Decades after first achieving stardom, 1980s pop singer Debbie Gibson, 56, delivered a dynamic performance in Melbourne, Australia, last week. Gibson appeared on stage as part of English pop band Go West's 40th anniversary tour, sporting a dazzling, low-cut bejeweled bra and a daring pleated mini-skirt.
Gibson, who first gained fame at age 16 with her 1987 hit "Only in My Dreams," has continued to tour and perform. Her early career was marked by significant commercial success; her 1987 debut album, "Out of the Blue," featured hits like "Foolish Beat," which made her the youngest female artist to achieve a Billboard Hot 100 number-one single with a song she wrote, produced, and performed. Her follow-up album, "Electric Youth," also topped the Billboard 200 for five weeks and included the number-one single "Lost in Your Eyes."
Gibson's music career saw a shift after her 1990 album "Anything Is Possible." She subsequently transitioned into acting and theatre, finding success on Broadway. Her career experienced a mainstream resurgence in the mid-2000s, including a 2005 appearance in Playboy and roles in low-budget science fiction films.
In addition to her music and acting, Gibson has participated in various reality television programs, including "The Celebrity Apprentice" and "Dancing with the Stars." Reflecting on her experiences in the entertainment industry, Gibson has spoken about feeling pressured to exaggerate her financial status on a past reality show, describing it as a symptom of early career conditioning where artists were encouraged to do whatever was necessary to sell records, sometimes at the expense of authenticity.
Following her Australian tour dates, which conclude on September 5, Gibson is scheduled to begin a Christmas tour in Las Vegas in December. In 2022, she released her holiday album, "Winterlicious."