The late Princess Diana remains a worldwide icon almost 30 years after her tragic passing. Because of this, people are always interested in the stories from those who had the privilege of meeting her. Now, singer Debbie Gibson is opening up about that very topic in her new memoir, “Eternally Electric: The Message in My Music.”
According to PEOPLE, the beloved “Only In My Dreams” singer met Princess Diana in 1989. Notably, this happened when she was invited to perform at the Prince’s Trust Concert in London. Gibson says she felt underdressed for the royal occasion.
Gibson wrote in her book, “It was such a surreal evening, with me telling the princess how the special gown I’d wanted to wear for my receiving-line moment had been vetoed by the producers because they wanted me ready to open the show.”
She continued, “They had insisted I wear my video-look performance outfit — blue-jean cutoff shorts, a vest, and a bandana in my hair — but she could not have been more gracious.” Gibson recalled, “You look a heck of a lot more comfortable than I am,’ she leaned in and whispered.”
Gibson performed “Electric Youth” at the event after being introduced to the audience by Sir Sean Connery. The “James Bond” star introduced her by saying, “She’s one of the biggest, most successful recording artists in America.”
She also wrote in the book, “I wrote a song about it a few years ago called ‘The Band Plays On,’ because it was such a memorable life moment.” Gibson continued, “That sweet scene we started; I can rest my head upon; Proof that love stays like the band plays on.”
Gibson’s Memoir Is Decades in the Making
Gibson started her music career in 1985 and sold millions of records in the several years that followed. Because of this, she has a great deal to say, which led her to write “Eternally Electric: The Message in My Music.”
She spoke to Billboard in September 2025 about the memoir. Gibson said, “It was so interesting picking what I was going to write about, what I was going to leave out. I tried to give each era of my life equal time, because I’ve had a lot of varied experiences.”
Gibson continued, “So, my mom and I had pitched a book, like, twice before this, always a memoir, but it was at times in my life where I really hadn’t been through enough to write anything profound. I see why those deals didn’t happen back then.”
Gibson’s new book arrived in bookstores on September 9.
She’s Still Active in Music
To date, Gibson has released an impressive eleven studio albums. More recently, she released a new version of her 2021 song, “Legendary.” This came out in 2025 and also included a music video. According to her website, Gibson has sold over 16 million records since her career began.
