On September 13 Chinese American singer-songwriter Tiffany Day dropped her debut full-length album, LOVER TOFU FRUIT. The Los Angeles-based musician has been making waves in the music scene for longer than you expected. From posting YouTube covers to headlining her self-produced North American tour, Tiffany’s journey as an independent artist has been a rollercoaster ride. With the release of her new album, Tiffany also announced her “Lover Tofu Fruit” tour, set to take place in 10 North American cities. In celebration of her first full-album debut and tour, here are seven things to know about the artist.
Starting “From The Wishing Well”
Music has always been ingrained in Tiffany’s life. She grew up learning piano and violin and taught herself to sing by imitating Miley Cyrus on Hannah Montana and Vannessa Hudgens on High School Musical. In 2017, her first big break came unexpectedly when a video of her singing Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” into a well during a school trip in Italy went viral on X (formerly Twitter). With encouragement from her mother to ride this momentum of attention, she started a YouTube channel, where her covers quickly gained traction. Today, she has more than 900,000 subscribers and counting.
Not Like the Others
Born in Toronto, Canada, Tiffany moved with her family to Wichita, Kansas, as an infant. The youngest of three, she grew up alongside her two brothers and immigrant parents. Growing up in the predominantly white Wichita, Tiffany never felt she truly belonged there. In her own words, she felt like she was “between two worlds,” neither fully accepted by the white kids nor the mainland Chinese students in the foreign exchange program.
In an interview with bsidestv, Tiffany opened up about the impact of growing up surrounded by Western beauty standards, which deeply affected her self-esteem. It wasn’t until her senior year of high school, at the age of eighteen, that she finally began to feel confident in her own body and embrace herself fully. “The one thing that helped me step toward really accepting and loving myself was that I started to see things online of other Asians being celebrated,” she said in the interview. In a way, Tiffany now feels fulfilled by the culturally diverse fanbase she has built. She sees it as an opportunity to support the Asian representation she rarely saw while growing up. It’s a role she fully embraces, knowing firsthand how powerful it is to see someone who looks like you succeed and thrive in this industry.
Living the Double Life
Breaking away from Wichita, Kansas, in 2021, Tiffany made the move to the City of Angels — Los Angeles — to chase her dreams. But there was one condition set by her parents: she could move to LA only if she agreed to attend university. She chose Loyola Marymount University, where she donned a double life. Tiffany became a communications studies student by day and musician by night, living her own modern-day Hannah Montana story. During her time as an undergraduate, Tiffany released four EPs, each featuring five tracks that reflect her experiences during college. These twenty songs capture a range of emotions, from homesickness and toxic, codependent relationships to the challenges of growing up. In order, the EPs are THE RECOVERY PROJECT, THE DEPENDENCY PROJECT, THE RENEWAL PROJECT, and THE GRATITUDE PROJECT.
Bedroom Pop Genius
Tiffany’s extensive discography can be categorized as “bed-room pop”, a lo-fi type of music genre that has unconventional production but still manages to produce a high-quality sound. And just like Tiffany herself, her style is rapidly evolving. In comparison to her earlier release, Tiffany began to introduce EDM and hyperpop elements in her newer releases. She cites Porter Robinson as one of her musical influences.
Self-Funded & Self-Produced–Her First Tour
Tiffany Day is a completely independent artist, not signed to any agency or management, which she fiercely reps. Rather than doing music for the money, Tiffany prioritizes her craft and art, choosing personally not to sign with any labels that might put her creative control at risk. Similarly, her first North American tour, the “GRATITUDE TOUR,” was almost fully self-produced and self-funded. The 2023 tour spanned 17 cities in the United States and two in Canada, beginning in San Diego and concluding with a sold-out show in Los Angeles. From booking venues to coordinating merch, she handled everything herself with a small crew and her backing band — even taking turns driving her tour van. Documenting this experience, Tiffany released a 37-minute YouTube documentary showcasing precious moments of her tour.
“I think I’m probably around 10,000 dollars in credit card debt right now, but if I’m going to do this tour, I’m gonna do it right,” she spoke in the documentary.
Staying in Bloom
On April 28, Tiffany electrified the stage at Dabin’s first-ever Stay in Bloom Festival, held at the Frost Amphitheatre. With her vibrant energy and magnetic presence, she brought the inaugural festival to life, delivering a stunning performance that had the crowd chanting along with her. Bouncing around on stage with fluffy black boots, Tiffany showcased some of her hottest tracks, including the infectious electro-pop anthem, “HELLA BOY CRAZY,” and the heartfelt “SHOULD I BE OKAY?” True to her signature style, she also brought out her keyboard, treating the audience of the festival’s second day to a beautiful rendition of new songs from her latest album.
TikToking Her Life
Like most Gen Z artists Tiffany is active on TikTok, showing another intimate side of her to her fans. From her daily skincare to day-in-the-life videos, she isn’t afraid to share her authentic self with her fans along with plugging her new music. In a playful promo for her track “SIMON SAID,” she embarks on a hilariously unhinged quest: cramming as many grapes as possible into her mouth before the chorus hits. Spoiler alert, she tops out at 16 grapes. Another Tiktok gem of hers features a mishap that happened while she was on her last tour. One of her beloved stuffed animals, an axolotl named Ding, was abducted from the stage. Fortunately, he was able to reunite with his mother, who joyfully shouted about his return as the crowd erupted in celebratory cheers alongside her. The wholesome moment soon turned into one of her most viral videos, racking up a whopping 4.9 million views.
@tiffdidwhat JUSTICE FOR DING!!!!!!
♬ original sound – tiffany day
Don’t miss your chance to catch her live by getting tickets for her upcoming Lover Tofu Fruit tour here. Get ready for the experience by diving into her debut album, LOVER TOFU FRUIT!
Stay connected with Tiffany all year long by following her on X, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok!
Looking for more rising stars? Check out our artist spotlight on Iranian singer-songwriter, Sanaz, here!
