Check Out Tiffany Walter’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Walter – A Recording Artist, Writer, Inspirational Speaker, Brand Ambassador, and a Certified Life Coach.

Hi Tiffany, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I am recording artist Tiffani Michele, born Tiffany Michele Walter. I am a Georgia native who discovered my passion for singing at a very young age.

Raised by my mother, Gloria Richardson and grandparents, it was around the age of four years old that I learned that I had a “voice”.

I can recall sitting in the back of her grandfather’s men’s clothing store (Roland’s) on Broughton Street in the early 80s, who was a jazz enthusiast, listening to the likes of Ella Fitz Gerald, Billie Holiday, Nina Symone, and Sarah Vaughan. I would mimic their vocal sound and syncopated rhythms, later developing my soulful delivery style. My family realized that I had a gift and decided to get me involved in the choir at our local church, Happy Home Missionary Baptist Church. I joined the Children’s Choir around the age of 9. My first solo was “Going Up Yonder” by the late great Bishop Walter Hawkins and the Love Center Choir. But it was when I attended a youth conference in Augusta at 10 and sang before an audience of over 500 people that I knew this was a gift that I was passionate about. I sang Whitney Houston’s version of “The Greatest Love of All” and received a standing ovation.

I get my vocal abilities honestly. Most of my family has some sort of musical talent, either singing, playing music, or dancing. My great-grandfather, Mr. William Simon Glover, was reknowned for singing Negro Spirituals at First African Baptist Church and even sang in Carnegie Hall. He was depicted in the book/movie Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil: A Savannah Story as the old man in Forsyth Park, walking the invisible dog Patrick, singing for tourists.

I was educated in the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System and upon the completion of my primary and secondary education, I attended Mercer University, a private Baptist college in Macon, GA. I went on to receive double Master’s degrees in both Education and Religious Leadership. I currently serve as the Director of Admissions at our local technical college.

I have been blessed to be able to sing background vocals and be featured on a number of musical projects throughout the trajectory of my musical career. But music is not all that I have been blessed to be able to do. I have been blessed to be a brand ambassador for several marketing campaigns, be a featured model for clothing lines, and have made a few cameos in film productions. My next film project to hit the box office is “Out On A Lim”, (A Reel Rebel Films & Shot 4 Shot Imagery Production, Summer 2022). I have served as an inspirational speaker and advocate for self-care for girls and women. I am an advocate for serving my community and an active member in several civic and fraternal organizations such as Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc and Order of the Eastern Star, Prince Hall Affiliated.

One of my favorite Scriptures is Proverbs 18:16, which says that “A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.” I truly believe that my gifts have given me the opportunity to present myself to so many great people. This interview is just another example of this Scripture manifesting in my life and for that I am thankful.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Life is never easy! Along this journey, I have gotten discouraged and even thought that I would call it quits performing, writing, and speaking. In 2019, I lost my daughter Makayla to illness. She had been born with a rare genetic disorder called Prader-Willi Syndrome and has had health issues all of her life.

Several months leading up to her passing, I had been working on my first full solo album, “Soulful Manifestation”. The first single from the album, “My God Is” was officially released digitally the day that my daughter passed away. That is a day I will never forget… Friday, July 12, 2019. It was later that week that my baby girl came to me so vividly in a dream and gave me the strength to keep going.

You see, Makayla absolutely LOVED hearing me sing! She would be one of the loudest persons in the audience applauding and cheering me on. Before I would sing, I would always practice and ask her if she liked the selection I chose to sing. One thing about my daughter was that she was most times brutally honest… LOL! She would tell me the truth whether it was good, bad, or indifferent.

So in my dream, I heard her ask me, “Mama are you gonna sing?” I recall sitting straight up in my bed, tears streaming but committed to keeping going. I sang at my daughter’s homegoing service. It was probably one of the hardest solos I have ever rendered. But I knew that she was there in spirit cheering me on.

Fast forward two years later in September of last year, I lost my dad Richard Richardson, who was the light of Makayla’s life, to cancer. It was Makayla’s spirit that again came to me to push me to sing at my dad’s service. Truly she is my motivation, even unto death. So anytime I sing, speak, or coach, I always channel her energy.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a RECORDING ARTIST, WRITER, INSPIRATIONAL SPEAKER, BRAND AMBASSADOR, MODEL, & CERTIFIED LIFE COACH. I am most proud of the ability to put a smile on the faces of those in my audience. Whether it’s singing, speaking, or making someone laugh, I absolutely love being a positive influence on those I interact with. I believe that my soulful voice, positive energy, and endearing spirit sets me apart from many other vocalists.There are many people who sing in this city. There are many who can speak to a crowd or empower an individual. There are many who take pretty photos… but none will have the same infectious energy that I possess. I know that I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I am an only child, but I was bossy, sassy, and talkative. I use to get in trouble all the time for talking too much in school. Because I was raised as an only child, I was absolutely spoiled rotten by my family. Another child didn’t come around until I was 7. I was very smart and inquisitive. I loved reading, singing, playing in the band (I played several instruments growing up), and spending time with my grandmother, Janice Walter. Many people said that I was her shadow because I followed her everywhere. I absolutely adored her. I grew up on the eastside off of Savannah along the Waters Avenue corridor.

I will end with this, I love my city. I love my humble beginnings. This city helped to foster the woman that I have become. It is my city, the Hostess City of the South, and so many residents of this great city, that have embraced my talents and my gifts and for that, I will FOREVER love Savannah, GA… good, bad, or indifferent.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamtiffanimichele/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IamTiffaniMichele
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamtiffmichele

Image Credits
Ajamu Mitchell