At 15, Debbie Gibson went from a home studio plastered with posters of her idol George Michael to ecstatically watching him rock Philadelphia with Wham! after winning tickets on New York’s WPLJ radio. At 17, her No. 1 hit “Foolish Beat” snatched Michael’s spot as the youngest artist to write, perform and produce a chart-topping U.S. single. And at 18, Gibson hopped on her first private jet to dine with Michael backstage on The Faith Tour.

It’s a trajectory that encapsulates the wild, whirlwind nature of Gibson’s rollercoaster ride through teen pop stardom.

“I was on the charts with George, Whitney [Houston] and Michael [Jackson] while they were all over my walls,” Gibson, 55, reflects during an exclusive sit-down with THR in Los Angeles. “It felt crazy he would take time out to meet

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