Debbie Gibson

Deborah Ann Gibson is an American singer, songwriter, and actress who achieved prominence in the late 1980s as a pop music star. Known for writing, producing, and performing her own material, she became the youngest female artist to write, produce, and perform a Billboard Hot 100 number-one single. Over the course of her career, she has sold more than 16 million albums worldwide, established a presence on the Billboard charts, and starred in theatrical productions on Broadway and on tour.

Gibson was born in Brooklyn, New York City, on August 31, 1970, to Diane and Joseph Gibson, and was raised in suburban Merrick, Long Island. She studied piano under American pianist Morton Estrin and graduated from Sanford H. Calhoun High School as an honor student. In 1983, after winning a cash prize in a WOR radio song contest with her original composition "I Come from America," her mother arranged a loan to convert the family garage into a recording studio.

After submitting a demonstration tape of her song "Only in My Dreams" to Atlantic Records, Gibson was signed to a development deal. She released her debut album, Out of the Blue, in 1987, writing and producing it alongside Fred Zarr. The album produced four top-five hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including "Only in My Dreams," "Shake Your Love," "Out of the Blue," and the number-one single "Foolish Beat." The album achieved triple platinum certification from the RIAA, leading to international stadium tours.

In 1989, Gibson released her second album, Electric Youth, which spent five weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 and was certified double platinum. Its lead single, "Lost in Your Eyes," reached number one on the Hot 100, making her the youngest female artist to simultaneously hold the top spot on both the Billboard album and singles charts. That same year, she shared the ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Award with Bruce Springsteen.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Gibson released subsequent studio albums, including Anything Is Possible, Body, Mind, Soul, Think with Your Heart, Deborah, and M.Y.O.B., the latter two released through her own record labels, Espiritu and Golden Egg. She also expanded into theater, taking on starring roles such as Eponine in Les Misérables and Sandy in Grease. Additionally, she launched Camp Electric Youth in 2008 for young performers.

In later years, Gibson maintained an active career across music, television, and film. Her 2010 cover album Ms. Vocalist reached the top 10 on the Billboard Japan chart, and her song "Rise" was shortlisted for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. She starred in the 2016 Hallmark Channel film Summer of Dreams, joined the successful Mixtape Tour in 2019 alongside New Kids on the Block, and achieved a top-five hit on the Billboard Dance Club chart with her 2019 single "Girls Night Out."