Debbie Gibson recalled her origins in the music industry as she talked about the success that the likes of Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish have amassed today.
Speaking to Us Weekly, Gibson remembered how a young artist like her fared in the late 1980s to the 1990s.
"My late, great mom literally pounded her fists on the conference room table at Atlantic Records to drive the point home that a young girl could write and produce her own music. Now look at Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift and everybody who's come after," she told the outlet.
According to Gibson, "nobody" was "warm and welcoming" to female songwriters like her when she started in the music industry.
"Let alone producers at that time. So, I mean, to me, the landscape has just opened wide up," Gibson reflected.
In the interview, Gibson raved about Swift's brilliance and talent, specifically for the success of The Tortured Poets Department.
"'I Can Do It With a Broken Heart' is my new anthem," Gibson revealed her favorite song from the album. "I think a lot of us kind of live that, and showbiz women live it. It's like we get on stage and we sing and dance, and then we go cry in a corner later about our personal life. She's done so much to move the style forward and to empower women."
Swift's The Tortured Poets Department debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart with 2.61 million album units, the second-biggest opening week for an album in the SoundScan era, next to Adele's 25, which holds the top spot. Since her successful debut, Swift has notched five consecutive weeks atop the chart.
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As for Eilish, Gibson described the Two-time Academy Award winner a "wise old soul" in a 2021 The Guardian interview, praising her for "beautifully" "handling all the pressure of being in the public eye." Aside from being the youngest person to win all four major Grammy Awards in one night, Eilish also became the youngest two-time Academy Award winner in history.
Gibson also imagined what her career would be when she started today.
"I just could imagine the stress and exhaustion that my mom and I exerted just to get past the gatekeepers to get to the starting gate could've been eliminated," the singer added. "There's a freedom now for young artists, for female artists and I think really for female creative visionaries."
At 16, Gibson wrote and produced her debut album, Out of the Blue, in 1987. It became an instant international hit and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. She was also the youngest female artist to write, produce, and perform a Billboard Hot 100 single, her fourth lead single, "Foolish Beat."
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