#perfect february

A star at such a young age, Vanessa Paradis found her love was acting. Won the César for Most Promising Young Actress in 1990, signed to the Chanel cosmetics company in 1991. Particular films of note include Witch Way Love, and A Monster in Paris.

Vanessa seemed to have a knack of falling in with bad boys. Florent Pagny, the French pop star, was her first public fling. Then she moved on to Lenny Kravitz, producer for her eponymous 1992 album, and paramour for the next five years. "I think Vanessa is a very intense young lady. I think she's extremely talented," said Kravitz. "I learned a lot about producing, working with an artist, but this music was really, really tailored for her. I tried to get inside of her mind."

After uncoupling from Kravitz, Vanessa spent fourteen years with Johnny Depp, and bore him two children. Fourteen years with Johnny Depp? People get less for beating their wives. She got out of that relationship, and has been married to film director Samuel Benchetrit for ten years.

Vanessa's continued to record music, including the 2007 album «Divineidylle». The album won popular plaudits, critics called it her best work. Here's the title track.

And that turned out to be Tiffany's unique selling point, something to make her stand out from all the other young women. She's singing in your space, in your local shopping centre. There's a big oral history of Tiffany's mall tour.

Tiffany was someone just like you. Dressed in clothes that are affordable and accessible - jean jacket, crimped hair, earrings. Anyone can follow that fashion, however little budget, however little fashion sense.

I first came across Tiffany when the single came out here. “I think we're alone now" was bright and breezy, a vaguely familiar song reinterpreted by someone who sounds like she could mean it. And, during a weak January sale, it rose to the very top.

That’s a brave TOTP performance. A chunky cardigan, far too big for her; not going to get into Legs & Co. Live vocals, because Tiffany is at her best when she’s singing live. Different vocal line from the single, almost as if she’s distancing herself from it. Tiffany’s better than this? Too right!

For about six weeks, I was very interested in Tiffany. Hello, hormones. Hello, "yeah, would like to pop over and help with your maths homework, look after your plants. See the all-white bedroom, get something in black."

There’s childhood crushes that never go further, and there’s another act on that week's TOTP. David Van Day of Dollar fell head-over-heels with young Tiff. Sent her red roses, and his number, and a note saying how she was his “forever girl”. How utterly spewsome! The pervgusting Van Day (31) was told where to go by the management of Tiffany (16).

Traffic chaos in London, where huge crowds turned out and blocked the Euston Road. "Come and see Tiffany" said Capital Radio presenters Pat and Mick, and the rest was a mess.

"She's the next Barbra Streisand," said Elsie Gummer of Bromley. Maybe she'd heard the second single, the heartbreaking song Could've been.

"It's about the end of a relationship that doesn't quite work out, one that improves your life and you wouldn't go back on it."

Written by Lois Blaisch, the song turned out to be one Tiffany could convincingly sing, and one that fitted her vocal style. With the benefit of hindsight, we file it as a neighbour of Duncan Laurence's "Arcade".

A cover of The Beatles' "I saw him standing there" gave Tiffany a third top ten hit, but follow-up "Feelings of forever" failed to trouble the top 40. Behind the scenes, Tiffany had sought to cut ties with her mother, there were disagreements in her management, and it showed.

Second album Hold an Old Friend's Hand came out for Christmas 1988, new product for while there was still a decent fanbase. The lead single was "Radio romance", promoted with an appearance on Going Live.

"It's happened so fast... it's been my dream come true."

Tiffany's career on the top 40 lasted exactly one year: 1988. "Radio romance" fell out after Gift Token Week, follow-ups "All this time" and "Hold an old friend's hand" stalled.

Stateside, Tiffany started a tour supported by New Kids On The Block; by the final date, it was New Kids On The Block supported by Tiffany. When she was the voice of Judy in The Jetsons Movie in 1990, we thought, "Good grief, remember Tiffany?"

Freed from the pressure of making hit records, Tiffany was able to follow her own path, and actually write some songs of her own. 2000's album The Color of Silence was praised by critics, there was some dance singles, reality shows, support for the LGBTQ+ fans because we stood solidly by her, nostalgia tours with New Kids on the Block and Salt-n-Pepa, and much more.

And in 2022, Tiffany released a new album, Shadows. Here's "I like the rain", a "sarcastic and fun song about chaos, owning your mistakes, rebelling and not caring what people think but making adjustments as you go along in life to another season."

Tiffany's only turned into Stevie Nicks! Who'd have thunk that the little denim-clad gal at the mall would turn out to be a closet rock chick?!

2007 album Voila still has glimpses of the polished pop from the 80-90s, but it's all very different. The repertoire is no longer Nowels and Shipley power pop, but tender songs like “La vie en rose”.

"Merci, chérie" is the most unusual choice, the song (written by Baker Cavendish, Udo Jürgens, Thomas Hörbiger) is most famous as the Eurovision Song Contest winner of 1966. Belinda finds a certain sensuality in the song, absent from Udo's winning turn four decades earlier.

By 2010, Belinda Carlisle released her memoirs, Lips Unsealed, where she opened up about her addictions. Belinda did a turn on Ballroom With The B-List, and absolutely hated it, and was first out. Even Debbie Gibson did better!

Yet another greatest hits compilation came out in 2013, adorned by new song "Sun". It’s worth the price of admission.

"I don't have to record something unless I really love it. And for the last 15 years or so, truly great songs haven't been easy to find. So when I heard "Sun", I loved it, and I decided to record it. It's age-appropriate, while still being modern and youthful in its spirit, and I particularly appreciated that part of it."

The decade from 2013 to now has seen Belinda perform on the nostalgia circuit, re-release the old albums in remastered versions like everyone does these days. She’s recorded a passion project of yoga mantras, toured the old albums, but didn’t find room to include new song “Big big love” - other than a performance on Radio 2′s Ken Bruce Show.

To finish this career retrospective, we'll step back to Belinda's crowning moment, the lead single from Runaway Horses.

"Leave a light on", written by Rick Nowels and Ellen Shipley, as is obvious from the banging introduction to the two-part chorus. Then, just when we're flagging, just like a spark lights up the dark, it's George Harrison’s guitar solo - the one contribution from Belinda's paramour in the song.