NEW YORK — Look out, Britney Spears.
Deborah Gibson, who blazed the trail for bubblegum-pop acts in the '80s when she was known as Debbie Gibson, is back.
Her new album, "M.Y.O.B." (Mind Your Own Business), is Gibson's most mainstream pop album since "Out of the Blue" (1987) and "Electric Youth" (1989) put her in the spotlight.
The album is on her own label, Golden Egg Records.
"People want music to be uplifting and fun again," the 30-year-old singer says.
Gibson has appeared on Broadway in "Les Miserables" and "Beauty and the Beast." She also played the title role in the national tour of Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Cinderella."
She's working on a "black comedy" about teen-star rivalry for VH1's summer original movie series.
"It addresses the fabricated rivalries between stars like Britney and Christina (Aguilera), and Tiffany and myself. Rivalries which, in my case, never existed," she says.
1. The title track on your new album begins with the sound of kids singing and clapping. Is that a nod to your teen-star status?
Gibson: In a way, yes. It's an acknowledgment of the fact that no matter how old I get or how sophisticated the music gets, I'll always be youthful. The kids on that track are actually my nieces, Diana and Rebecca.
The role I play on that song is kind of like an older sister, telling them about innocence lost and heartbreak. I'm always going to be connected to young people.
2. Why did you choose "M.Y.O.B." as the title?
Gibson: It's kind of sassy, kind of youthful. It reflects what I've been going through in the industry in the past couple years. The industry is focused on one sound, and they said, 'That's your sound!'
Nobody really wants to take the time to find out who I am, so I'm just like, 'Mind your own business, I'm doing it my way.'
3. What do you think about the new teen stars?
Gibson: I think every generation needs their teen idols. Kids making music for other kids has been around forever, and it will be around forever.
4. They certainly dress sexier than you did. What's changed?
Gibson: It's not that the industry really changed. I was constantly being told to dress sexier. It's the oldest story in the book because record companies have to work harder to sell a more innocent image. Once we got past the record executives to the kids, they really related to it. The classy route is always the harder route. Maybe kids in general have changed. Kids in high school do dress more sophisticated and a little sexier.
5. What do you think when you look back on your career?
Gibson: I think with most people you look back on your childhood and say, 'That was me?' I never look back on my past with embarrassment. I'm proud of how far I've come emotionally, spiritually. I've made a conscientious effort to evolve as a human being. I look back . . . and I think, 'There's a little glimpse of who I am now.'