Deborah Gibson Reminds Kids There’s No Shortcut To Success

Deborah Gibson spoke with Backstage.com about her performing arts camp, Electric Youth, named after the pop star’s hit single. The camp’s emphasis includes many performing arts, from pop music to musical theatre to drama. “I was really tired of the media pounding kids over the head with the message that reality TV is the way to become a star,” she said of the motivation to launch the program last year, “and seeing the Paris Hiltons of the world dancing on tabletops in clubs and getting all this attention. I just felt that kids needed a reminder that there is no shortcut to success. You have to have skills and know your craft if you want a real career. Some people just want to be a star or a celebrity by any means, but this is for kids who want an actual career. I don’t think kids know the difference. They see people who are celebrities who have a five-year life span of fame. To a kid, that’s an eternity. My point was, here I am, 22 years in the business. I’m not on the cover of People magazine every week, but I’ve worked in the industry for that time. I’ve been able to do that by being versatile.” Read more.