Tiffany Wilson and Finding Her Harmony in Motion
Photos provided by Tiffany Wilson
By Emma Schwichtenberg
Out of a group of 300, just 13 were selected, and among those 13, Tiffany Wilson got her start.
Wilson is a singer-songwriter, who has worked in LA, and Seattle. She has been part of numerous bands and has also worked as a solo artist. Most recently, she appeared as "Madame Z" in Teatro ZinZanni, a circus dinner theater that originated in Seattle's Lower Queen Anne neighborhood and has since expanded to San Francisco and Chicago.
When Wilson sings, her voice flows effortlessly with silky smoothness, delivering a performance that feels pure and natural, free from unnecessary adornments. Her style gracefully honors her innate talent for perfect pitch and impeccable vocal control, creating a connection that feels deeply spiritual.
Beyond her exceptional interpretations of songs by other artists, Wilson's own compositions are equally captivating. As a talented songwriter, her music not only inspires but also resonates with the current cultural landscape. In 2020, she collaborated with renowned producer Vitamin D and vocalist Lady Tasz to address pressing issues like inequality, gun violence, and social injustice in America. She draws inspiration from Bobby Womack's soulful storytelling, Aretha Franklin's raw, gritty vocals, and Marvin Gaye's eclectic and expressive musical style.
Wilson has been singing all her life, though in the beginning, she sang gospel. When her mom mentioned attending an audition for singers when Wilson was around 18, she couldn’t believe that being selected was possible.
"That was my first professional gig; up until then, I had just been recording here and there, enjoying the learning process," Wilson said. "It was with Trinity Records or Hendricks Records, and it was gospel music. That's when I really started to dive into songwriting. I had done a little bit before, but not a lot."
While her first paid singing gig was in gospel, she found herself more and more drawn to R&B under the mentorship of producer Derek 'DC' Clark. Her first paid writing gig was for a group called “Trio.” While she was still singing and performing gospel, she was also leaning more toward R&B.
"The gospel group I was in at the time felt like I was, you know, straddling the fence," Wilson said. "We're supposed to be Christians, and I wasn't writing bad music at all. It just wasn't gospel or for whatever other reasons. They rallied around each other and said, 'Let's kick Tiffany out.' Then they asked, 'Will you still write for us though?'"
It wasn’t long before she started singing with a cover band called Hit Explosion.
"I knew I'd have to sometimes not take things personally, as most people probably shouldn't," Wilson said. "I was still super green, but Hit Explosion was a wild ride. I did that for three years. That's how I got my feet wet understanding performing and being on stage. So, it all worked out."
She moved to LA five years after joining Hit Explosion. A friend of hers who lived there had offered to show her the ropes, on a visit that friend took Wilson to a couple studio sessions, and introduced her to some folks in the industry. It wasn’t long before she was getting ready to move.
Three or four days before she was set to move, all her belongings packed and her car loaded, a friend she had arranged to stay with suddenly stopped responding. In a panic, she found herself in tears at her sister's house, realizing she had nowhere to go. Then, her phone rang — it was a girl she had met just two weeks earlier, offering her a place to stay.
"I didn't even really know this person," Wilson said. "But I burst into tears. It was around 2003, and I remember thinking, 'I guess I'm headed to LA.' It felt like a sign that maybe God was listening."
LA was incredible for Wilson; for her, Seattle doesn't compare.
"They're two different worlds,” Wilson said. “LA is seriously work-driven. Everyone there knows they're grinding, working hard. They understand teamwork and sticking to it. Not that Seattle doesn't understand sticking to it, but sometimes teamwork wasn't emphasized back then. Maybe it's changing now, but when I was younger, it wasn't quite the same."
She lived in LA for four years, moving in December 2003 and returning to Seattle in September 2007.
"What I learned there is that your gift will make room for you," Wilson said. "What I also learned was how to figure out what I would not do for fame and fortune and those kinds of things."
After signing a deal with Chrysalis Music Group, Wilson experienced a shift in expectations.
"As soon as I signed my deal, it seemed like they were asking, 'Can you write for the popular groups? Can you write for them?'” Wilson said. “I was hoping to collaborate with the artists I truly admired. That part didn't quite happen as promised, and although I stuck with it for a while, what I learned is that I can write from anywhere."
Almost a year after signing her deal, she chose to come back to Seattle and write.
“More than my love for music, growing up I really valued my family," Wilson said. "I'm very independent, but I didn't want to miss out on being close to them.”
When it comes to writing music, Wilson is a self-proclaimed pressure cooker. She prefers to immerse herself in the music, feeling its rhythm before assigning lyrics to those emotions.
"I like to develop ideas while driving and immerse myself in the music," Wilson said. "I don't use a lot of pens and paper until I maybe get into the studio and need to refine things. My process isn't typical for most people; it's usually very last minute. I'll have been listening to the music without focusing much, and then usually on the way to the studio, the storyline pops out."
For Wilson, Seattle is a jam town where the culture revolves around spontaneous jam sessions and creating songs on the fly. She enjoys the stripped-down nature of a jam session just as much as she loves playing in a big group.
"I'm open to various setups, but I've performed with just two instruments and background vocals, and I loved it,” Wilson said. “I also enjoy the energy of a full band with background vocals; it's always fun and exciting. Then there are those soulful and intimate moments when I can sing softly and enjoy the intimacy. At Teatro, surprisingly, there was a full band, but it was a beautiful experience singing there every night without straining my voice. It was fantastic."
“Madame Z”, short for Madame ZinZanni, Wilson did not see coming. She auditioned for an agent years ago because of her desire to pursue theater, but at the time they weren't interested. Then last summer she got a phone call about Teatro.
"I got the call, 'Tiffany, would you ever think about doing Teatro?,” Wilson said. "I had seen their ads on the buses and different things. I think I had no idea what it was. I just knew the name a little bit and that I had seen advertisements, so I said, 'Sure.'"
Wilson didn't know what to expect when she received the call about Teatro. Having only seen ads around town, she agreed to join the show without fully understanding what it entailed. It turned out to be one of the most enjoyable experiences of her music career.
Norm Langill, founder and president of Teatro ZinZanni, was impressed when Wilson performed "Tell Me Something Good" at an open mic event she hosted.This song became a staple opening for the show every night, adding a personal touch to her performance, an event that Converge’s Besa Gordan covered on Back2Besa in February.
“I got to be myself. Madame Z was actually Madame Tiffany,” Wilson said. “During the show, it was me as Madam Tiffany, so they dressed me in really cool costumes, and I got to speak from my heart. There were no lines; everything I said, I wrote. It was beautiful that they allowed me to speak from my heart, to say what I cared about. So I got to do that every night, even though it was a script, one that I wrote.”
Supporting young artists through songwriting, jamming, and performing alongside local talents in Seattle is something Wilson has always been passionate about.
"In the past, it often felt like I had to navigate this journey alone," Wilson said. "But what I'm witnessing now in Seattle is a beautiful camaraderie among younger musicians. They actively support each other, showing up at each other's shows and collaborating. It's a different vibe compared to LA, where the environment can be more competitive."
Wilson finds the supportive community among emerging artists in Seattle particularly inspiring. Her current projects include, Major Collab, a program she initiated a couple of years ago where she mentors eight students by pairing them with adult collaborators. The program has been successful with several concerts organized, and she aims to expand its scope further.
As for her music, she is beginning to shift gears. While her last album leaned towards funk, she is now delving into different genres, particularly intrigued by the possibilities of jazz and potentially exploring new subgenres within that realm.
"As I'm getting older, sometimes you feel pressure, but I want to emphasize to everyone that your talent has no expiration. Always keep dreaming," Wilson said. "Keep going. Don't stop. You can take breaks, pause, or switch lanes, but never abandon your first love, especially if it's music."
To keep up with Wilson visit her Instagram @tiffanywilsonmusic or tiffanywilsonmusic.com/#peace.
