TiffanyJ’s Solbird Sessions Brings Music, Mental Health and Wellness to ETV
Music and mental health are at the forefront of Solbird Sessions, a new television series set to premiere on South Carolina ETV on August 27. The show is curated and hosted by TiffanyJ, an artist, creative director and now television producer from Columbia, South Carolina, where South Carolina ETV is headquartered.
TiffanyJ, creator and host of Solbird Sessions. Photo by Mauricio Richardson of Pressmark Studios.
Beyond music, TiffanyJ is an advocate for anti-bullying and helping young girls build self-esteem through her Super Beauty brand, which includes the Super Beauty Foundation, children’s books, and a mascot based on the Super Beauty pep-talker doll. The doll won her T.I.’s “Pitch Your Hustle” contest. Her involvement in the city has earned her recognition from the City of Columbia, which designated November 20 “TiffanyJ Day.”
But the journey to Solbird Sessions as it is today was not an elevator ride. Instead, the series has climbed the ladder, evolving with each new iteration. Its origins date back to the pandemic, when TiffanyJ created the platform as a way to keep live music alive when much of the world was stuck inside. After three livestream concert series, with the third featuring her original music, the project ultimately led to a docu-concert film, Solbird Sessions Live, now available on Prime Video.
Bringing Solbird Sessions to the television screen in its current form was a process of its own. In 2022, TiffanyJ took a position with South Carolina ETV’s Black Girl Collective summer camp while completing her master’s degree. Rather than simply seeing the opportunity as a job, she used the experience to learn what it would take to bring her own show to ETV. Years later, that knowledge would come into play as she developed and pitched the idea she’d been nurturing—a television series centered on music, mental health and wellness.
The show features live performances by South Carolina talent and guided group wellness experiences led by board-certified music therapist Alison Hughey, owner of Carolina Music Therapy. The wellness segments incorporate music-based activities including singing, collaborative songwriting, and exercises exploring emotions.
Board-certified music therapist Alison Hughey on the set of Solbird Sessions. Photo by Mauricio Richardson of Pressmark Studios
For Tiffany, the connection between music and mental health isn’t a new addition to the television version of Solbird Sessions. It’s been part of the concept from the beginning. “It was always a mental health, music-centered platform. The pandemic did bring about some depression. So the mental health music idea around it has always been there.”
As the platform evolved, so did TiffanyJ’s vision. What began largely as an opportunity for herself and her bandmates to perform eventually became a vehicle for showcasing other artists and their stories. “I think the biggest goal for me with the TV show platform is for me to feature other people and not just myself,” she says. “We don’t oftentimes get to talk to people about how they got to where they got to. We just listen to what they sing and play.”
Performing artist Kayla Joy on the set of Solbird Sessions. Photo by Mauricio Richardson of Pressmark Studios
More than anything, she hopes viewers will look beyond the music itself and connect with the stories behind the artists.
Solbird Sessions premieres August 27 at 9 p.m. on South Carolina ETV and will air Thursdays through October 1. The series will also air on Sundays at 10 p.m. on the South Carolina Channel and will be available through PBS, the PBS app, the SC ETV app, and ETV’s YouTube channels.
For more information about Solbird Sessions, visit www.solbirdsessions.com.
