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Debbie Gibson

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Debbie Gibson
File:Debgibson.jpg
Background information
OriginBrooklyn, New York
Occupation(s)Pop singer, songwriter, and Broadway performer
Years active1986–present

Deborah Ann Gibson, credited as Debbie Gibson (born August 31, 1970, in Brooklyn, New York[1]) is an American singer-songwriter who was a teen idol in her youth. At age 16, Gibson was the youngest person to write, produce, and perform a #1 hit single with her song "Foolish Beat". She appeared repeatedly on the covers of teen magazines such as Tiger Beat.

Although she used the name "Debbie" in her teens, she has always preferred and now uses the name "Deborah" professionally.

Gibson has gone on to numerous starring roles on Broadway and musicals, as well as independent film and television work. She has written two musicals, and is working to launch them into production. She continues to record, and reached the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart during 2006 in a duet with Jordan Knight titled "Say Goodbye".

Early life

Gibson was born in Brooklyn, New York. She grew up in the Long Island suburb of Merrick, New York.

At the age of five, she began performing in a community theater with sisters Karen (elder) and Denise (younger); Deborah also wrote her first song "Make Sure You Know Your Classroom". When she was eight, Deborah sang at the children's chorus in the Metropolitan Opera House in New York; there she met Plácido Domingo and other such singers. Gibson was already performing in musicals off Broadway.

Pop Princess

Throughout her early and mid teen years, Deborah Gibson began to write and record demos in her homemade recording studio in her family's garage. By this time, she had written and recorded hundreds of songs, some of which would go on to become some of her biggest hits. Deborah, with her mother/manager Diane, began banging on the doors of record compnaies, agents, directors, producers, entertainment agencies, etc., in the hopes that someone would listen to a demo and sign the young artist. Eventually, their hard work payed off and Deborah attracted the interest of Atlantic Records. Atlantic Records signed the teenager and began a promotional tour which included teen clubs, straight and gay night clubs. After the success of this tour, Atlantic gave the order for Gibson's debut album. Deborah recorded her debut in 5 weeks in between performing gigs on her promo tour.

In 1987, Gibson released her debut album Out of the Blue. The album peaked at #7 on the Billboard 200 Album charts and produced 5 Top 25 singles. Only in my Dreams became Deborah's first hit in 1987, peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Gibson had penned the tune years earlier as a youngster in only 15 minutes. Shake Your Love was next to follow, peaking at #4 and was also a big success in the UK. In early 1988, Out of the Blue followed suit, peaking at #3. Later that year, Deborah soon had her first #1 hit Foolish Beat. Foolish Beat spent one week at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and established Deborah as the youngest artist to write, produce & perform a #1 hit, an honor she holds to this day. Gibson superceded soul legend Stevie Wonder to claim this honor. The final single to be released from Out of the Blue was Staying Together, which stalled at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100. Eventually, Out of the Blue the album went 3X Platinum in the U.S.

By the time Out of the Blue was established as a hit album, she and Tiffany, with her remake of I Think We're Alone Now, fought for the top position as teen queen of the United States. The two were consistenly put up against each other in the tabloids as rivals, as they were both teenage pop queens. Both Deborah and Tiffany denied having any ill will towards each other, and maintained that there was no rivarly between the two of them. Many fans believed that Deborah was the pop princess, as she wrote, produced and performed her own material, as opposed to Tiffany who merely sang other people's material.

By 1988, Deborah Gibson had set Guiness World records as well as established herself as an international teen pop star. She also managed to graduate from her hometown high school Calhoun High School, with honors. Her clean-cut, girl-next-door image attracted the attention of national sponsors. In 1988, Deborah began an endorsement deal with Natural Wonder Cosmetics. Throughout 1988 (the Out of the Blue era) Gibson appeared in several print ads endorsing such products as nail polish, lipstick and eye make-up. This endorsement deal would continue through the success of her sophomore album.

Deborah promoted the massive success of Out of the Blue with a tour, called The Out of the Blue Tour. Deborah's first major tour was a massive success, even causing Deborah to sell-out Radio City Music Hall in New York City twice. The national tour was sponsored by cosmetics brand Natural Wonder. Gibson also had considerable success in the UK, as well as Japan and southeast Asia with her stadium tour. Gibson filled her arena tour with music from the Out of the Blue album, as well as songs she had written for her sophomore album. She also incorporated elements of 1950's music, with throw backs to In the Still of the Night and a Mo-town Medley. At the end of 1988, Deborah had released Out of the Blue Tour on video cassette.

"Debbie" Gibson was the reigning pop princess of the late 80's with her massively successful debut album, Out of the Blue. It wasn't long before Gibson was at work on her follow-up disc. Gibson again teamed up with her producer of her debut album, Fred Zarr. The album reflected a more mature woman and also marked the first time Gibson played live insturments on her recordings. The first single to be released to radio stations was the ballad Lost in your Eyes. A few radio stations even leaked the single before its official release, only adding to the hype of her new single. Lost in your Eyes became Gibson's biggest chart hit to this day, spending 3 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March of 1989. Earlier that month, her sophomore album Electric Youth was released and quickly shot to #1 on the Billboard 200. The album spent a total of 5 weeks at #1. Gibson became the first female artist to have a single and album chart at #1 simultaneously. [citation needed] The album received mostly positive reviews from critics, with many noting a more mature Gibson taking control of her craft. Again, Gibson wrote all of the tracks and/or co-produced them.

Electric Youth, the song, was released in early Spring of 1989. The track peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100, just missing the Top 10. The song capitalized on the idea that even though kids may be young in age, that they are not young in mind or spirit. Many saw Electric Youth as that generation's anthem. The video accompanying the song was an energetic as the song itself. Clips of young people accomplishing great things, were intermixed with Gibson's energetic dance routine. Debbie Gibson is considered by many to be the Britney Spears of the 80's, due to the sugary pop songs and slick dance routines. Following the success of the first two singles, the next two singles didn't exactly follow there chart dominance. No More Rhyme completed its run at #17 on the Hot 100. Its video featured a cameo from The Wonder Years' "Winnie Cooper". We Could Be Together limped onto the chart at a lowly #71. The video featured an appearance by Gibson's father and featured many of her real life band and crew.

Deborah's career hit a peak when she was nominated for Favorite Female Artist at the 1989 American Music Awards. Although she walked away empty handed (losing to Whitney Houston), she was one the hosts of the telecast. Gibson also saw one of her professional dreams realized, when she was invited to join Sir Elton John and Billy Joel on stage during a show of theirs. Deborah played on the same keyboard as Elton John and accompanied Billy Joel during a song. She was also honored as Songwriter of the Year (tying with Bruce Springstein) at the New York Music Awards. The popularity of Electric Youth the album, was further confirmed by the release of Electric Youth Perfume. Fans had the opportunity to not only listen to Gibson sing, but also smell like her. Electric Youth Perfume was a major success and was presented by Natural Wonder Cosmetics. Electric Youth eventually went on to sell 3 million copies, and was certified as 3X Platinum.

To capitalize on the success of Electric Youth, Gibson planned an eleborate international tour titled: The Electric Youth Tour. Gibson began her trek in the United States, playing to sold out crowds throughout the country. This time around, Gibson had a bigger stage, a longer show and a more choreographed routine to show to her fans. The set list included all of Electric Youth's biggest hits, as well as some favorites from Out of the Blue and a mixture of medley's featuring hits from the 1950's. The tour continued throughout Europe and Asia, where it conitnued to sell-out audiences and become a tremendous success. By the end of the tour, Gibson had sold out concerts thoughout the world and performed for thousands of fans. In 1990, she hosted the benefit concert Earth '90.

Anything Is Possible

After the massive success of Electric Youth the album, Deborah release her third studio album in late 1990, Anything is Possible. The album contained 16 tracks, all written and/or co-produced by Deborah. She again worked with Fred Zarr (who helped produce both Out of the Blue and Electric Youth) and famous mo-town producer Lamont Dozier. The ablum recieved mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike, peaking at #41 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart. This marked the lowest album charting of any of Deborah's albums at that time.

The first single released was Anything is Possible, peaking at #26 on the Hot 100 Billboard Singles Chart. Subsequent single releases One Hand, One Heart, This (So-called) Miracle and One Step Ahead failed to chart and recieved little to no radio airplay. The exception being One Step Ahead charting on the Billboard Dance/Club Chart.

To support the album, Deborah embarked on a national tour entitled the One Step Ahead tour, and the renamed Possibilites Tour in Asia. Cosmetic supply company, Caboodles, helped promote and sponsor these tours. Caboodles offered a contest for fans to win a live, private concert with Deborah herself! This was promoted in television commercials, as well as several ads in teen magazines such as Teen Beat and Bop.

Deborah released her fourth studio album, Body Mind Soul, in 1992 peaking at #109 on the Billboard 200. This was to be Deborah's last Billboard 200 chart appearance to this date. The album produced only one minor hit, Losin' Myself, which peaked at a dismal #86 on the Billboard Hot 100. The video for Losin' Myself was Deborah's most mature video at that time, even being panned in parts of Asia for its explicit content. Deborah played a stripper in the video and undressed unto her corset and panties.

The album produced 3 more singles, which appeared in various forms of promotional/retail copies to radio stations and the public. Shock Your Mama produced a video and was also released on CD in countries like Germany. Free Me and How Can This Be? were released only as promo's on both vinyl & CD formats. No videos from these latter 2 singles were produced.


After the dissapointing reception to Body Mind Soul, Gibson debuted on Broadway in 1992, playing Eponine in Les Misérables. She then went to London, where she broke box office sales records with 9 months of sold out performances in the leading role of "Sandy" In the West End production of Grease. The single of You're the One That I Want, with Craig McLachlan, from the Original Cast Recording reached #13 on the UK charts in 1993.

On returning to the United States, she appeared in the Broadway version, but this time she played Rizzo. She played Fanny Brice in the Funny Girl touring production. She participated in the Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast (as Belle), and Gypsy at The Papermill Playhouse (as Gypsy Rose Lee). She participated in a national tour with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, where she played the part of The Narrator, and as Cinderella in the national tour of the play of the same name. In October 2002, she began work in the play Chicago in Boston. In 2003, she played Sally Bowles in the Broadway revival of Cabaret, alongside Neil Patrick Harris as The Emcee.

The Mid 1990s

In 1995, she signed with EMI's SBK Records division and recorded what would be her only album for the label, Think With Your Heart. This album is an Adult Contemporary heavy album consisting of piano ballads and keyboard ballads. Only a pair Dance-pop songs, Dontcha Want Me Now and Too Fancy serve as the faster moments on the album. The album's producer, Niko Bolas (usually Neil Young's co-producer), was also producing the reunion album for veteran punk band The Circle Jerks, and invited Gibson to a recording session for that band's album. She subsequently ended up singing background vocals on the song I Wanna Destroy You as well as appearing at and participating in the Circle Jerks' performance at legendary punk venue CBGB's, wearing one of the band's t-shirts and sharing a microphone with frontman Keith Morris. Footage of this appearance has been uploaded to youtube.com.

Recent years

After parting company with EMI, Gibson formed her own record label, Golden Egg Records, to release her original material. Her sixth album, Deborah, marked her full return to dance-pop albeit with a more mature approach. Deborah includes the lead single Only Words. Only Words (Arena Club Vocal Mix) became a Top 40 Hot Dance Music/Club Play hit. The album's other single is the ballad, Naturally. Deborah received rave reviews from fans and remains one of her most respected works.

In 2001, Deborah released her seventh album on her record label titled M.Y.O.B. It features the three singles, the sensual pop song, What You Want, the Latin infused Dance-pop song, Your Secret and the bass heavy M.Y.O.B. Highlights from the album include the sultry Latin favoured Smooth Jazz song, In Blue, her vintage style ballad, Wishing You Were Here, Jaded, and a remix of M.Y.O.B.

In 2005, Gibson co-wrote and recorded a song titled "Someone You Love" with the O'Neill Brothers. With the O'Neill Brothers, Gibson also released an updated, acoustic version of her former #1 hit Lost In Your Eyes. The March 2005 issue of Playboy magazine featured a nude pictorial with Gibson, tying in with the release of her single, "Naked."

2006 and Beyond

In January 2006, she joined the cast of Skating with Celebrities on FOX, partnered with former Canadian World Champion figure skater Kurt Browning. She was voted out in the third episode.

She has established popularity in niche markets. She tours and has become a popular attraction at Gay Pride concerts. Her 2006 single, "Say Goodbye," featuring dance-pop artist, Jordan Knight, has made a good impression on the Adult Contemporary and Hot AC radio stations, becoming the third-most added new single on the format during summer 2006. It debuted at # 35 on the AC chart in August, and has since climbed to # 24 as of October 2006.

Discography

Chart Singles

Year Single Billboard Hot 100 US AC Singles Hot Dance Music/Club Play Album
1987 "Only in My Dreams" 4 31 12 Out of the Blue
1987 "Shake Your Love" 4 - 6 Out of the Blue
1988 "Out of the Blue" 3 16 44 Out of the Blue
1988 "Foolish Beat" #1 8 - Out of the Blue
1988 "Staying Together" 22 - - Out of the Blue
1989 "Lost In Your Eyes" #1 3 - Electric Youth
1989 "Electric Youth" 11 - 3 Electric Youth
1989 "No More Rhyme" 17 13 - Electric Youth
1989 "We Could Be Together" 71 - - Electric Youth
1990 "Anything Is Possible" 26 48 - Anything Is Possible
1991 "One Step Ahead" - - 18 Anything Is Possible
1993 "Losin' Myself" 86 49 - Body Mind Soul
1997 "Only Words" - - 38 Deborah
2006 "Say Goodbye" - 24 - Love Songs (Jordan Knight)

Out of the Blue (1987) (BB 200) #7 US, #26 UK
Singles released:

Electric Youth (1989) (BB 200) #1 (5 weeks) US, #8 UK
Singles released:

Anything Is Possible (1990) (BB 200) #41 US , #69 UK
Singles released:

Body Mind Soul (1993) (BB 200) #109 US
Singles released:

Think With Your Heart (1995)
Singles released:

Deborah (1997)
Singles released:

M.Y.O.B. (2001)
Singles released:

  • "What You Want" (Charted in the Top 20 and/or Top 40 on some U.S. radio stations, did not chart elsewhere)
  • "M.Y.O.B." (Peaked in the Top 5 and/or the Top 20 on some U.S. radio stations, did not chart elsewhere)
  • "Your Secret" (Peaked at #1 and/or the Top 10 on some U.S. radio stations, did not chart elsewhere)
  • "Down That Road" (Received some Adult Contemporary airplay, did not chart)

Colored Lights: The Broadway Album (2003)

Memory Lane Vol. 1 (2004)

Memory Lane Vol. 2 (2005)

Singles:

Greatest hits collections

Trivia

  • She is the subject of a song titled "Make Believe," written and sung by drummer David Lovering from The Pixies.
  • She is the subject of a song titled "Debbie Gibson is Pregnant with my Two-Headed Love Child" by Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper
  • On the call sheets of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Natalie Portman was listed as "Debbie Gibson."
  • Enjoys painting, and has sold works on EBay.
  • Owns Liberace's mirrored piano, outbid Sir Elton John for it.
  • She is a teetotaler
  • She is 1/4 Italian, her grandfather was Albert Pustizzi: [1]
  • A Finnish rap band Raptori has made a song of her named 'Debi Gibson'.
  • She appeared in the movie clip Liberian Girl by Michael Jackson, in which she also sings a few notes.
  • She appeared in Ghostbusters as the girl with the pink bow in her hair, celebrating her birthday at the Tavern on the Green.
  • Once dated Darren Day [2]
  • New song "Famous" written by Deborah Gibson and T. Luigi
  • Was referenced to in Family Guy when Peter calls his A-Team idea "just as useless as that nude Playboy spread of Debbie Gibson. It's like yeah, she's naked but who gives a shit."

References

  1. ^ Biography at official site of Deborah Gibson

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