.' Well, that's why I'm on the road all the time," she says with a smile. In 2000, Tif fany released a critically acclaimed rock-based album, The Color of Silence. "I always thought I was going to be a rock chick," she laughs, "and then got on the path of pop, which I am forever grateful. Don't get me wrong, "I Think We're Alone Now" and "Could've Been" — those are my jams, you know? But my influence has always been Stevie Nicks and Hear t… As a vocalist, I wanted people to know that I could really sing. A lot of pop stuf f doesn't really showcase that, except for the ballads, but ever ybody seems to forget about those a lit tle bit. I write, produce my own stuf f now. I don't think people expect me to be the musician that I am now, which is kinda cool." For almost ten years, Tiffany shied away from flying (after a few bad flights), which hindered her from committing to performances. Tiffany and her band —who she is grateful for helping her get up and running again— already have 2018 booked. "They are my heart. I can't do it without that. And they interject different things in my music that I never thought about." Now that Tiffany is comfortable with flying again, she's ready to bring her A Million Miles show to other countries –which her fans have been asking for. "My background singer, Jen, we get on a flight. And two girls on a flight, even though it's 6 hours, tickatickatick," she laughs about their nonstop talking. "I'm like, 'We're there?' I guess that's the key, for me to be able to tour the world again, which I'm really excited about."

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