People Exclusive: Tiffany Releases Her First Original Christmas Music
It's been more than 30 years since 80's pop star Tiffany rose to fame with a string of pop hits that catapulted her to the top of the charts.
Tiffany -- full name Tiffany Darwish -- was just 16 in 1987 when she scored back-to-back No. 1 singles: "I Think We're Alone Now" and "Could've Been." Her self-titled debut album also topped the charts, selling more than five million copies.
Now 49, Tiffany is still making music -- and released her first original holiday music on Friday. She co-wrote and recorded the original song, "Angels," in her home studio in Nashville. The song was co-written by songwriters Margie Hauser and Mark Alberici.
According to Tiffany, the song is a "reflective, sentimental, yet optimistic look at the feelings of loneliness and isolation during these current hard times." She tells PEOPLE it highlights "the nostalgic feeling that Christmas brings and the joys of seeing family and loved ones during the holiday season."
"The song is about hope and missing family," she says. "In my more than 30-year career, I’ve never recorded an original Christmas song, but it just felt right. It's raw and real and that's what makes it special to me."
For Tiffany, 2020 will be a low-key Christmas. "Right now it’s just me and my boyfriend," she says. "We've got no other plans other than zooming with family cooking a big meal, even just for the two of us."
The singer continues: "Usually on Christmas Eve I cook tamales because my son is part Mexican and I was raised in a Latin community, and we open one present. Then on Christmas morning, I drink hot chocolate while listening to Christmas carols and after I cook a big meal."
Tiffany, who used to own a Nashville-area boutique, says that she's a good gift giver but she likes to be whimsical about holiday presents. "I have a lifetime friend that hates fish so I have this running gag where I gift him fish every year, from fish lamps and fish dishes," she says. "And my mom had a fetish giving me fridge magnets and she individually wrapped them. I miss them now that’s she’s gone."
"Angels" is available on multiple platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon Music.