 And welcome to this episode of the Hawaii smooth jazz connection. My name is Gwendolyn Harris. My guest today is an international jazz vocalist and songwriter who was born and raised in the Philippines and discovered her musical gift and the joy of entertaining at a young age. After completing her bachelor's degree in Manila, she went on to chase her dream to perform in Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Guam. Now, this amazing vocalist lives here in the United States and has performed with some of the best in smooth jazz music. Her current tune, the remake of the group Players' tune, Baby Come Back, which features five-time Grammy Award-winning guitarist Nils, is climbing the chart. I am happy to have her here today on the show. Let's welcome Ms. Heidi Tiff to the show. Aloha Heidi, how are you? Hi to everybody. Hi, nice to finally meet you and all the listeners. Yes. You know, I always see you on Facebook. That's how we met on Facebook. That's how I meet a lot of artists on Facebook and just by going to concerts. But we're going to get this, this, this train rolling, this smooth jazz train rolling, like I like to say. And you started music at a young age. How or what inspired you to get into the music industry? No, that's just way, way back when I was five years old. That was actually, I grew up in my grandma's house and my aunt were playing piano. We have piano lessons every day. When I grew up in a musical family, my mom sings. My uncle is one of the kind of famous piano player in the Philippines. And I listened to a lot of old classic jazz music when I was five, six years, six years old. And then I find myself listening to a practice in attras, Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson, and Sergio Mendez, Natalie Cole. You name it, we have all kinds of music and find myself singing like more into the jazz side instead of like pop and no, I don't really like pop when I was young. I was like doing stylistics, Natalie Cole, Barbara Streisand. I mean, yeah, name it all jazz, like, yeah, Nancy Wilson and Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald. Oh, that's nice. I grew up listening to Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, my mother. We go to concerts for Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan. So I know exactly, you know, what you were, what you're talking about. Now, you, you got your degree in Manila. What was your major? I was, I did the bachelor's of science in business administration and I major finance and marketing in the Philippines. So, yeah, so I couldn't, I couldn't really get to singing seriously, because my mom said, Well, you can do whatever you want as long as you finish your school. I finished my school while I'm, you know, kind of singing on the side when I was in college when I was in the university that time. So you're a hardworking woman. You did a great, you did a great major. I'm majoring right now in business music. For my second bachelor, so. That's amazing. I'm so envious. Yeah, I wanted to take up communication arts and music and piano, but my mom said, No, there's no money in music. You can't put the food in the table with music. So I have to take the business course. So, you know, I mean, I don't want to be a nurse. So I can't handle. I'm pretty sure the business aspect helps you with your career that you can do your own stuff, do your own business. Yeah, I mean, I, I know it helps that you have the business savvy because now not only that you have the artistic side, but you also have the business side. So you know the best, the best of both, both worlds right. Right. You have toured and performed all over Asia. Are there any differences between, I guess, touring and performing overseas versus touring and performing here in the United States? It's not really different because what I see is it's different people that you're seeing because in Asia, because I sing in hotels and clubs. So most of the people, it's a tourist spot. So you're going to be, you're going to be meeting a lot of ethnicity like people staying from Europe from other countries and they're the one going to hotels and watch you, or either you meet locals or probably it's just a mix of both. I feel like there's really not a lot of difference, but it's just more relaxing because it's a nightly gig. So you sing like standard songs, chill, or you sing party songs depends of where am I actually booked in a club or it's like a jazz place. So it just changes the ambiance depending on what music you're playing and what type of band, you know, what type of genre you're playing. I feel like it's just more relaxed. I mean, it depends on the audience. They don't want you to sing loud music. But if you're going to be a performing club, you're going to be doing like party songs. So it just varies. I can't say that it's just, it's just different depending on the venue that you're performing. Right. Sure. Yeah. Now, you playing the piano, you said you were taking piano lessons, correct? Growing up? Not really taking piano, but it's just I self-learned it. Yeah, I didn't learn it at school, but I kind of know how to read a little bit of notes, but I read, I can be charts, a little bit of chords, but it's just important for you to be able to to know music because so you can hear yourself, right? Right. Exactly your key. When you have problems with key with the band, this is my key. That's not my key. I'm like A-flat and G. So it's kind of give you like more respect. Oh, she knows her key. She knows what she's doing. You can pull this lady because one time I had an experience like, I don't think that's my key. I think it's just a little higher. And no, no, no, it's not F, it's G. I know, I know, I don't, I know my key. So I can't argue with you. You are an amazing vocalist, but there is a lot of vocalists out there. I always, I asked this of every artist that I interviewed. What sets you apart from the other vocalists out there on the scene? I don't think that it's just what sets. I think I'm just being authentic. I mean, being an artist is not even, you're not trying to compete with other artists, you're just being yourself. And by being yourself, then you get people to be drawn into you because you're trying to be yourself. You're expressing yourself. I think authenticity is the key to being a good artist and being able to feel the song that you're trying to deliver the message. It's like singing is communicating with people. So if you know how to communicate through singing, then you're effective, right? Yes. Yes, I agree with that. You're a music major, so you know. Now, you sung and you still sing, you probably don't like it, but you sing pop, R&B, Latin jazz, right? What was it, bossa? Was it bossa nova? Bossa nova, yeah. You sing regular jazz. What is your favorite genre, and I think I know what you're going to say, but what is your favorite genre to sing? I think it's really jazz and R&B and soul for the more, because it actually suits my voice. And I'm kind of relate to the song too. I mean, I can sing pop anytime in a heartbeat. And my favorite are the R&B, jazz and soul. I mean, I'm a little bit of like a Nancy Wilson, Anita Baker, Tony Braxton, so Vanessa Williams, so you can mix them all, and that's going to be Patty Austin. And I grew up listening to Patty Austin too in the Philippines, so she's one of my idols. So because she can sing, if you know Patty Austin, she can sing jazz, pop, R&B and soul, right? Yes. So that's her. Yes. Yes. You have already collaborated with some of the best artists, right? Who would be your dream collaboration? There's just tons of them. I mean, I don't want to name so many names, because there might come back to me tomorrow, Heidi, why did you just say, you did not mention my name. I always say that you put it into existence. You never know. I have a lot, but I would love to do a do it with Bruno Mars one day because he's also, you know. That would be an interesting combination. I would love to see that too. Yeah, because he's also Filipino. His mother is Filipino, so it's like mix just like me. I'm like Spanish. I'm actually a mix of Spanish, Chinese and Filipino, so the same, same, same mix. Okay. All right. Now I want you to tell us about the awesome collaboration that you did with Nils, which is the remake of the song, Baby Come Back To Me. Now if you, or Baby Come, Baby Come Back. If you have not heard it to my viewers, you need to go ahead on YouTube and listen to it. I absolutely love it. The combination of Heidi's voice and Nils, the guitarist. Amazing. Amazing. How did that collaboration come about, Heidi? Well, you know, the Baby Come Back, there was a backstory on that song. That song was actually arranged by Bobby Gomez from the Philippines, and it was supposed to be planning to do that for parties. Like, you know, I want to make, you know, customize my tracks to sing for parties. I want to do Baby Come Back. Can we do that for parties? Can you just make me a minus one, a track? And then after he made it, he said, Heidi, why don't you release it? I mean, this is nice. I mean, well, I'll think about it. I mean, and it's sad. So it was, I had it since 2021. Can you believe that? I never released it. And then he was nagging me. Well, you need to release it. It's 2023 now, Heidi. And I met Nils last year. We met on a show in Vegas. And then after that, we became friends and I invited him to do, to join my show last year at the PCH Club in Long Beach, California. And then I told him, Nils, I have a song, you know, Baby Come Back, you know, you know that by player. And do you want to be a part of it like a guest, like a guest guitar player? And he said, I will listen to it Heidi first and I'll see if you know if I like the vibe. You know, because I don't really do a lot of vocals, but if I like it, I'll let you know. And then I sent it to him. He was on tour at the time. I'll give you a couple of days and I'll let you know. And then after a few days, he said, oh my gosh, I did love the song. I would love to be a part of the song. I got so excited. And I got Pete Tokar. Pete Tokar's sound engineer. He's a Grammy sound engineer. He has worked for R. Kelly. I need a bigger, all those big artists. And I asked him to mix the song. So imagine I have two Grammy people working. Yes. Yeah, it's just a marriage in heaven. It's an amazing song. I absolutely love it. I think it was a couple of weeks ago. I just had it like a replay. Oh, I had that on replay. And Nils will actually be here in Hawaii next month. Oh, he is. Yeah, so he should come back. Yeah, tell him. I mean, we might do a show in Atlanta. I mean, we're planning something and I'm also coordinating with people in UK to do probably a show in UK, if not this year, next year, because my fans, if you know, have a lot of fans in Europe as well. Yeah. My song is in the UK Soul Charts and it's been on Smooth Jazz Charts. This is the first time that my song has crossed over in pop, soul and R&B and Smooth Jazz. And it's just amazing. I never realized that I'm just, you know, taking that song for granted since 2021, right? And it's still climbing. Have the original people of the Greek player, have they contacted you or anything? No, they haven't. They might be. You'll never know. I have a vinyl of that. I had a vinyl copy of that song from the player, but yeah, but they're probably happy because I'm kind of reviving the song that, you know, that was a billboard, number one billboard chart on the billboard charts, 1978, right? Yes. Yes. And I still remember that, telling my age. But anyway, I researched it. I didn't even know when I had the song made. I never even knew that it was on billboard charts. Heidi, did you know that Baby Come Back? I had no idea. I just loved the song. I mean, I just wanted, because, you know, Lisa Stanswell did her own version, but mine is like Smooth Jazz and Soul. So, I mean, and people said, I mean, I think we like this version even compared to original. Are you serious? I like it. I really like it. I really like it. You're in your bio that you have a daughter. And a reason why I'm bringing this up because the music industry is already a hard industry, you know, to get into, but you have a daughter and you raised her as a single parent while in the industry. I want you to, and I know that had to be some challenges with that. I already know. I want you to just give us a, you know, how was that for you? Oh, it was tough because you're going to have to leave feed your child with just music. It's not easy. And I was just a full-time musician that time in the Philippines. And of course, I do a lot of business on the side. I had the salon that we own in the Philippines at the same time. I'm traveling and I'm singing on the side. It wasn't so hard because I have a lot of gig that time. And I also travel like maybe a week to go to Hong Kong for a function. And then I would sing for like a month and come back to, but I just can't travel so much. I mean, I can only travel for like two months or one month or just a few weeks to sing, but I was able to manage it until I moved to United States and I brought her with me. Yeah. Now, is she in the music industry at all? Is she like music? Now she's doing DJ and she's singing. She's just started to go back to music because she actually went to University of Southern California and she became a summa cum laude for journalism and mass communication arts. So I was really proud of my daughter and I thought, and then suddenly now she's kind of doing it for fun, like doing DJ. And singing on the side, you know, and I'm trying to just mentor her if you want to do singing because it's something that, you know, she stopped it. She plays guitar, but now she likes, I think it's me because she's singing, she's singing that I'm going back to music and now it's even recording, not even just performing, but releasing songs, original songs. And performing for, and then my song is getting a scream by a lot of people. I mean, internationally it was played on a lot of countries right now. Right. Well, that's awesome. That's awesome. Now, would you be able to give us just a little bit of sampling, you know, just a little something, something, you know, for the viewer? Sure. I mean, by the way, my first album was produced by Rex Salas. If you know, Right Stop by Vanessa Williams. Yes. Yeah, he was the one to produce my first album. Here is where we meet. That's Rex. So he brought me to the recording industry. That guy is the one who did, if you heard my song missing you. Yeah, that was my first album. It was Rex Salas. I just want to give credit to him. So he was wanting to help me, you know, get jumping to the recording industry. So what song do you want me to sing? Whatever you want to sing. Because that's a famous one right now. Whatever you want to sing. I can sing a few lines of the song. I mean, okay, so maybe like 10, 12 seconds, right? Yeah. Okay, so I'm spending all my nights, all my money going out of the town, doing anything just to get you off of my mind. When the morning comes, I'm right back where I started again, trying to forget you. It's just so waste of time. Maybe come back. Okay, that was just perfect. So now you have to go listen to the album. That was just a little bit for you viewers to go ahead and listen to that album and all of our music, all of it. Now, what do you have? Well, before I ask you this question, what advice would you give a new artist coming into the English? Oh, it's going to be, you have to prepare yourself to take your sleeves off and work. I mean, music does not come in silver platter. So you have to learn how to collaborate with musicians. You have to know how to network. You have to prepare yourself for branding. You need your own website. You need your press kit. There's a lot of marketing and publishing and networking and being able to connect with a lot of people, your networking skills and your outsourcing resourceful ability will take you in a lot of place. So it helps to be really a people person. I mean, if you're a people person, you have no problem talking to people, you have no problem getting rejected. Okay, you know, move on, you know, it's not for me. I mean, it's just, it's like sales. I mean, music is in sales are kind of connected. Because it's just being able to bring your product, your brand to people, right. It's the same aspect, process. You can't just sing it because you can't mark it, but you don't have the voice for it, right. Now, what, what new projects. Do you have coming up with any, and what shows should we be marking on our calendar. We're trying to work on some, yeah, we're trying to work on a show in San Diego and probably local in, I'm talking to my booking agent and I might do an LA show too and I'm talking to another agent in DC. So I might perform in DC this year. So yeah, pretty much and then I might just go to Europe this year I don't know because I'm meeting one of my record producer in in Italy and Netherlands. So, because I might release another, I mean, another song, I can't tell you it's surprised, but I'm going to keep this in the wind. Yeah, so there's more to come. I mean, Heidi Thanh ain't giving up music. I guess I can't leave the music industry because he just keeps going and going right now. It's new right. It just won't stop I thought after the first album that that'll be it and I don't even know a single radio can play my song before I won't even eat my lunch anymore. I remember like some station played my song and I can't even eat. Don't talk to me. They're going to play my song. I can't eat I'm so excited. Those days. You know, people go to find your music to check out your schedule and if they just want to find out more about you, I tell you. Yeah, people can subscribe to my website that Heidi Thanh music.com and pretty much. If you want to Google me, you can Google Heidi Thanh music and you can find everything on my website and I try to update my website as much as I can but they can Instagram at Heidi Thanh music and Heidi Thanh official. So on Instagram they can they can actually see what's going on with my with my activity if I'm doing shows and if I'm recording. And by the way, I'm releasing another remix of Baby Come Back. It's coming by July, Fourth of July, the remix of the club mix of Baby Come Back is coming. Oh, not the club mix. Yeah, it's a club remix coming. Oh, wow. Yeah. Okay, well, you know, unfortunately Heidi our time has come to an end and I told you this was going to be so quick. So that means that eventually I'm going to have to bring it back. Well, I have some shirt for you when I in in Hawaii when I see you. It's a Heidi Thanh Heidi Thanh shirt. Oh, so people can buy a shirt on your website. Yeah, we can buy a shirt on my website. And then in the vanity magazine, which I was speaker this a cover, I'll bring it I'm bringing it to you so you can, you know, assign it it's my gift to you. Oh, thank you miss Heidi I really appreciate you. So my viewers first of all Heidi thank you so much for for being on my show I really do appreciate it. I wanted to viewers to learn more about you. We're going to bring you back for a part two. Okay. So I'm sure this is going on, you know, with Heidi Thanh. But I will see you this week. Thank you. I'm excited to see you. Yes. Yes. And I see you guys in Hawaii. Yes, you will. To my viewers. Thank you so much for tuning in. Until next time. Aloha. And God bless. Thank you so much for watching think tech Hawaii. If you like what we do, please click the like and subscribe button on YouTube. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Check out our website think tech Hawaii.com. Mahalo.