Tiffany, the pop singer who got her start performing in shopping centers in the 1980s, has strong feelings about the era of big hair and MTV.
“It was a vibrant time,” she said in a phone interview. “You dressed to be seen. It was a time to be flash.” (The malls left an impression, too: “It turned me into a shopaholic.”)
In September, she will relive the decade somewhat, making her Off Broadway debut in “Spandex the Musical.” She plays Linda, a housewife who escapes a life of domestic drudgery to compete in a national aerobics championship. Tiffany’s hit single “I Think We’re Alone Now” — which had a needle-drop moment last year on the nostalgia-steeped sci-fi series “Stranger Things” — has been retrofitted into the musical.
Tiffany (real name: Tiffany Darwish) has been sleepless with excitement; her last musical theater performance was in “Cats” when she was 12. “I have a little bit of butterflies, which is kind of why I wanted to do it,” she said. On her way back from playing a string of concert dates in Canada, she spoke with us about “Star Wars,” the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack and other things she can’t live without. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
Mimi’s Kitchen
My grandmother cooked mostly Southern food: fried chicken, black-eyed peas, pinto beans, cornbread. She let me chop things and help with cooking. When I started traveling, I’d come home and try to recreate dishes I’d had around the world. That became our fun little game in Mimi’s kitchen.
The ‘Saturday Night Fever’ Soundtrack
My first album. My family mostly listened to country music or Motown, so I never really had a record I wanted to play on our big record player. This was mine. I’d put it on and dance in the living room. It just made me feel alive. And then the music introduced me to a different world, and I think that’s where I started getting into fashion, too.
Vintage Denim Jackets
I was 14, had my first record deal and came straight from school to my first photo shoot. The label hadn’t gotten me any wardrobe, and the photographer went out to her car and got me a jean jacket. That’s how I became the jean-jacket girl. And I still rock jean jackets now. I paint them, trick them out, bedazzle them. I’m a jean-jacket connoisseur girl now.
Morning Coffee
I get up, have coffee and do a 15- to 20-minute meditation — grounding for the day, a little prayer, practicing gratitude. And it takes me right back to my grandfather. He used to wake up very early, make a pot of coffee and sit on the porch. I was about 4, and one day I asked, “Can I have some coffee?” He poured me just a little bit and said, “Don’t tell Mimi.” That became our secret.
Zen Gardens
My Zen garden is my sanctuary. I write songs there, I journal, I meditate. I’ve planted different trees and have these globes hanging from the trees that light up at night. There’s no glamour. My hair is in a ponytail, no makeup. It’s just my place.
‘Star Wars’
I’m a huge “Star Wars” fan. We often quote “Star Wars” when we’re on the road, so if you’re going to be in my band, you pretty much have to be a fan. Whoever’s sitting co-pilot is the Chewy. One of our vans is called the Millennium Falcon because it just keeps going and keeps going and keeps going.
True Crime Television
I watch a lot of “Dateline,” “48 Hours,” “Forensic Files.” Touring full-time, every once in a while you’ll get an episode set in a city you’re in. But it hasn’t stopped me from watching. I’m a huge “Law & Order” fan too. In my cookbook, “Pop Life,” I have “Slaw and Order,” a wink-wink to my favorite show.
The U.K.
I’ve been going back and forth since I was 15, and I lived there at one time. Now I live there part-time. I have friends and family there, and I’m engaged to a British guy. And I now take the train by myself, which makes me feel like a very big girl because I had never taken a train by myself ever in life until about four years ago. The secret’s out.
Cebu, the Philippines
Cebu is a place I immediately connected to. It’s so beautiful, the people are so happy, and I had really good home-cooked Filipino food, which was a game changer for me. There’s a simplicity there that I really loved. The people of Cebu say everything with a smile, and it just touched my heart. I’m really excited to go back.
Reinvention
For me, it’s been a lifeline. I’ve always had these little businesses. I owned two clothing stores. Now I have cooking clubs, cookbooks and Tiff Takeovers, where food and music come together. It’s important to explore those different sides of yourself. I’m just living out loud.
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