Interview: Tiffany Thornton

Interview: Tiffany Thornton

Posted on October 5, 2009 at 8:00 am

Disney star Tiffany Thornton sings the classic “Some Day My Prince Will Come” on the spectacular new release of Disney’s very first animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It is a two=DVD set with both Blu-Ray and regular DVDs and a lot of extras, including a sneak peek at the upcoming “Princess and the Frog.” I got a chance to talk to Tiffany about what it feels like to take on a song that is so well-known.

How did you get involved with this project?

I did the song “Let it Go” for “Hatching Pete,” but I was more rapping, and then I did a song for DisneyMania called “If I Ever Knew You,” and I hope I impressed them enough that they were willing to give me the opportunity to do this, and they flew out a producer from Nashville named Mark Hammond who was incredible to work with. I’m blessed to have been given the opportunity. I love this song because it’s not like a techno twist which is what you do a lot of times when you want to amp up a song that was originally a ballad. It has the ballad but also a mid-tempo, almost an up-tempo feel when it kicks in, so I hope people will enjoy that.

This is one of the classic Disney songs. How do you make it yours?

Mark did such a great job reconstructing the song. I’m really going to give him all the credit. He knew how to bring my voice out, get it to sound ethereal and princess-like but also to sound also like myself. I’m from Texas so I have that country thing in my voice going on. And I do all the background vocals, the harmonies and all of that stuff.

What is the most fun thing about singing for you?

The honest of it, really. I love acting and singing so much and could never pick one. With acting it’s fun to pretend to be someone else and that’s awesome, it’s like playing dress-up. But with singing, it’s you, being vulnerable, putting this voice out there, knowing people may criticize you and ridicule you. Because people are like that with music. Music is very expressive for a lot of people. I went through a break-up a few months ago and I was listening to Taylor Swift saying “Were you in the room when we were talking about that? How do you know all those things?” Music is really close to my heart and I just want to make sure people can feel that when I sing.

And who besides Taylor Swift is on your iPod?

Demi ‘s album that just came out, Here We Go Again, is incredible. I listen to her song “Got Dynamite” every time I go to the gym. And “World of Chances” which she wrote with John Mayer is a great song. At my photo shoot yesterday I listened to a lot of Carrie Underwood. And I love James Morrison and The Script, Matt Nathanson. I love those gritty guy voices. And Sara Bareilles I think is amazing.

If you could do any Disney song next, what would it be?

“Once Upon a Dream” from “Sleeping Beauty.”

When did you know you wanted to be a performer?

From day one! We put on performances in my front yard. I was always wanting to be in the spotlight. I made up songs, I wanted to be a cheerleader.

I was super-into really powerful singers. My mom and I jammed out to BeBe & CeCe Winans, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston. I’m not a singer because I’m on a Disney show; I’m a singer because God gave me a gift and I want to share it with the world.

And so what’s next?

I’m going to be singing a duet with Kermit the Frog in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade!

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Actors Interview Music
Miles Davis at the Movies

Miles Davis at the Movies

Posted on August 28, 2009 at 8:00 am

I love this Slate article by Kim Gittleson on the best and worst uses of the classic jazz album, Kind of Blue, by Miles Davis, in film and television. The list includes an action film with real-life jazz-lover Clint Eastwood (“In the Line of Fire”), a romantic comedy with Julia Roberts (“The Runaway Bride”), and an underrated fantasy film (“Pleasantville”), as well as a television series about a serial killer (“Dexter”) and a high-class cop show (“The Wire”).

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Music Television
Recess Monkey: Great Music for Kids and Their Families

Recess Monkey: Great Music for Kids and Their Families

Posted on July 21, 2009 at 3:59 pm

Seattle-based teachers-turned-music group Recess Monkey came to Washington DC to play at XM Radio and Jammin’ Java this week and I was lucky enough to see them perform before a wildly enthusiastic crowd of very excited kids and very happy parents.

Jack Forman, Andrew Holloway, and Daron Henry are three elementary school teachers who write songs based of their everyday interaction with kids and their equal passions for children and for tuneful pop. They know what kids care about most — when they will get a pet, when that tooth will fall out, what kind of backpack they need, and, of course, how many very, very silly jokes they can tell. One song is about a “Knocktopus,” an octopus who tells knock-knock jokes that are real groaners. The music is tuneful and catchy and the lyrics are witty and reassuring. Highly recommended!

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