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Interview: Tiffany

Tiffany is back. Twenty years since the flame-haired pop princess first set malls a-squealing with "I Think We're Alone Now," the singer and reality TV veteran (Celebrity Fit Club) is releasing her seventh album: a contemplative singer-songwriter collection with a country-rock sound. ARTISTdirect caught up with her in LA to talk about her time in the industry and life outside the teen star bubble.

Tell us about your new record, Just Me, how did the project come about?

I was thinking of maybe doing a live album as a celebration of being in the industry for 20 years. Then the opportunity arose for me to go to lunch with this label called 10 Spot, and I thought, "Well, I'm always up for talking." I totally loved where they were coming from with their ideas about new material, so I signed on the bottom line, and just went full-throttle into this record. I try and have my music be real, so I wrote about personal experiences—about what I've seen my family and friends go through. For this record, the sound is a little more country, maybe a little more classic rock.

You're an industry veteran by now, but looking back at those early days, is there anything you would change?

I don't know if I would change anything in the beginning, because I did my best and I didn't know any different. Now, there's so much I've learned. I do things totally differently. I think I've learned to be professional, and be passionate about my music, but at the end of the day to take things with a grain of salt. I think having a child and being married, and getting involved with things outside the music industry, has made me a more well-rounded person.

Because young performers now seem to exist in a bubbles.

Exactly, and then it really is do or die. You wake up every day and that's your fulfillment, and if you've had a bad day or rejection, it brings you down. Whereas now I have a balance with family life. I've had the same friends for 25 years now—they aren't musicians, they aren't in the industry—so I can just go hang. There's a lot of times, especially in LA, where we think "Oh, poor me!" It's all so high-drama. Then you go sit with your girlfriend, whose job just got cut or something, and she's got two kids, and you think how lucky you are, and how can you give back? This year I've really got involved with cancer organizations, since my uncle and best friend both passed away from the disease. So, it hits home for me, and I like to donate my time or do something more to help out. We, as celebrities, are so lucky to be living our dream, and it shouldn't just be the 'Me, me, me' factor. It really is a privilege, so we should be doing more to help other people.

"I Think We're Alone Now" is such a part of the fabric of pop culture now. How do you feel about that being your legacy?

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