Review: Debbie Gibson: The Message in my Music by Debbie Gibson

Eternally Electric: The Message in My Music

by Debbie Gibson 

Release Date: September 9, 2025

2025 Gallery Books

Ebook ARC; 320 Pages

ISBN: 978-1668056769

ASIN:  ‎ B0DHY38Q9F

Audiobook: B0DWP6VM3T

Genre: Non-Fiction / Biography

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

3.5 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Debbie Gibson was just sixteen when she released her multi-platinum debut album Out of the Blue and recorded “Foolish Beat” in 1988, making her the youngest person to ever write, produce, and perform a Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper.

A child actress who became the original pop princess, Debbie had full creative control over her music and, when that no longer aligned with a transitioning arts scene, she went on to star in Broadway’s Les Misérables, Beauty and the Beast, and Cabaret, as well as in the London production of Grease. Yet, for all the accolades and achievements, her success came at a high price.

Anxiety, depression, financial struggles, illness—Debbie writes candidly about these and other challenges, and how she ultimately redesigned her life to overcome them.

 

My Thoughts

Eternally Electric: The Message in my Music was a very candid biography by Debbie Gibson on her life growing up as a pop superstar. I have a really difficult time evaluating books like this, so I will mention that my rating focuses on organization, readability, and pacing of the book, not what the artist chooses to reveal or not reveal in their book as that is their choice.  Pretty much any girl who grew up in the 80's would be familiar with both Debbie Gibson and Tiffany as these two women were huge role models for young girls during this time period when young pop singers weren't really a thing.  

 

The memoir focuses on Debbie's rise to fame as a young artist in a cut-throat business, her struggles when her albums didn't perform as well as hoped, her venture into Broadway, her personal struggles with her health including anxiety and panic attacks as well as exhaustion, and her resilience as she re-discovers her love for writing and composing music. At its heart, its a book about self-discovery and perseverance and hope. 

 

As a kid, I definitely didn't realize how much freedom Debbie Gibson was given when making her first couple of albums. As a song-writer, producer, and artist for the albums, she certainly had a lot of creative control over them and it was a shame the music company didn't allow her the same freedom later in her career as she had certainly proven she had what it took to be successful. This is the time period when you would have to sit by the radio to record songs if you weren't able to purchase the tapes, and MTV and Much Music were just getting off the ground, so it was a different time period. You had to wait for gossip about your stars in your favourite magazines and we didn't know as much about the stars as we do today.

 

I always appreciate how open people are in their biographies and how willing they are to share their struggles with others as I am not sure I could do the same. Debbie Gibson was quite frank when sharing her difficulties with her personal relationships, her financial struggles, and the struggles with her health. I have three autoimmune diseases, so I understand how difficult it would have been when she was trying to get a diagnosis for Lyme's Disease and wondering what was going on with her and how frustrating that would have been.  When you don't know what is happening, having a diagnosis is almost a relief in comparison, even if it's not what you want. I also wonder how much having her mother as a manager created additional pressure to keep going, and going, and going, as she mentions in passing a couple of times how she is responsible for their lifestyles and their salaries, so was this too much pressure for her? While she talks highly about her mother, there are some things that make me question if her mother was the best person to be her manager. 

 

With all that being said, I did feel like the book was somewhat gossipy at times and sometimes reverted to name-dropping instead of explaining. It's not that the gossipy thing is bad as it was interesting, but a little more clarification on certain events rather than the gossip would have been nice. I did enjoy the personal anecdotes and having been a fan of NKOTB, it was interesting to hear what they have been up to these past couple of years. I also really enjoyed learning about Debbie Gibson's time on Broadway as I didn't really know a lot about that so I found it fascinating. 

 

Verdict

Eternally Electric was a book that took me back to the 80s and my high school years, and I found it nostalgic and inspiring. Her authenticity and resilience really struck a chord with me and I enjoyed reading about her life and the experiences she had as a singer, producer, composer. And boy, is she one talented lady!!! Even if you weren't a fan, I would still recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a book that is inspiring and heartfelt.