Tiffany Breaks Her Silence

Nov. 30, 2000 -- Eighties teen pop sensation Tiffany — who was to the Reagan era what Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera are to today’s marketplace — has a particular philosophy about her career; don’t feel bad for her because she was Tiffany.

“If I would’ve come back five years ago, or five years from now, people still would’ve been, ‘Oh, it’s Tiffany. You’re a teen star. What happened to you?’” says Tiffany Darwisch, now 28, the mother of an 8-year-old son and the creator of a mature, sophisticated new rock album called The Color of Silence.

“They want to make it some kind of tragic story, but, no, it’s really simple; it’s about an artist that got a little burnt out and frustrated with the music she was doing at the time,” says Tiffany, who scored a No. 1 hit with her 1987 debut single, “I Think We’re Alone Now.” “I was grateful for [my music]. It was definitely successful. But I always thought, ‘OK, when can I switch over and do what it is I’ve always seen myself doing?’ That was a hurdle.”

Rocking Out of the MallsTiffany made that leap during the past few years, when she reconnected with former co-manager Brad Schmidt, who in turn gave her space in his production studio and introduced her to the writers and producers who would become her collaborators on The Color of Silence.

Released by Eureka Records, a small, independent California label, Silence sold most of its initial 40,000-copy pressing during its first five weeks of release and has earned an array of favorable — and surprised — reviews; music industry bible Billboard went so far as to proclaim it “thoughtful and intelligent” — and the potential successor to another adult smash from a former teen star, Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill.

“Over the years, I grew up as a person and made mistakes and had a great time and had a baby, kind of grew as a person and as an artist,” says Tiffany, who is doing the circuit of radio station concerts during the holiday season. “The response I’m getting to the album is incredible; it definitely makes me feel validated when I hear Billboard comparing it to Alanis Morissette and meeting all the people who say to me, ‘I would never be a Tiffany fan, but this stuff is really good.’ You’ve got to laugh, because that’s what’s supposed to happen.”