“This project represents so much growth for me, in so many ways.” — Tiffany Woys’ I’m Your Woman EP
Grew up in Sacramento, California. Influences included LeAnn Rimes, Faith Hill, Celine Dion, Michael Jackson, and Carrie Underwood. Recording an independent album at 20. Touring the West Coast then off to follow your dreams in Nashville. What was the most surprising thing to learn about Music City once you moved there?
A surprising thing about Nashville in general was how much I didn’t feel homesick and how it felt like home the moment I got there. However, the most surprising thing about Nashville and the music industry was how little you actually perform. Other than various writer’s rounds you don’t perform nearly as often as you may think. I performed every weekend when I lived in California and it’s quite opposite here.
Launched your What’s Mine is Yours podcast, featuring some of Nashville’s top songwriters, in 2022. The podcast name was inspired by how hearing a song can elicit the feeling that the artist was telling your story.
You shared that Rascal Flatts’ “Come Wake Me Up” takes you back to exactly where you were in your life when you first heard it and how it continues to bring out those same emotions every time you hear it. Can you share a fan story of how one of your songs does the same for them?
I have had a lot of people speak to me as of recent with my song “Took Back.” This song is my most vulnerable about a devastating heartbreak of mine. I have had multiple people, men and women, reach out about their broken engagement. I wanted this song to explain that calling off something so monumental with little to no warning leaves the other person questioning everything. I wanted this song to express that it’s far more than a ring they took back. It’s an entire future that was already visualized. This is what I believe is resonating for other people.
Each podcast — “I ask every guest the same thing at the end of our conversation: “What do you still want to accomplish? What do you want to be remembered for?” How would you answer those questions for yourself right now?
Wow! I’ve never been asked these questions. I think it’s because I feel like I haven’t “made it” so I almost feel like I don’t deserve to be asked these yet. However, I have so much I want to accomplish not just professionally but personally. I would love to have an Opry debut. I would love to go on a tour. Personally, I want to start a family and start that next chapter of my life.
You’ve partnered with Good Scentiments to create a Vanilla & Musk scented I’m Your Woman candle. Part of the proceeds benefit the March of Dimes and their mission of improving the health of moms and babies. The scent helps set the mood, whether you’re cooking dinner or just hanging at home, with that special someone. How did you choose the scents for the candle?
I love all things vanilla. It’s such a warm and inviting scent. I chose musk as well because I love scents like colognes and manly scents. If I could, I would wear cologne and not perfume. The two put together create such a delicious smell that I could have around all day.
Debuting as a songwriter on your new EP, I’m Your Woman. The title track is your first songwriter cut. “This song is special. It’s one of the first songs we wrote for this project. It all started with a picture. A photo of my dad reading me a Disney storybook. Instilling me to believe in fairytales. They exist. Maybe not exactly as the stories go but believing in true love is half the battle. If you believe anything is possible. I know what I bring to the table as a partner and if that’s what you’re looking for, ‘I’m your woman.’ That goes for every relationship. Own what you bring and be confident. The right person is out there looking for exactly what you offer. If someone passes on you, that’s OKAY! They weren’t meant for you. They are out there. Just have to believe.” What is your favorite lyric from the song and why?
The very beginning of the song actually. “I’m not a girl anymore but I still believe in a little bit of magic and storybook dreams.” Even though I’m grown I will always believe in all things magical, impossible and true love. Some say I may be naive, but I think magic exists; it just may be different than what movies and books tell you it is. I believe true love is magic. I believe you can live your fairytale.
“Took Back,” co-written with Tammi Kidd Hutton and Cameron Newby, is your second songwriter cut. “I wanted him to know that it wasn’t just the ring he took back, it was all the promises. It’s all the time. It’s all the love. If anything, the ring is the smallest part of it, but the ring symbolizes so much more. When you wear that wedding ring, it’s not about showing off a diamond. It’s about showing a commitment and showing there’s a future.” You said you were continuously filling his cup up and forgetting that you needed to refill your own. How do you make sure to maintain balance in your life now?
I wish I had a good answer for this. When I love, I love hard. However, I have learned that communication is key and when I’m feeling empty, I speak up. I vocalize what I’m okay and not okay with more now. I vocalize my boundaries and my standards. I still give and love on the people in my life but not at the sacrifice of losing myself in the process. I am still finding myself, however. It’s a work in progress. But aren’t we all?
“Rarely has personal loss felt so universal. … Music is very cathartic.” There are two songs on the EP that you didn’t co-write, “The Only One I’ve Got” — written by Hannah Ellis, Riley Roth, and Cameron Jaymes and “You And Country Music” — written by Josh Jenkins and Sarah Turner. How do these songs also tell your very personal story?
I will always advocate having songs on your album that were written by others because it’s how we continually share the work of the backbone of Music City. The songwriters. Not all songwriters are artists. Not all want to be center stage. Their stories still have to be told. I will always be a vehicle for that. These two songs stuck out to me.
“The Only One I’ve Got” was me! It’s the girl who gives her heart away but with a warning. Asking someone to be careful because you can’t replace the heart. I have plenty of material items that, if lost or broken, I can replace but my heart isn’t one of them. All I ask is you handle it like if it were your own.
“You And Country Music” was just fun! Also, I loved how it paid homage to older country music while telling a sassy story-that of girl who is onto a guy’s games and won’t take it anymore.
What’s ahead?
Oh my. Well hopefully a lot more performing since now I can perform at writer’s rounds. Now with writing my own music, I can participate in so much more. Secondly, I am so excited to pursue the podcast on a bigger scale. We have so much coming, and the show is evolving. I’m so proud of where we are taking it. I look forward to any more opportunities that I am unaware of yet and can’t wait for more people to hear my music!
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