Words by Art Jefferson
Photography by Nathan Tecson and courtesy of Tiffany Alvord
YouTube has become a platform that has not only launched a slew of entertainers’ careers but has also become a virtual place where artists have become lost in the vast sea of seemingly endless videos of complete randomness. California-born singer and musician Tiffany Alvord is one of the acts who cut through the noise, showcasing her immense talents by recording a number of cover versions of some of the biggest names in music. Uploading her first video back in 2008 at the age of 15, a rework of OneRepublic’s track ‘Stop and Stare’, Alvord went on to become one of YouTube’s biggest stars amassing millions followers on the platform.
While talent alone isn’t always enough to jump start a musician’s career via YouTube, Tiffany Alvord not only used her ability as an incredible singer to propel herself into the eyes of millions but she also raised the levels by filming videos that were visually outstanding, practically up to par with the acts she was creating cover versions of. The visuals to her original songs were just as stunning, not to mention many of them highlighting her ability as an actress.
In 2011, Tiffany Alvord released her album I’ve Got It Covered, a collection of some of her popular cover versions. That same year she dropped her debut LP of original tracks titled My Dreams. Refusing to slow down the momentum, Alvord released her album My Heart Is with every song performed, written and composed by the music wonder. In 2014 she raised the stakes with her Legacy LP, an incredible pop gem that Alvord co-produced with Tomas Costanza. She would also go on to unleash five more volumes of her I’ve Got It Covered project.
Having worked with brands including Tide, AT&T, Hollister Co., Target and more, Tiffany Alvord also landed a role in the series ‘Guilty Party’, which is a part of the AT&T Hello Lab Project.
Although it would be an understatement to say that Tiffany Alvord has achieved a mountainous range of accomplishments including performing at the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration back in 2012, which also featured Taylor Swift, Carly Rae Jepsen and more, one of the incredible achievements is that the singer, musician and actress did it her way, helping to rewrite the blueprint of success which has become an inspiration to countless up and coming artists.
You began learning piano at a very early age, followed by teaching yourself guitar shortly after. However, you were actually a competing gymnast for quite a number of years. Was your original focus more on sports or was music always at the forefront for you in terms of a future career?
Tiffany Alvord – My main focus was gymnastics growing up and I wanted to go to the Olympics. (I always dreamed big!) In elementary school I fell in love with acting and wanted to pursue that (and all through Jr. high and high school.) I performed in 9 local musicals and took acting lessons and started to try and find an agent fractured the growth plate in my wrist in high school and had to quit gymnastics. Around this time, I discovered YouTube. I also loved singing and writing songs growing up, and I was like, “Hmmm, I might as well try this!” I continued doing local theatre while posting songs to my YouTube channel. Everything kind of unfolded naturally. I would say I was split equally for loving entertainment and sports!
You come from a large family. Was there music always being played in your household? Also, having quite a number of brothers, did any of their musical tastes rub off on you?
Tiffany Alvord – I started piano lessons when I was 5 and I practiced every day, so that music was being played in my home. My older brothers loved playing music from their cassette tapes and eventually CD players. I do remember hearing Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears! I’m sure what they listened to influenced me in some way. Most of my brothers took band in elementary school and played trumpet, clarinet, and flute, but they didn’t pursue music. Only one of my 6 brothers played piano and also took lessons. He was always playing the piano beautifully, as he can play by ear, and I loved listening to it and it made me love piano. I wish more of my brothers played so I could have had jam sessions! Music is what always spoke to me. I would spend my free time just writing songs in my bedroom and playing guitar or the piano.
You are one the singers who mastered YouTube as a platform to let your talent be seen by millions of people. After putting up the video of you singing ‘Stop and Stare’ by OneRepublic, how long did it take you to gain traction on YouTube?
Tiffany Alvord – I didn’t ever “blow up” over-night or have one video give me instant success. It was a slow and steady progression of growth from being consistent with when and what I posted (Slow and steady wins the race has new meaning for me). I remember after my first video, after about 2 weeks, I had 300 views. I was so excited about that! I was very proactive about making friends on YouTube and replying to comments and commenting on other videos, and really being part of the community of YouTube. I think authenticity, staying true to myself, and consistency were a huge part of my growth and success.
One thing about your YouTube videos is that you definitely focus on the quality of them, even when doing cover versions of songs. They are literally music videos. For an artist that may be trying to get noticed, can you talk about the importance of having great visual presentation?
Tiffany Alvord – I think it’s nice to have professional content, but the most important thing is to have quality content. Not being able to post professional videos should not determine if you post or not. YouTube is very competitive compared to what it was 10 years ago, but the great thing about YouTube is that you can share your talent any way you want. You have to start somewhere. For example, if your only options are a camcorder and your bedroom, you can make sure your space is clean and that it is well lit! If you have no lights you can use a window for great sunlight so that the video is more inviting! Look performance ready and be happy. Make sure the sound and video quality is good and clear. It’s about working within your means and making the most of what you have! It took me 3 years of posting from my bedroom before I started consistently doing “professional” videos and only after I was to a point that it made sense. You’ve got to run your YouTube channel like a business. Don’t go in debt! I think creativity, making songs your own, having fun, and LOVING what you do, speaks loudest when captivating someone new and gaining new fans.
With so many people battling issues such as depression and more, your song ‘So Alive’ , which is taken from your 2012 record My Heart Is, holds weight even to this day. It’s one of those songs that helps one to see the optimism in life and the value of the self. What inspired that track?
Tiffany Alvord – I wanted to write a song where the listener would feel happier and in a better mood by hearing it. That particular song was inspired by wanting others to fully enjoy and love the moments they are in. I have felt that way and wanted to convey the feeling to others. There will always be hard times, but being able to take a breath, see the beauty around us, and count our blessings always makes me feel so grateful and alive! It is freeing to be alive in a moment, to love life no matter what that looks like for us, to be happy because we choose to be. I wanted to write a song, where when people played it, they would feel hopeful and excited about life.
You released Legacy a couple years later. Aside from the music having a punchier pop sound, you seemed to have confidently grown even more in that two year span as a powerhouse artist. How would you describe your personal growth between the recording of those two releases?
Tiffany Alvord – I think between each release, not only do I mature as a person, I grow as an artist as I experiment with finding my own style. I learn more about myself, meet new people, and my eyes are always opened to new things. My perspective is always changing and I see things differently. I try to take it all in and process it and it comes out in my music. I think the biggest difference is just feeling more confident and secure in myself. It allows me to be more free and creative and bold with what I have to say and what I want to put out into the world. My experiences are similar to those of others. I want to connect and be relatable and let people know that we’re all in this together and that they aren’t alone. I think time and experience helps me know better how to do that.
Another forte of yours is acting, with you having a background in theatre. You are one of the stars of ‘Guilty Party’ which is a part of the AT&T Hello Lab project. How did that come about?
Tiffany Alvord – I have always loved acting and wanted to pursue acting growing up but ended up finding opportunities with music and YouTube. I was in my first film, School Spirits, the year before they were casting for Guilty Party. That really gave me the acting bug again. Fullscreen was working in conjunction with AT&T Hello Lab. I was working with Fullscreen on another project at the time they were developing characters for Guilty Party. They asked if I’d like to audition. Fullscreen had self-tapes/auditions/and read-throughs to determine the cast! I was so excited to be cast as Emma for this YouTube web series. It was such a fun process and the entire cast was so amazing. Every time I’m on camera acting, I just want to do more!
I have to ask you about the New Years Eve celebration in Times Square in which you performed back in 2012. There were some heavy hitting artists performing that night including Taylor Swift. What was that experience like?
Tiffany Alvord – I won a contest by Nivea for getting the most votes on my video of Carly Rae Jepsen’s song, This Kiss. There is some misinformation out there that I performed on the same stage as Taylor Swift, but I actually did not. She did perform that night, but not on the Nivea Kiss Stage! It was still incredible to still be part of the same event. Performing in Times Square was one of the most surreal moments in my career. I was speechless about getting to perform on that stage in front of 2 million people. When I got on stage it felt like everything was moving in slow motion straight out of a movie. It will always be one of my most memorable performances. I also got to perform at the Hardrock Cafe that night with Train and Carly Rae Jepsen at a private event which was so amazing and fun! The whole experience – being in New York, performing, counting down the new year – it all felt like a dream!
You have worked with loads of big name brands, performed around the world, released numerous albums and acted in a series. This all came through you not only just working hard, but creatively doing it your way. What advice would you give any up and coming artist who wishes to do the same?
Tiffany Alvord – I would say be TRUE TO YOURSELF! You know yourself best. You have to be authentic or fans won’t connect with you. Follow your heart and intuition. I believe this is what led me to so many amazing opportunities. Also, HAVE FUN. If it’s not what you truly love, you will burn out and tire of it, so find ways to stay creative and fall in love with what you do over and over! You have to be truly passionate about what you are sharing. Everyone likes supporting someone genuine and happy. Lastly, BE CONSISTENT. Things aren’t always going to be easy. You may have haters. But those aren’t reasons to stop or give up. By being consistent and sharing your content regularly, the right people will start to follow you and appreciate you and spread the word about you. Ignore negative people. It would be impossible to please everyone. Rise above challenges. You will feel proud of your accomplishments. If fans see the joy it brings you, they feel good in return. When you see they joy it brings your fans, you want to do more for them. It’s a cycle that starts with you!
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