Former teen queen Debbie Gibson is reuniting with Tiffany this summer for their Journey Through the ‘80s national tour. The 40-year-old star sat down with Parade.com for an interview about reliving the ‘80s, why she wouldn’t want to be a teen star today, and more.
Here are some highlights:
She’s grateful to have been a teen in the ‘80s…
“There’s never a private moment for a young star now. I think teens today are growing up quicker and there is much more access to them from the media. That can be a psychological trip for teen stars, and I feel for them. I’m glad that stuff wasn’t around when I was growing up. Mind you, I was pretty much at my parents’ house and the bowling alley on my down time. I wasn’t at a club on Sunset Blvd. I really couldn’t have any social life. There was no way of keeping in touch with friends or anything unless you were going to get on the phone. So in that sense, I wish all that technology was available back then. But obviously the flip side is the camera phones and YouTube and TMZ.”
On how she stayed grounded despite the early fame…
“Even to this day, my mom is my manager. And believe me, it has it’s moments, but to have even one person around you that makes it fun and keeps everything real and it’s not like you’re just a paycheck to them is very important. I also always focused on my craft first. If there was an after party and I was tired and had a show the next day, it was like, ‘Forget the party, I’m going to rest my voice.’ I was never in it for those other reasons, and I think if you are then you can definitely get messed up. It’s also important to have other things in your live than work. Success in the past few years of my life has been when I’ve been able to integrate a great relationship into my life.”
On playing Katy Perry’s mom in her music video for “Last Friday Night.”
“I got an email from the casting director asking me to do it and I was like sign me up! And then coincidentally, I just did a cameo in the Rock of Ages movie with Russell Brand and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I just played your wife’s mother!’ But Katy’s great. She would flip in and out of being a businesswoman and an artist and just a young girl having fun. She seems to have a great sense of dividing and switching roles, which is very tricky. I was very impressed watching her do that.”
The advice she’d give to her 16-year-old self…
“Probably to take things in a little bit more because I was so seriously focused on what I was doing that I think back and I go, ‘I sold out Madison Square Garden and I barely remember it!’ It was like another show, another dressing room to me. I didn’t take it in as much as I should have. And just a lesson I was learning at that time, which I’m still learning, is you’re not superhuman. Again, I look at some of the pop stars today and it’s they’re in Berlin one week and Japan the next, and it’s really tough. If an artist has to throw up the white flag and take a breath, it’s okay.”
For the full interview, visit Parade.com:
http://www.parade.com/celebrity/celebrity-parade/2011/07/debbie-gibson.html