By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
July 31, 1987
At face value, pop singer Tiffany isn’t unlike her competition. Se’s pretty, talented, has business savvy and bills herself by her first name. But unlike the majority of female vocalists, she’s only 15.
“It’s kind of funny that I’m doing so much flying from concert to concert when I don’t even have my driver’s license yet,” she said, laughing. “But I don’t really think about my age too much.”
Her record company evidently does, though. In an unusual marketing strategy, MCA Records has sent the teenager on a three-month concert tour billed the “Tiffany Shopping Mall Tour.” The free concerts are being done during summer so they won’t interrupt her school-year studies.
Tiffany will perform this weekend at the Grand Court in the Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg. Showtimes are 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. today; 1, 2:30 and 5 p.m. tomorrow, and 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday.
“I started singing with bands when I was 9, but I started singing around the house when I was 2,” Tiffany said in a phone interview from her family’s home in Norwalk, Calif. “I played at country barbecues and things like that, nothing major. But it was always a lot of fun for me.”
When she was 12, her vocal talents brought her to the attention of record producer George Tobin, who now manages her career. But while she could sing like a woman, she was still a little girl.
“It’s hard to find appropriate lyrics for such a young kid,” Tobin said. “It was important for me that she be taken seriously.”
Her self-titled debut album includes remakes of the Beatles’ “I Saw (Him) Standing There” and Tommy James’ “I Think We’re Alone Now.” Her vocal inflections are reminiscent of a younger Tanya Tucker, but Tiffany’s knockout delivery owes more to Pat Benatar than country chanteuses.
Her favorites include Teena Marie, Stevie Nicks, Phil Collins, Chaka Khan and Luther Vandross, but she said there are very few vocalists she dislikes.
“I listened to all kinds of music when I was growing up,” Tiffany said. “I guess they’ve all influenced how I think and feel about music.”
Other than not revealing her last name, Tiffany hardly seems different from other kids her age. She likes eating pizza, going to the shopping mall, watching cartoons and talking on the phone. Her interest in sports doesn’t go beyond watching, but she’s an avid dancer who incorporates many of her moves into her concerts.
Though none of her classmates at Leffingwell Christian High School recorded an album at age 14, Tiffany said she hasn’t gotten special treatment.
“I’m not a big star yet by any means,” said the high school junior. “I don’t have boys writing me fan letters or anything like that. I don’t even have a boyfriend.”
Though this is her first major headlining tour, she performed in front of thousands when she joined the Jets for their concert series of high schools across the country.
She performs alone on stage with a pre-recorded music track accompanying her. Because the show simply is her and the audience, Tiffany said she feels a close tie to the people. She also believes she has a responsibility to present a good image for teenagers since she’s the same age as many of the people who attend her shows.
“I noticed that a mother and her little girl came to a mall where I was recently playing three days in a row,” she said. “The mom came up to me after the third day and said she thought I was a really good influence for her daughter. I didn’t know how to take it. It was nice to be complimented, but I didn’t know what I was supposed to do.”
She attributed her manager’s inventiveness to helping her get a recording contract.
“He decided it would be better if we did something unusual, so instead of sending my tape around, we had people come and see me live, singing in the studio,” Tiffany said. “That way they could really get a sense of who I am, instead of getting a tape from a 14-year-old.”
