Debbie Gibson Exclusive Song Premiere: ‘Promises’
Hear the pop queen's new single, from the movie 'The Music in Me,' premiering April 12 on UP TV, in which she stars.
Debbie Gibson has been a chart force for more than 25 years, and now she’s released the newest song in her legacy, “Promises,” which Billboard is premiering exclusively.
Then 16, Gibson burst onto the Billboard Hot 100 in 1987 with her pure-pop classic “Only in My Dreams.” The song went on to become her first of five top 10s, including the No. 1s “Foolish Beat” in 1988 and “Lost in Your Eyes” in 1989. With the former, Gibson made history, becoming the youngest artist to write, produce and perform a Hot 100 No. 1. (She’s still the youngest female artist to earn the honor.)
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Gibson continued to record in the ’90s and beyond, but expanded her scope by performing on Broadway, starring in 17 musicals in 17 years, including Les Miserables.
Billboard Exclusive Premiere! Listen to Debbie Gibson’s “Promises.” You can purchase the song here.
More recently, in 2011, Gibson starred with fellow former teen chart queen Tiffany in the campy SyFy romp Mega Python vs. Gatoroid, which led to the two touring together.
(And just so we’re clear: Gibson and Tiffany were never rivals, which they emphasized in a 2011 Billboard interview. Now good friends, the two simply kept separate, and busy, schedules in the late ’80s when rumors had the two sparring.)
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Also in 2011, Gibson also played Katy Perry’s mother in the video for the latter’s “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.),” which became the record-tying fifth Hot 100 No. 1 from Perry’s album Teenage Dream. (Only Michael Jackson’s Bad, in 1987-88, has also spun off five No. 1s.) The clip has drawn 465 million worldwide YouTube views.
Now, Gibson is back with new single “Promises,” from the UP TV movie The Music in Me, which premieres Sunday (April 12) at 7 p.m. ET. Unlike in Mega Python vs. Gatoroid, Gibson (spoiler alert) in the new movie does not meet a gruesome demise at the jaws of hungry prey. The Music in Me, which also stars Gloria Reuben (Lincoln, E.R.), finds Gibson (in the role of lead character Jessica) having dropped her dreams of becoming a professional singer to care for her parents and run their hardware store. Once home, she steps in as choir director for a local church, and the star’s musical aspirations are soon rekindled.
‘The Music in Me’: Preview Scenes From the Movie Here
For the film, Gibson wrote and recorded the ballad “Promises,” which takes its place in her canon alongside such other piano-driven songs as “Lost in Your Eyes” and “No More Rhyme.” (And, without giving too much more away ahead of movie’s premiere, consider yourself a DebHead of the highest order if, when watching, you recognize the song playing on an old videotape in the film’s early going.)
Following the movie’s premiere, check back next week on Billboard.com for an in-depth Q&A with Gibson. And, got a question you’d like her to answer? Ask away in the comments section below, email askbb@billboard.com or Tweet @gthot20 and we’ll use as many as we can.
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