Tiffany Young does not need a special introduction. The Korean-American singer first launched her career with Girls' Generation (So Nyu Shi Dae aka SNSD in Korean) when she moved to South Korea at fifteen spending eleven years of her life in one of the most successful K-Pop girl groups in the world. Now she's setting off on her own and starting fresh in the US embarking on her first North American solo tour The Lips on Lips.
The K-Pop megastar was first scouted as a teenager by a rep from SM Entertainment, one of South Korea’s leading entertainment companies, after singing Mariah Carey's "Hero" and Christina Aguilera's "The Voice Within" at an audition in 2004. Having lost her mother when she was only 12, the singer found comfort in singing ballads like Aguilera's.
In 2017, when Tiffany reached a milestone decade with Girls' Generation (GG), she decided not to renew her contract with SM Entertainment. SNSD is one of K-Pop’s longest-running groups and GG even made it into the Guinness World Records 2018 for Most Awards Won after receiving 13 at the Melon Music Awards. Impressive, eh?
For many K-pop stars, the end of a contract leads to a solo music career, acting gigs or hosting TV shows in Korea. Tiffany, however, wanted to take her dream home to America, despite the risks involved and we applaud her for this bold move.
Since then, the 29-year-old has released four English-language tracks, including 2018's "Over My Skin" and "Teach You." For her solo debut, "Over My Skin," Tiffany went for a fun summer song that blends her bright, K-pop roots with early 2000s pop that was inspired by Justin Timberlake after Young attended his concert. The song tunes result in a sexy, unapologetic track that she hopes inspires listeners to own who they are and what they want.
This vibe also translated to the song's cover photo, below, that sheds the glossy, pristine packaging of her K-Pop career and sends the message that for her solo work, Tiffany is presenting herself as is. No heavy makeup, no flashy wardrobe, no elaborate sets.
In her most recent track "Born Again", we can get a glimpse of the more vulnerable and insecure Tiffany Young: "I used to feel so hollow, shallow, vacant," she sings in a verse.
“This song and music video was a very emotional and personal journey inspired by all the tragedy and pain I’ve had to mask with a smile throughout my career. 'Born Again' is symbolic of my passion to always fight to grow from these experiences,” Young said in a press release.
You can catch Tiffany promoting her EP on her stateside Lips On Lips North American Mini Showcase Tour on March 13 at Vancouver's Venue. We are giving away two concert so scroll all the way down to ch-ch-check it out!
14 MUST-KNOW FACTS EVERY TIFFANY YOUNG FAN NEEDS TO KNOW
1. Tiffany was born Tiffany Hwang, (her Korean name is Hwang Mi-young but while with Girls' Generation she went by Tiffany). She chose Young instead because in Chinese characters it stands for "forever."
2. As a member of Girl's Generation, Tiffany debuted with the song "Into the New World" and said her final goodbye with bop "Holiday."
DID YOU KNOW? "Into the New World" became an anthem for change in Seoul Pride celebrations and political protests for its strong lyrics: “Don’t wait for a special miracle. There’s a rough road in front of us. With unknowable future and obstacles, I won’t change, I can’t give up.”
3. Tiffany is crazy about pink color. She loves to eat pink confectionery and fill her purse with pink items.
4. Tiffany's dream choreographer is Yanis Marshall (who also happened to choreograph dance moves to her new song Over My Skin).
5. Tiffany can binge watch Jeffree Star's videos until 4 am.
6. To jump start her music career in the US, Tiffany signed a deal with Paradigm Talent Agency - the same agency that also represents Ed Sheeran, Jason Mraz, Imagine Dragons and Coldplay.
7. Tiffany currently finds inspiration by listening to the podcast "How I Built This with Guy Raz".
8. After mispronouncing “jewel” as “mushroom” in Korean introducing herself as “Tiffany, who is brighter than a mushroom,” her fans would give her mushroom-shaped merchandise as gifts.
9. Tiffany is obsessed with ice cream and her current fave flavour is street cart churro dough.
10. Tiffany raps out loud to Drake's verses when stressed out.
11. Tiffany is obsessed with color coordination.
12. Tiffany loves to play puzzle games like Disney Tsum Tsum when she's writing songs to get out of a brain block.
13. Tiffany is bilingual and speaks both English and Korean fluently.
14. Tiffany screenshots everything that catches her eye so it can inspire her later.
IT'S A GIVEAWAY TIME!!!
We partnered with Blueprint Events and are giving away two tickets to Tiffany Young's Lips on Lips mini showcase at Venue on March 13 for you and your bestie/better half. To enter, click here.