I had to overcome people thinking I was manufactured: Tiffany

Despite being 41, singer Tiffany Darwish, better known simply as Tiffany, sports a silver hoop in her nose and tattoos poking from the sleeves of her flaming red top.

These little things, coupled with the sci-fi movie she starred in with former rival Debbie Gibson, the reality television shows she's been on and the 2003 Playboy magazine spread she's been featured in, show hints of a reaction to the extent that she felt pressured by managers and critics as a teen pop sensation in the late 80s.

"I think in my early years (of performing on stage) I really didn't understand that I could talk (to the audience)," she told Yahoo! Singapore in an interview on Friday. "I didn't have to be perfect but somewhere in my mind, I was worried about pleasing the critics, hitting every note so perfect, and letting people know that I could sing.

"I really had to overcome a lot of people thinking I was manufactured, so rather than going out and just entertaining for the fan, I was kind of entertaining for the critic -- for the people who said 'no, this can't be real' -- it took away a lot of the 'being in the moment'," she added.

The Tiffany of today is a vastly different one from the sweet teen you might have previously been familiar with.

Departing from her signature pop singles like "Could Have Been", "All This Time", her remake of "I Saw Him Standing There" and her iconic cover of "I Think We're Alone Now", she now branches out further in other music genres. Having released her first country music album Rose Tattoo last year, the mother of one has plans to work on a big ballad album next.

She's also been writing her own songs for the past 12 years now, and beyond music, she runs a vintage boutique business, with plans to create lines of jewellery and clothing.

"I think a lot of women have stayed with me from little girls wearing jean jackets to adult women now, who've been married, been divorced, gained weight, lost weight, all of it -- and we're living our lives together," she says. "So I think I have a lot to offer to the everyday woman!"

For her set on Saturday, though, Tiffany says she will likely reprise most of her old favourites in her repertoire, and will be performing singles she hasn't done since the 80s.

"I tailor-made this show to include songs I haven't performed since the late 80s. Songs like Radio Romance and Oh! Jackie, I haven't performed since the first couple of tours," she shares.

The singer will be sharing the stage with English New Wave duo Wang Chung, which will present a couple of newer songs alongside a majority-older set.

Fans of television series The Walking Dead can also look out for a familiar tune played at the end of its first episode -- a 1997 single from the pair called "Space Junk".

"That song was pretty much in his (Frank Darabont, the show's director) thinking about how the show should sound, so we were very honoured that he wanted to use that tune, since it's quite an obscure one -- but since appearing in that show it's become much more well-known," said lead vocalist and guitarist Jack Hues, 57.

Hues plays alongside bassist Nick Feldman, who is the same age, and the duo are responsible for classic hits like "Everybody Have Fun Tonight", "Let's Go" and "Dance Hall Days".

"I think it's very inspiring that people have continued to be interested in Wang Chung after all these years -- we've both done other things in the many things that have gone past but still people always want us to come out and play, and our records get placed in movies and TV shows; we're always getting loads of interest," said Feldman.

Having come back together in 1997 after a seven-year break, the pair is on the cusp of releasing a new album of work called "Tasered Up", which they say pays tribute to their 80s heritage and style of music.

"(We wanted to) make sure that we didn't forget our 80s heritage, our background, the styles of music we used to play, but we listen to contemporary music as well, so I think the album combines the two, adn it still sounds like a record that works in the contemporary market," explains Feldman.

"We thought about what an 80s record sounds like: drum machines, not samplers, synthesizers, guitars -- those three things, basically; and we tried to restrict ourselves to those ingredients," added Hues.

Watch a video of Wang Chung's "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" below:

RETROLICIOUS 2012 is happening on Saturday, 6 October at Fort Canning Park. Tickets are still available at SISTIC, selling for $125 or $225.