spent four years working with Deb-
bie...togetdiscarded as a teen act.”
Tiffany (full name Tiffany Renee
Darwish) had been singing in pub-
lic since she was nine years old. In
1987, she recorded her first album,
which initially was not successful. Tif-
fany’s manager, George Tobin, re-
counted that he was told by industry
executives that “teen stars went out
with Donny and Marie [Osmond].”
Tobin and the record label eventu-
ally hit on the idea of a mall tour to
sell her to her targeted audience. At
each mall stop, she would play sev-
eral shows. The tour was successful,
and by 1988 Tiffany had two num-
ber one hits. New Kids on the Block
would also do the mall tour circuit
early in their career.
Following the success of Gibson
and Tiffany, record labels began re-
leasing songs by more teen singers, including Glenn
Medeiros, Shanice Wilson, and Tracie Spencer. As
with Tiffany and New Kids on the Block, these artists
were promoted through MTV and especially teen
magazines. A number of these singers became “one-
hit wonders,” known for only one successful hit. An-
other one-hit wonder teen singer who did not fit ei-
ther the pop singer or Maurice Starr boy band mold
was Charlie Sexton, the rock guitarist who had a top
twenty hit at age seventeen with “Beat’s So Lonely” in
- While he remained a successful musician, the
1985 single was his only hit on the pop charts.
Impact Teen singers in the 1980’s had a new me-
dium that teen idols of the past did not—music vid-
eos. The success of bands such as New Edition and
New Kids on the Block was a precursor to the boy
band phenomenon of the 1990’s, and the success of
Tiffany’s mall tours is a reminder of the importance
of marketing in music for teenagers.
Further Reading
Cooper, Kim, and David Smay, eds.Bubblegum Music
Is the Naked Truth. Los Angeles: Feral House, 2001.
Though focused on the “tween” music of the late
1960’s and 1970’s, the book does include a help-
ful section on Starr’s two bands of the 1980’s, New
Edition and New Kids on the Block, as well as
many photos of great 1980’s merchandise.
Grein, Paul. “Teen-Agers Making Their Voices Heard:
Tiffany, 16, Is Not ‘Alone Now’ on Pop Scene as
Recording Industry Capitalizes on Young Artists.”
Los Angeles Times, December 1, 1987, p. 1. Excel-
lent article concisely summarizes paths Tiffany
and Gibson took to their careers and includes the
prediction that as many baby boomers were hav-
ing kids later, the teen artists explosion would ac-
tually occur in the 1990’s.
Hunt, Dennis. “Stardom’s Not Only in Her Dreams.”
Los Angeles Times, August 23, 1987, p. 88. Provides
background on Gibson’s early songwriting and
signing to Atlantic Records.
_______. “Young, Gifted, and Sounding Black: New
Kids on the Block Are the Osmonds with Soul,
Sings Their Creator.”Los Angeles Times, June 4,
1989, p. 8. Discusses the creation of New Kids on
the Block and how Starr modeled the boy band
off of his earlier group, New Edition.
Julie ElliottSee also MTV; Music videos; Pop music; Women
in rock music.The Eighties in America Teen singers 949
Teen singing group New Kids on the Block at the American Music Awards on Janu-
ary 22, 1990.(AP/Wide World Photos)