Tiffany (album)
Tiffany is the debut studio album by American singer Tiffany, released on June 29, 1987, by MCA Records. The album peaked at number 1 for two weeks in the US, making Tiffany the first female solo artist to have an album chart on Billboard 200 under 18 years of age, and the youngest female artist to achieve a No. 1 album. Certified 4× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the album sold over seven million copies worldwide.
Tiffany
Exploring adolescent concerns, the album shows a teen pop sound with influences from rock, disco, funk, dance, and new wave. In making the album, Tiffany turned away from the country music style of her childhood, and she embraced the pop sound and fashion of Stevie Nicks, encouraged by Tiffany's producer George Tobin.
The album received mixed-to-negative reviews, criticized for its calculated and unoriginal production. It spawned five singles, including international hits "I Think We're Alone Now", "Could've Been", and "I Saw Him Standing There". To promote the album, Tiffany embarked on the nationwide shopping mall tour, The Beautiful You: Celebrating the Good Life Shopping Mall Tour '87, for ages 12 to 18. The tour included 60 concerts and helped Tiffany gain an enthusiastic fan base of American girls.
Background[edit]
Tiffany started singing at the age of two or four when she learned the lyrics to the Tanya Tucker song "Delta Dawn" at a supermarket.[1][2][a] At the age of nine, she started her singing career with her stepfather's permission.[4] After Tiffany performed "Delta Dawn" on a trailer bed at a street party in Norwalk, California, the Country Hoe Downers asked her to perform at special events and county fairs.[5] Tiffany spent time as the group's lead singer after being encouraged by her parents.[5] Tiffany also toured with country and western bands at social gatherings in Norwalk.[6] By the age of 11, she became a frequent performer at school assemblies and parties.[1][5]
Without formal training, Tiffany mimicked pop and rock and roll songs she heard on the radio.[2] She said that her discovery of rock music helped her develop "another way of singing."[2] After she heard Stevie Nicks on the radio, she abandoned country music for mainstream pop music at the age of 13.[1][5][6]
At the age of 12, Tiffany met and sang country songs for producer George Tobin at his office.[2] Approximately a year later, she recorded demo tapes at Tobin's studio in North Hollywood, California,[2][7] which led to several record label offers and a seven-album contract with George Tobin.[2][8] In 1985, she appeared as a junior singer on Star Search with Ed McMahon. During spring 1987, Tiffany toured with the Jets in regular venues, which received an "overwhelming" response.[1][5]
Production[edit]
After Tiffany signed a recording contract with Tobin, he visited several record companies for a record label contract.[9] He chose MCA Records from five record labels, and in April 1986, Tiffany signed a contract with MCA Records at the age of 14.[1][9][10][11] Shortly, production on the album began.[12][13][7]}} Tiffany recorded 41 songs, but only 10 of them were picked for the album.[14] Production of the album lasted ten months.[15]
Tiffany recorded her vocals for more than two days on each song, with the exception of "Could've Been", which only took two recording sessions. Tiffany said that some songs were recorded three or four different ways with several styles and tempos.[4] Tiffany and Tobin listened to everything from black pop to hard rock and "settled on a mix" to create the "best possible album" for them.[12]