10 Questions with ... Tiffany Thurston

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

LABEL:

• Independent / TPI

DISCOGRAPHY:

• Worship

1. Tell us a little about your musical journey.

In September 2007 I released my first full-length independent record entitled, "L.I.F.E. (Love, Inspire, Forgive & Eternity)." That same month I started touring with the Revolve Tour as their worship leader as well as singing back-up vocals for Natalie Grant! (September 2007 was a MASSIVE month for me! Haha!) And I've been touring ever since. This past summer I recorded my second album (the "Worship" EP) and currently I am touring again with the Revolve Tour until April 2011! I feel thankful and VERY blessed to get to do what I love to do for a living!

2. What made you decide to record your debut single "Healer"?

"Healer" was a song that immediately impacted me the first time I heard it! It was so simple yet so precise to the truth and whenever I would sing it in a worship set, I saw that other people connected with it as well. I recorded it for two reasons: 1) It's a song that has impacted me and 2) it's a song that I believe God is using for his people!

3. How did you select the songs that appear on your EP "Worship"?

This "Worship" EP is a collection of what I had been singing at churches and events around the globe and I thought it would be great to capture them in recorded form! These are songs that have spoken to my heart and songs that I've seen move in the lives of many others. I hope that these renditions will renew, refresh and remind those that hear it of the truth and hope we have in Christ.

4. How did you get connected to The Revolve Tour? How long have you been leading worship?

I got connected and involved with the Revolve Tour after I ran into Natalie Grant at a conference in Nashville in the Spring 2007. We had met years before but hadn't seen each other in awhile. A week later, I got a call, out of the blue from Natalie, saying that I was on her heart and asked if she could put in my name as a possible person to lead worship for the Revolve Tour that year. She hadn't heard me sing in YEARS and didn't really know what I had been up to but felt led to call me. (And I'm so glad she did!) Thanks to her prompting and sending in a worship CD/DVD I had done with my home church at the time, I got the job! Then a week before Revolve started she happened to be booked at my home church in Hawaii! That very weekend she also hired me to start singing with her and the rest is history! It's definitely been a story orchestrated by God!

And this will be my third year leading worship on the Revolve Tour but have been leading for the past 12 years.

5. You were born in Hawaii? How often do you get back to visit?

Yes, I am a native Hawaiian with a few extra things like Portuguese, Chinese, English, Irish, German, Tahitian and French! (smile) I try to go back as often as possible but it usually comes out to 3-4 times a year, which isn't too bad!

6. Do you have an all-time favorite worship song?

It typically changes with the seasons but currently my favorite is "Forever Reign!" I LOVE that song! However, I do think hymns are timeless and have consistently impacted the church and our worship times over the decades.

7. Who inspires you personally, spiritually and/or professionally?

Some of my heros in life include my mom (her story and life of faith is incredible and comparable to the stories we read in the Bible), Natalie Grant (who has been a mentor from afar for years and it's been a treat to work alongside her for the past three years), and then all the unsung heroes that will never be praised for all that they do. The hearts that serve and give in the "unlit" places; they are heroes to me as well and I learn a lot from them. They are found in every town I visit!

8. What song do you wish you had written?

"Healer" (smile)

9. Do you have much time to check out other artists' music? What are you listening to right now?

Not as much time as I'd like but some of my most recent favorites are Francesca Battistelli's latest single "This Is the Stuff," Natalie Grant's latest song "Your Great Name" and Gungor's "Beautiful Things"! Really there are too many to list but those were the first three that came to mind!

10. Do you make New Year's Resolutions? Do you keep your New Year's Resolutions?

I try not to. However, there were three words that I felt would help me to reach my goals this year and they are:

1) GLITTER. I LOVE glitter and bling! If it sparkles, I love it. With that, I am reminded to "shine" for Jesus by just being me and by following his word and truth!

2) "11" (ELEVEN). "Turn it up to eleven (in 2011)." This is a "Spinal Tap" reference for those that have seen this movie and for those that haven't. Basically this movie is a mockumentary about a rock band and they have an amp that doesn't just go up to 10, but it goes to "11"! With that, I need to "turn it up" in all areas of my life and basically take it to the next level!

3) SOULS. That I may connect everything to a soul. What that means is, there are a lot of "good works" to do in this world but if my good works don't somehow introduce, plant a seed or lead them closer to the truth, then what is it for? I want my life to count for something more than the things we see, I want it to count for eternity.

And I hope to keep these this year!