Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Houghton.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Tiffany. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Sounds great! My name is Tiffany Houghton and I’m an independent American Pop singer/songwriter born and raised in Dallas, TX with a childhood background in Broadway. I toured with MKTO during the rise of their hit song, Classic, and opened for One Direction outside the Rose-bowl on the 102.7 KISS FM stage. As an independent female in the industry, landing the #1 song on Radio Disney, Catch Me If You Can, has been one of my biggest musical accomplishments. My music has been shared and covered in Billboard, Seventeen Magazine, J-14, Twist, and Teen Vogue. I’m in the process of releasing an album I made entirely with women.
I moved out at 17 to pursue my career in Nashville, and after two years of honing my craft & touring the college market, I made the move to LA. I grew up listening to Shania Twain, Avril Lavigne, Queen, Styx, Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift, and Katy Perry. I’ve always loved Max Martin, and often when I write, I think, “what would Max Martin do?” My recent music has been compared to Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande. My goal in my songwriting is to tell meaningful stories in a melodic and anthemic way. My time in Nashville taught me how to write lyrics, and my time in LA taught me how to write melody.
The process for me varies, usually, I get ideas for songs while I’m exercising. Most of the time it starts with a lyric or a journal entry, and then I’ll sit at the piano or with a guitar and start speaking out the cadence of the lyrics and pair them with a chord progression that feels right. On the other hand, one time I saw a sweet old couple in an airplane and wrote my song “Love Like That” while flying 30,000 ft above ground.
Right now, I am excited about the release of my new Christmas song that my friend Tiffany Alvord and I are putting out on December 6th! The song is a holiday-pop anthem titled “Mrs. Claus” that celebrates the female force of the season, and Santa’s right hand Christmas Queen! An acoustic version of the song will follow, and be released on December 13th. Readers can find the music on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, and all other major streaming platforms.
Has it been a smooth road?
There have certainly been a lot of ups and downs, but all along there have been friends and family who have made things seem smoother during the rocky times.
I attended Booker T Washington High School of the Performing and Visual arts in Dallas where I graduated early to move out on my own and pursue music when I was 17. It was terrifying. I didn’t know anyone in Nashville at the time, but instead of senior prom, I decided to throw myself headfirst into my craft and my dreams. My grandmother taught me my love for music and showed me at a young age how to pair my own journal writings to melodies on the piano. Because of her, I have religiously written in a journal since I was six years old. The day I arrived in Nashville, after the 13-hour drive, my car was broken into, and everything I owned was stolen, including the journals I’d kept for so many years. I wept as I dug through the nearby dumpsters, hoping desperately that I would find those journals, but they were nowhere to be seen. My friends and family told me I should come home, but that cold January day in Nashville lit a fire in me that, seven years later, is still burning.
My friends would probably describe me as a very optimistic person, happy, bubbly, and bright. I am the daughter of two successful entrepreneurs who raised me to work hard, fail fast, and to keep my head up during the downtimes. They got married and left home at 18 years old, with nothing in their bank accounts, and managed to build successful businesses in multiple industries. Growing up they encouraged my brothers and me to pursue our dreams and had us all read books as a family about integrity, leadership, and determination. Every morning on our way to elementary school they had us memorize inspiring quotes that still now I can recite to you from memory. We call them our “Houghton Quotes,” and it takes 30 minutes to recite them all. From the time I was 8 years old my parents had me make and manage my own money. Outside of food and shelter, if I wanted something growing up, I needed to figure out how to earn it. When it comes to my musical pursuits, it’s been the same way. When I moved out, they knew it would be hard for me, and I knew I’d have to figure it all out by myself, but they’ve always been my biggest cheerleaders.
Shortly after moving to Nashville, I realized I would need to learn how to use social media, and grow my following if I wanted anyone to hear it. I found an independent social media and digital marketing company and shortly thereafter began working with the CEO of that company. She became my manager and taught me so much in the five years that we worked together. After we had both lived in LA for a couple of years, our relationship really went south and we no longer wanted the same things.
All in the span of a year my management team and I parted ways, I called off my wedding, I scrapped an album with a highly sought after producer because of his continual sexual harassment, and had to move back to Dallas from LA. I truly thought my career and life were over. This was a very dark time for me. It was also the time that I created the music I have been releasing this year & will continue releasing throughout 2020.
As I have put out music again, 2019 has been the biggest streaming year of my career! I started performing again, and performed in front of over 10,000 of my fans this year! I’ve found joy, peace, and my voice again and am so full of gratitude for my Dallas roots, along the way. Oh, and I also found my Love Like That*, and got married! 🙂
*Love Like That is a song of mine that went to #7 on the Sirius XM Hits 1 chart! You can find it on all streaming platforms.
What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
Tiffany Houghton Music
www.tiffanyhoughton.com/music/tiffany-houghton
Stream and pre-save Mrs. Claus:
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/tiffanyhoughtonandtiffanyalvord/mrs-claus
Billboard Article:
https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/7541855/tiffany-houghton-im-gonna-love-you-song-video-premiere
Us Weekly Article:
Listen to Tiffany Houghton’s Powerful New Single ‘Pretty Pretty’
Vents Magazine, Tiffany Houghton’s #1 song on Radio Disney:
https://ventsmagazine.com/2016/07/22/tiffany-houghton-debuts-1-radio-disney-catch-can/
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I am so grateful to have been born and raised in Dallas. After touring the country, living in other cities, and spending time out of Texas, I have come to realize just how rare the kindness and culture we share here is. I know that I am who I am, and have been able to accomplish so much because of the southern hospitality I was raised in. God bless Texas! I am SO proud every time I’m able to tell people I am from Dallas.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tiffanyhoughton.com
- Email: contact@tiffanyhoughton.com.
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/tiffanyhoughton
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/tiffanyhoughtonmusic
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/tiffanyhoughton
- Other: https://instar.lnk.to/j_VBm
Image Credit:
Jonathon Gibson Photograph, Marisa Bone, Adam Moffitt, James Barton, Aly Faye
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