Showbiz queen! Debbie Gibson marks 30-year milestone release of her debut single

Debbie Gibson has been receiving a lot of compliments lately.

It’s 30 years since she released her debut single, Only In My Dreams, in December 1986 but as she was just 16 when she arrived on the airwaves she looks far more youthful than people are expecting.

“They must be thinking, ‘She looks great for 75,’” laughs the singer.

“I’ve just turned 47 and I still feel very girlish and don’t see why a number should be such a point of reference.

“I watch the personality being sucked out of the fashion for women – it’s suddenly all twin sets and plaid – but I don’t think you have to lose your vitality. You can be playful at any age.”

It’s an attitude the singer, who was born in Brooklyn, New York, has had since her heyday when she shot to fame with a sound and look that defined an era.

“I remember thinking, ‘There’s so long to be a grown-up, I’m going to hang on to my youth for as long as I can,’” she says.

“That could have been because I had so many adult responsibilities at the time.”

Now Debbie – who became the youngest artist in history to write, produce and perform a number one hit – is marking the 30th anniversary of her debut album, Out Of The Blue, with a celebratory boxset, which includes 10 CDs and three DVDs of classics and new material.

“I’m still really proud of my first album and feel it stands up,” she says.

“It was all done in six weeks as the label wanted to capitalise on the success of Only In My Dreams, so it’s interesting to hear that energy and youthful enthusiasm.

 “A month out from recording it I heard every little thing I might have wanted to change but now I just think, ‘Oh, listen to that little girl.’ It’s my equivalent of looking through my yearbook.” As well as the hits, there are new tracks, so how has her sound changed?

“I’ve become way more conscious of the words,” she says.

“Mine were always honest and in the moment, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve understood the power of a really tight lyric. If you’re going to put something out there, especially after 30 years in the business, it needs to be a new way of saying something instead of some old cliché.”

There’s another big anniversary on Debbie’s horizon – she and her partner Rutledge Taylor, a doctor, have been together for almost 10 years.

“It’ll be a decade in February and that’s insane,” she says, before answering a question she hasn’t been asked but is clearly regularly on the receiving end of.

“And no, we’re not married and I think that’s part of our success in being together. We feel like we wake up every day and choose to be together. We don’t need that piece of paper or to have to get lawyers involved if we decided to split, it’s down to us.”

The couple recently moved to Las Vegas, but their home isn’t in the bright lights and casinos.

“We live near a lake and a mountain in a really beautiful spot. We were back and forth to Vegas for fun so bought a little place, then realised that having two homes was just stupid. I got to a point where I wanted to streamline. 

“Our home is a hop, skip and a jump to LA or the strip if we want some activity but otherwise we wouldn’t even know we live in Vegas. It could be Utah or Colorado. It’s just a beautiful, scenic spot and the sun is always shining.”

It seems those rays are non-negotiable for Debbie, who has spent much of the last 20 years working in musical theatre.

“I lived in the UK while I was doing Grease and remember distinctly the day when the guys all stripped off and ran outside because it was beautiful and they didn’t know when the good weather would be back. I definitely feel I could get depressed not having the sunshine all year.”

One of the reasons Debbie has decided to slow down and listen to what her body needs is that she has been suffering from complications associated with Lyme disease, a tick-borne, debilitating condition, for five years.

“I was always tough and brave as a young performer but underneath I was very sensitive and always teetering on some sort of health issue,” she says.

“When you band-aid over that so many times, eventually there is going to be a bigger issue. Lyme can lay dormant and the minute your life gets too stressful it can take you over.”

“The early stages were particularly frightening.

“I wasn’t diagnosed for nine months and it really started to take a toll on my brain,” she says.

“I was at a stop sign in my home town and literally didn’t know if I was turning right or left.“

“I was aware enough to know I didn’t know, so it was really scary. I couldn’t focus, couldn’t read or watch TV. You’re in this state of confusion.” 

The physical symptoms of the condition have affected Debbie’s spine and joints and caused chronic fatigue and food intolerances.

“I had to rethink how I was living my life and acknowledge that not everyone should keep the same pace,” she says.

“My days of being a teenage pop star running a race are over. It’s such a feeling of freedom because I am only going to do what pushes my boundaries within a healthy limit.”

Having sold 16 million albums, Debbie experienced worldwide fame when she was very young, but would she want to be starting out now if she had her time again?

“Definitely not,” she says without hesitation.

“Because of the amount of nonsense feedback you get from social media and the pace you’re expected to run at. Yes, my generation of artists pounded the pavements more, but that set us up for our first big show. Now you can be a YouTube sensation and your first stop is the Grammys.”

So if she had to pick between her recording career or theatre, which would prevail?

“It will always come down to music,” she says.

“To this day it’s a thrill to get on stage knowing I’m the person who first delivered this song to people on the radio and now I get to deliver it to them live. There’s nothing like an original artist singing their original song – there’s a magic to it and I’m so honoured that I still get to be a part of that.”

We Could Be Together collector’s edition boxset is out on November 3 on the Edsel label