Just in time for the holidays, Tiffany Houghton has the ultimate Christmas song to get you in the spirit during the most wonderful time of the year! "Blame It On the Snow" boasts love, fun, Christmas and a bunch of DIY wardrobe items that the blonde beauty created with the help of Pinterest.
With everyone making up and breaking up all year round, the holiday season is the one time of year that you just want someone to hold close and look at the Christmas lights with. Thanks to Tiffany Houghton we have the perfect song that finally put those feelings into words. Speaking with the 21-year-old artist not only did we learn about her speedy recording skills but we also chatted about her catchy tune "Blame It on the Snow," her favorite time of the year, fashion and more.
Fashion & Style: So it's the holidays and people typically either break up or cuddle up around this time of year. Everyone wants a buddy. We don't know why this happens but it just does and you managed to put it into words with "Blame It on the Snow." Most people tend to focus on the Christmas tree, mistletoe, scenery, etc. but you managed to turn this into a love song. What inspired you to write this type of holiday song?
Tiffany Houghton: Honestly, I have recently fallen in love with New York City. I have been there many many times before. I was walking around the city and it was just around the time they started to put up the Christmas lights and prep the Christmas decorations and I looked around. I'm kind of a person who gets cold all the time and I was like "Oh my gosh! I just want somebody during this season to cuddle with and just look at the lights with and to go and experience all these magical things with during the holiday season." So I was sitting out on the bench and writing and I felt so inspired by the city and the pace of it all and watching the lights go up and I was like "I just want somebody to be with for Christmas!" So I had this idea and I ended up flying my producer into the city and we ended up making the song and I'm really excited, I love it! It's a representation of my feelings towards the holiday
F&S: You managed to record this song in twelve hours. Tell me about the writing process when it came to composing "Blame It On the Snow."
TH: I love 1970s' Christmas music and I say that my favorite part about the Christmas season is the soundtrack. I grew up listening to a lot of 1970s' Christmas music and I wanted to have the sound of "This Christmas," Donny Hathaway, "Someday At Christmas" Stevie Wonder. I love The Jackson 5's whole Christmas album, I really like the vocals, the falling in love of the Christmas song and I really wanted to implement these things and put them into my Christmas song. So I think that my song has the elements of pop, a little bit of the South and a touch of R&B. I mean I LOVE "All I Want For Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey. This video was very inspired by her music video.
F&S: I saw your video and you were wearing some pretty chic clothing, I couldn't take my eyes off the white tutu. I loved it!
TH: It's funny because immediately I went on Pinterest to find inspiration for what I wanted this video to turn out like. I was kind of too young to get into "Sex and the City" and I haven't really watched it but I just kept seeing so many pictures of Carrie. I love her whole tulle skirt and when I went shopping to buy the skirt it didn't fit me. I'm like 5 feet tall and they were all too long so I ended up going to a dance store and finding an actual tutu. It was cool to put it all together but definitely very Pinterest inspired.
F&S: I also loved the huge flower clip that you wore in the video.
TH: That's a funny story! It all started with these amazing red shoes I saw on Pinterest that came with giant red bows around the ankles. I searched and searched for them, but could never find any in my size, so my assistant and I took matters into our own hands. I found a great tutorial online and we bought some black velvet ribbon and tied them up ourselves! We got a little crazy and went for a color block type of thing and I absolutely love the way it turned out; red heels, black bows!
Back to the flower...at the fabric store, we came across this red and black flower that was supposed to be used for maybe a wreath or arrangement, but it tied my outfit together so perfectly so we added a clip ourselves and voila! I think the key to creating a unique look is taking a few moments to add a personal touch!
F&S: What are some of your favorite accessories?
TH: In winter, just add some sparkle, fur and bows to anything and I'll be wearing it. Colors are darker and you're all covered up, so it's all about the trimmings. I love gloves! I found these really cute black gloves with white bows that I wore in the music video and I've gotten so many compliments on a black fur bag that I picked up at Top Shop. I'm pretty sure my manager wants to steal it from me. Haha!
F&S: What are some of your favorite items in your winter wardrobe?
TH: I love sweaters! Since I have a smaller frame, I love sweaters that are fitted and not overly baggy. I usually get them from ModCloth and Tatyana. Those brands have a retro vibe and make pieces that both reflect my style and my figure perfectly. Also, I never thought I could pull these off, but I took a chance and tried one on and now I'm such a fan of the cloche hat. Very 1920s flapper girl!
F&S: Do you have any timeless pieces in your wardrobe that you can see yourself wearing years from now?
TH: I absolutely love the vintage dresses that I've worn in both my music videos for "High" and for "Love Like That" and I keep those in a special little place in my closet and I could probably see myself still wearing them ten years from now.
F&S: I know you love the holiday season but what is your absolute favorite holiday? Why?
TH: Definitely Christmas! I love Christmas. My mom is an interior decorator and I think that's part of the reason why I get so excited about creating visuals in my music videos. She always made a point to decorate during Christmas time and we always had Christmas music on during the Christmas season. Now that I'm older I realize, not everyone does that. If I don't put a Christmas tree up, I'm not going to have a Christmas tree at my apartment. I grew up in that atmosphere where there was always Christmas music and Christmas lights up and it wasn't something that my mom took lightly
F&S: What is next for you? What should fans look out for?
TH: Well, I'm in the city a lot. I have a couple of songs that I'm really really excited about and that I'm going to be putting out, probably in the near future, in 2015. And I'm excited about the visuals and the concepts for the videos for those songs. So I'm excited to continue to unfold my story and continue to grow, develop and to continue to put out music for my fans and tell my story.