{"id":2967,"date":"2022-01-11T14:06:01","date_gmt":"2022-01-11T22:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/?p=2967"},"modified":"2026-08-30T22:04:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T05:04:59","slug":"debbie-gibson-a-star-is-reborn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/debbie-gibson-a-star-is-reborn\/","title":{"rendered":"Debbie Gibson: A Star is Reborn"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Chic<\/span><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>

This article was printed in<\/em>
\nChic Compass Magazine - Issue 10<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/a><\/center><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Photo<\/span><\/div><\/div>

Debbie Gibson in fashion by David Tupaz. Photo by Nick Spanos<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>

Debbie Gibson: A Star is Reborn... Without Missing A (Foolish) Beat<\/h1>\n

BY STACEY GUALANDI<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>

In true Debbie Gibson fashion, 2021 ended on a high note, entirely on-brand for the eternally electric youth - with a pajama party.<\/p>\n

Her \u201clive\u201d Q & A CAMEO event brought together fans and former music mentors to celebrate the 35th anniversary of \u201cOnly in My Dreams,\u201d the debut single that turned a 16-year-old Long Island musical theater prodigy into the \u201coriginal pop princess.\u201d It capped off a year Gibson could only have imagined in her wildest dreams. Literally.<\/p>\n

In the last year, Gibson landed her first co-headlining Las Vegas residency at the Venetian with New Kids on the Block\u2019s Joey McIntyre; released The Body Remembers<\/em>, her first original pop album in 20 years, and debuted \u201cChristmas Star,\u201d her very first self-penned Christmas single, all through her own label Stargirl Records.<\/p>\n

Says Gibson of it all: \u201cIt really is wild, and I could just cry thinking about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Call it a renaissance, a second act, or (my favorite) \u201cDebbie 2.0,\u201d Ms. Gibson says 2021 was an embarrassment of riches.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was so great, and I kept pinching myself,\u201d says the triple platinum-selling artist. \u201cIt\u2019s really fun to be 35 years into a career having a lot of firsts.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Gibson first emerged on the music scene as a teenage love song-writing fanatic, little did she know she was paving the way for the future Billie\u2019s, Lorde\u2019s, and Olivia\u2019s who could sing, write, and produce their own hits.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack when I started, there was only a handful of us \u201cteen acts,\u201d and we were very much regarded as a trend that was gonna go away,\u201d says Gibson. \u201cIt\u2019s such a different world where teens are respected now, thank God. Young female writers, like Olivia Rodrigo, are respected, but back then, I was counted out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shame on those doubters. In 1987, Gibson became the youngest artist to write, produce, and perform the No. 1 hit song \u201cFoolish Beat\u201d (she still holds the Guinness World Record for youngest female artist); and, she successfully crossed over to Broadway, performing in 17 musicals in as many years.<\/p>\n

Since then, Gibson has also executive produced and starred in two high-rated Hallmark Channel movies; toured with New Kids on the Block, Tiffany, Salt-N-Pepa, and Naughty By Nature; and she appeared as a guest star in a musical episode of \u201cLucifer\u201d on Netflix.<\/p>\n

Clearly, this latest chapter didn\u2019t just come out of the blue. It\u2019s classic Gibson, and she has every intention of keeping the (PJ) party going.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody owns me right now,\u201d she says. \u201cNobody owns my time, my image, my music, my schedule, and I could not live my life any other way.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
\"Debbie<\/span><\/div><\/div>

Debbie Gibson in gold jeans by designer, David Tupaz.<\/em>
\nPhoto by Nick Spanos<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>

RUNWAY<\/p>\n

For those who don\u2019t know, Debbie \u201cdoes\u201d Vegas\u2026that is, she lives, sings, writes, produces, and records in her own Sin City home studio. The town is her literal backdrop.<\/p>\n

Most of her musical inspiration, she says, comes from a 50-year-old, mirror-covered grand piano, once owned by the late Liberace himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like every time I\u2019m sitting at that piano, writing a song, he is around saying, \u2018Thank you for keeping me in Vegas where I belong.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The other thing that is so Vegas? Her fashion vibe\u2026evidenced by her ever-evolving style on Instagram. Her driveway is the new runway, and she loves to show off while takin\u2019 out the trash. (I\u2019ll wait while you check out her IG feed.)<\/p>\n

That signature 80s black hat that so many emulated (myself included) has matured with her, but long gone are the sweaters and the teen-queen hole-y jeans with the smiley-faced knees.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was a teenager, I always had a very accessible style,\u201d reminisces Gibson. \u201cYou could mimic my style by going to the mall, which I always enjoyed.\u201d<\/p>\n

These days, you can still find her in PJ\u2019s, but she will also playfully rock Spanx leggings with rhinestone Louboutins.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, I love throwing on $10,000 earrings with a t-shirt. I definitely have high-end taste, but I also have really accessible and sometimes even borderline trashy taste. Ha!\u201d<\/p>\n

Gibson takes couture cues from two people: her style icon Tina Turner (\u201cIt was so endearing that she had that relatable rocker down-home thing about her\u201d) and Las Vegas-based, high-fashion designer David Tupaz, Chic Compass Magazine\u2019s<\/em> fashion and creative director.<\/p>\n

Tupaz says Gibson stumbled into his studio one day after a workout. \u201cHi!\u201d he remembers her saying. \u201cIs it okay to come in? I\u2019m barefoot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was his dress-up doll,\u201d adds Gibson. \u201cHe instantly started showing me around the store and the things he visualized for me. It became such a great partnership.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tupaz has since collaborated with Gibson for events, TV appearances, calendars, and he designed the black jacket with embroidered roses that she wore on stage during her recent sold-out residency. (He even got an unexpected shout-out from Gibson while attending the show when unsolicited, Joey McIntyre said that her jacket was his favorite!)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always remember celebrities and great talent based on how they look, but I think Debbie is a person who expresses herself by how she performs and the music she delivers,\u201d says Tupaz. \u201cI think she goes beyond the style.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
\"Debbie<\/span><\/div><\/div>

Debbie Gibson in a jacket by designer, David Tupaz. Photo by Nick Spanos<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>

He also draped her in another Tupaz original on the back cover of The Body Remembers<\/em> CD.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a theater girl, and I love a little theatrical flair,\u201d admits the Brooklyn-born beauty, \u201cso for me, that had like a high-end, JLo-kind-of-vibe in a way, but it felt like my own.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I represent what a normal woman could do with fashion if she gives herself permission to have fun,\u201d says Gibson. \u201cSo, I think it\u2019s taking my old sense of accessibility and bringing it into now with a little more refined point of view.\u201d<\/p>\n

THE BODY REMEMBERS<\/p>\n

Whether talking about her wardrobe\u2014or her work\u2014Gibson says she rarely, if ever, dwells on the past, but she has no problem revisiting it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard a great word the other day that I cannot take credit for. An awesome gal named Nicole, who I had a meeting with in the TV world, came up with this word \u2026 newstalgia,\u201d says Gibson.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Newstalgia] is the modernization of nostalgic things that people are loving, and it makes me happy. I think there\u2019s no quicker way to age yourself and date yourself than thinking everything great was done in the past. But I think you have to have a sense of what\u2019s going on in the world now and then pull elements from everything great that ever was.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
\"Photo<\/span><\/div><\/div>

Photo of Debbie Gibson by Nick Spanos<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>

A perfect example is her iconic ballad \u201cLost in Your Eyes,\u201d featured on her 10th studio album, The Body Remembers<\/em>. When Gibson said yes to McIntyre\u2019s request to duet on her original #1 hit\u2014another first\u2014her 20-year-old co-producer (and \u201csecret weapon\u201d) Sean Thomas updated its sound with the times, yet kept it timeless.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what was so fun about making this album: finding the ways and the places to be me, but not to be stuck in anything old,\u201d says Gibson. \u201cJoey helped to breathe new life into this song and give it a whole new chapter. I get goosebumps talking about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gibson also says working with \u201can incredible team of collaborators\u201d allowed her to stay true to her classic sound (heard on the summer disco bop \u201cOne Step Closer\u201d and the Tracy Young DJ #VegasVibe Remix \u201cGirls Night Out\u201d), while also stretching her voice (as in \u201cStrings\u201d and the Fred Coury-produced \u201cLegendary\u201d).<\/p>\n

\u201cI do think and hope that people were pleasantly surprised as to how modern [the album] sounds,\u201d admits Gibson.<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
\"Photo<\/span><\/div><\/div>

Photo of Debbie Gibson by Nick Spanos<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>

FREEDOM<\/p>\n

Since its release, fans\u2014(aka \u201cDebHeads\u201d)\u2014and critics have embraced it.<\/p>\n

People\u2019s Brianne Tracy wrote, \u201cGibson took all of the hard-earned wisdom learned over recent years and channeled it\u2026\u201d while Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone said, \u201cThe time is right for Debbie Gibson to get her due as a pioneer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Music executive Doug Cohn says he isn\u2019t surprised the \u201cpop princess-turned-pioneer\u201d can\u2019t shake their love. \u201cDebbie chooses to do things that make sense for her,\u201d he says. \u201cShe knows who she is, and I don\u2019t think she\u2019s trying to be something else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cohn and Gibson met (and alllllllmost dated!) as Long Island teenagers. Years later, he cast her as a judge on Nickelodeon\u2019s \u201cAmerica\u2019s Most Musical Family.\u201d Now, three decades in, they are best friends.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s confident her career has legs, in more ways than one (\u201cyou\u2019ve seen her taking the trash out in her Instagram videos\u2026she\u2019s 50 and she\u2019s got good legs!\u201d jokes Cohn), and believes she\u2019s just the entertainer Las Vegas needs.<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
\"Photo<\/span><\/div><\/div>

Photo of Debbie Gibson by Nick Spanos<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>

\u201cShe\u2019s the real deal,\u201d says Cohn. \u201cShe\u2019s very talented, period. She can go into any room and win anyone over. She can sing any song. She can play any piano. She\u2019s got it. Secondly, Debbie\u2019s work ethic is second to none.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019d say. Gibson wrote her new album during the pandemic! Shockingly, that work ethic has never been rewarded with a Grammy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have an extreme amount of trust in the universe; that\u2019s why I\u2019m not bitter,\u201d admits Gibson. \u201cMe and my team feel that we made a Grammy-worthy album, which was important, and that I could be considered\u2026but it\u2019s still a political game. I will forgo the Grammy and decide what I say yes and no to in my life without anybody pressuring me. For me, the victory is in the longevity.\u201d<\/p>\n

LEGENDARY<\/p>\n

Speaking of longevity, Gibson is running full steam ahead. Right now, she\u2019s producing a full-length holiday album, due this year; she\u2019s writing a book and planning a possible residency return in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a brainstorm list that looks like a 10-year plan,\u201d says Gibson. \u201cI have a lot of big ideas, and I\u2019m just slowly chipping away at them and prioritizing them with Heather Moore, my manager and partner-in-crime. I\u2019d like to tour, and there are movies to be made, TV projects to be done. I\u2019m a creator at heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

For over three decades, when it comes to true staying power, Gibson hasn\u2019t missed a beat. And if she were ever to produce a musical about her life, she\u2019d call it \u201cEternally Electric.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would have the depth and richness of Les Miserables, with the grit of Cabaret and the joy of Mama Mia. If I could somehow combine that into one, that sums up my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pajamas included. Sweet dreams, Debbie.<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
\"Debbie<\/span><\/div><\/div>

Debbie Gibson in gold jeans by designer, David Tupaz. Photo by Nick Spanos<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In true Debbie Gibson fashion, 2021 ended on a high note, entirely on-brand for the eternally electric youth - with a pajama party. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2968,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4520,3572],"tags":[3184,3617,176,3613,3618,3616,267,3009,3619,3615,1398,3614],"class_list":["post-2967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","category-issue-10","tag-broadway","tag-christmas-star","tag-david-tupaz","tag-debbie-gibson","tag-foolish-beat","tag-joey-mcintyre","tag-las-vegas","tag-music","tag-nick-spanos","tag-pop","tag-sin-city","tag-the-body-remembers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2967"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2967\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11374,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2967\/revisions\/11374"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}