Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Parker.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I had an overwhelming sense of knowing I wanted to be a singer at age four. Born in Los Angeles, California, my mother exposed me to an array of music growing up; my stepfather constantly played oldies and Motown tunes. I didn’t grow up in a musical family, although I discovered later that Little Junior Parker is my Great grandfather. Music had such a rich presence in my household that I developed a deep love and appreciation for it.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t given the opportunity to be in a choir or other extracurricular activities that would further develop my talents. Instead, I expressed myself by going around the neighborhood and putting on little performances for my friends and their parents. People would call their long-distance family and say, “Listen, y’all gotta hear this! This little girl can SANG!”
At the age of 10, I was something else! I tried to form girl groups all the time, but none of them were ever successful. We would get together and rehearse songs, and I would find audition bookings in the Yellow Pages since I didn’t have a phone. My mom didn’t take me seriously and would get upset when people would call back wondering if we were going to make it to the audition (laughs). My family didn’t believe in my singing, which bred discouragement that ate away at my confidence.
Losing my mom, my only parent, tore me to pieces and completely changed my life. I felt lost, struggling with her loss. But that motivated me to keep going and make my mom proud. A high school mentor of mine saw how badly I was struggling and offered a helping hand.
My mentor found activities and programs I could do in LA. I participated in The Girl Blue Project, The Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center, and a multitude of other non-profit organizations that reignited my love for singing. I began doing shows in high school, just to prove to myself that I could do it.
I won first place in my first talent competition. After that, I did open mics and some traditional and jazz vocal training with various well-known vocal coaches. I went off to college right after high school and studied voice at Cal State LA and Pasadena City College, traveling and performing in jazz ensembles and choirs. I became driven to build a serious singing career.
With my vocal coach, I signed up and performed for the Charles Dolo Coker Scholarship Foundation concert and won the Most Promising award. I also did a special performance for the NAACP ACT-SO Achievement Program and auditioned for American Idol that same year.
Later, I was part of a collective and community called The Ruum LA, where I was the face of their artist development section. There I worked with an incredible CEO and friend to further cultivate my talents, give back, perform for the community, and ultimately be managed as an artist.
In spite of all the things I did to make my dreams happen, I faced constant obstacles. Those struggles affected my mental health and I fell astray from seriously pursuing a singing career and almost gave up. I needed a chance to figure things out and regroup.
Yearning for a change, I moved to Texas at the end of 2019. Moving gave me the fresh start I needed. During the pandemic in 2020, I became focused and centered myself on what was most important. I realized if I gave up on my dreams of a singing career, that regret would haunt me for the rest of my life. I remember thinking, “You’ve already done so much work. If you give up now, you’ll never know how far you would have made it!”
The first step toward achieving my dream career was enhancing my singing skills and cultivating new skills to become a well-rounded creative artist. I took part in singing and dance lesson programs like ATLA Academy, Stevie Mackey Monthly Class, and other courses. I learned how to produce vocals, dance, brand, creatively direct, style, model, and also earned a makeup certification.
All that gave me the confidence to finally put myself out there. The next steps were building my online presence, portfolio, my own brand, and presenting myself as a singer. I joined the Austin Models & Photographer’s Facebook page, which has been a huge help connecting me with some wonderful individuals, building my brand and portfolio, and bringing my ideas to life.
I’m currently attending college, balancing a 9-5 job while working on branding myself as an artist, and creating lots of content and music. I’ve also become a plus-size model with an Agency called the Extended Plus Network. They are incredibly supportive and full of incredible plus-sized women.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Absolutely not! I’ve had constant challenges along my journey. When my mom died, I was so young that I couldn’t fathom how I would go on in life. It made me feel very alone in the world, because I felt like no one would be by my side. My life changed forever, and I still struggle with not having parental guidance, or even being able to talk with her. But I found peace and motivation in knowing she would be proud of how far I’ve come, which inspires me to work harder toward success.
I remember at one point fearing rejection in music because of my weight. But now I love and appreciate being plus-sized. Many plus-sized women are achieving success in numerous roles. If anything, the music industry needs more examples of plus-sized performers and entertainers. I’d be more than happy being one of the examples I needed to see as a little girl.
Turmoil and constant struggles impacted my mental health, causing me to almost give up. Coming to Texas, and getting centered on what matters most, helped a lot. I remember struggling with feeling like it was too late for me at 15 to have a singing career because I would see that the greatest artists started at a very young age. This made me feel like my dreams were impossible. But the person I am now would never think that or limit myself to that. I know that whatever I want is possible. Regardless of whether you start at age 5, 15, 20, or even 50; you don’t want to leave this world with the gifts you have to offer still inside you.
Some of my biggest roadblocks have been believing in myself, perfectionism, and struggling with confidence. I’ve also had my fair share of dealing with imposter syndrome. It is hard going against the grain and trying to believe in your dreams knowing that people don’t think you are good enough. That’s affected me as a singer and a creative, because now I’m my own harshest critic. I’m extremely critical of my work – everything has to be perfect. It worked out somewhat to my benefit because it made me an extremely critical listener. Thanks to my training with Stevie Mackey and my courses in college, I hear every little detail and know if something should have sounded differently.
Perfectionism has its drawbacks though and has been one of my biggest pitfalls. I delayed branding myself as a singer on social media. I’m at a point in my life where I’m still a super perfectionist, but I’ve learned to find a balance and value in what I have to offer the world right now. I’m not afraid to look silly anymore. I refuse to sit quietly on the sidelines and wait until I’m fully developed to feel like I’m ready because I may never feel ready. Others with half the experience are thriving and profiting, so why wait; I decided to believe in myself and trust my calling.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a singer specializing in jazz, R&B, and Pop. As I mentioned before, I’m also a plus-sized model with Extended Plus Network Agency; I like to call myself the Curvy girl. I’m in the process of establishing my brand as an artist.
What I’m most proud of, and what I believe sets me apart from others, is my versatility as a singer and that I’m a multifaceted artist/creative. A lot of my skills have been self-taught, which was needed since I’m doing almost everything by myself. I have learned to do my own recordings and vocal productions. Thanks to my previous career with ZARA Inc, it afforded me solid styling skills allowing me to become my own stylist specializing in minimalistic luxe fashion. I also style hair and do my own makeup which I’ve gotten my certification for. And finally, I’ve learned how to do my own filming and editing, allowing me to fully express myself in creative directing.
What’s next?
I’m in the process of rebranding and getting cover videos together. I’m currently working with a photographer and preparing my first roll out of professional branded content. Beginning in the first week of July, I’m doing bookings with venues in the area of Austin. I’ll also be stepping into the jazz scene in Austin as well.
I’m looking forward to creating a name for myself in the music and fashion industry. I’m working toward signing with a label. Work continues with establishing and promoting by brand and I’m super excited to finally share my voice and content with the world!
How can interested parties contact you for material, interviews, or bookings?
My main working email is tiffs.mgmt@gmail.com I handle all communications through that address. I encourage everyone to follow my social media channels for new material, music, updates, and information. They are listed below:
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiff.dlgn/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tiff.dlgn/
- TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/tiff.dlgn
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/tiff_dlgn
- YouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCNBukGoNHxqCmrOPRJDKOpg
