Tiffany Houghton On Single “Hello, Sailor,” Why She Dresses Like A Mod [VIDEO EXCLUSIVE]

Tiffany Houghton, the rising singer-songwriter from Dallas, Texas, was Inspired by Kristen Chenoweth to get into music. Now, she’s working on a new album. Houghton stopped by the uInterview offices to play her holiday single, “Hello, Sailor” and to talk about her upcoming tracks.

TIFFANY HOUGHTON [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO]

Houghton’s cheery holiday song, “Hello, Sailor” pulls inspiration from the joy of a significant other coming home from war. With cute references to anchor tattoos and the always-classic mistletoe, the singer revealed that the story behind the lyrics hits close to home. “I have a great grandfather that served in The War, World War Two,” she revealed. “I called my grandparents and talked to [him] about what it was like for his mom and he told me this adorable story. Of course, I kind of made it a love story.” Houghton ultimately wanted to express the happiness and the surprise her great grandparents felt. “When he got there [home], the door just swung open and they weren’t even expecting him to be there but he had come home.”

Much of Houghton’s music finds its roots in storytelling, especially in the thoughts she journals everyday. “I write in my journal every morning…and I would say I start with my journal and then I sit down at the piano,” she said. Often, the singer also finds inspiration through collaborators. “I just started working with this amazing female duo production team, and it’s cool because I know what I want the song to be about but then they start making the tracks,” she said. “They then put together this awesome track and then I’ll put my lyrics to it.”

“Hello, Sailor” is not Houghton’s first foray into nostalgia. In fact, she frequently adopts Mod fashion, a popular subculture style popularized in 1960’s London. “I came across this diary of a Mod Girl from like the Sixties,” she said. “Mod became this cultural revolution of this clean-cut, optimistic wave that came over through Swinging London….she said we stuck out because we were the optimistic kids.” It’s this optimism that Houghton incorporates into her music. Her musical inspirations  include songwriters like Shania Twain, Sara Bareilles and Vanessa Carlton. “I just really love and authentic story…I relate to women.”