Debbie, what makes a good song? When you go all the way with one idea. I think if you have really upbeat, positive lyrics, you should have a real positive, upbeat melody. And I like a good hook you can sing along with. Can you tell when you've written a hit? Not always. For instance, "Out of the Blue" I wrote so quickly and demo-ed so quickly that I was, like "Aah, this is too simple, it won't go anywhere." And it went to Number 3. So sometimes my own songs take a while to grow on me. When I write, I write off the top of my head, and I have perfect pitch, so I can write the notes out anywhere at any time. And if I hear a catchy phrase of think of a song title, I'll just develop a little story around it. A lot of people write, like, a poem and then set it to music, but once you have the poem you could put a million different melodies to it; so I write the lyrics and the melody together, and you know they really click then. Are songs popping into your head all the time? Yeah! Everything is a possible song idea. I drive my little sister nuts, because she'll say something, and I'll just start singing it, try to turn whatever she says into a song. What music do you immediately turn off when it comes on the radio? Usually stuff that's really negative. And when you hear pop stars singing about poverty, that kind of turns me off, 'cause you know that's not them. And when I hear songs that ramble on and on and never get to a point or hook. I like songs that structurally make sense. What was your musical training? I started in classical piano when I was about five, and I took voice lessons and I did a lot of community theater and I sang in the Metropolitan Opera with the children's chorus for awhile, and I did some acting in industrial films and commercials. [Performing] was something I always knew I wanted to do. I used to get Show Business and Backstage and circle the auditions, and leave notes on the table for my parents, saying, "Take me! Take me!" And they supported it; they never pushed, but they always encouraged me. What are your first musical memories? I remember hearing the song "Billy, Don't Be a Hero" when I was about four years old, and I used to pick that out by ear. But when I really got hooked on pop music was Billy Joel -- when I was 8, I got his 52nd Street album for Christmas, and then I saw him concert when I was 9. He's my all-time favorite. Does it worry you that because you're already so busy with a career you might miss more ordinary experiences that would help you as a writer? I haven't really missed any. I stayed in the same high school -- I just graduated a couple of weeks ago. I went to the prom. I made sure to do all the normal things. I'm not going away to college, but usually people go to college to, like, get out of the house, socialize and meet new people and decide what they're going to do with their life, and I already know that, and I'm on the road, and I definitely socialize. Was your prom all you'd hoped it would be? Yeah, it was great. We went dancing afterward at a '50s place; I love '50s music, so we went to this place called Hot Rods which had old cars in it, and it was great. Are you chaperoned when you travel? My mom is my personal manager, so she's here. My dad's here right now; sometimes he flies in and meets up with us. And my younger sister's doing assistant wardrobe. It's good; it's not like the crazy rock & roll scene. So when you see Tiffany suing her mother, that must seem quite foreign to you. It does, but I've seen friends in school who come from difficult family situations, and I know it can really affect your whole life. I'm lucky to have a family that supports what I do instead of trying to fight it. My mom's philosophy was, "She's going to do it with or without me -- why make life difficult?" That's the philosophy I'll have when I have kids -- someday! Is it tiresome being linked with Tiffany all the time? Well, our music is entirely different, so if all you can think to say about the two of us is we're the same age, that's kind of an unoriginal comparison. But a lot of people think there's a rivalry thing , which actually bothers me more -- like when I read a teen magazine and see "Tiffany versus Debbie." Because we get along really well. I went to see her concert a couple of weeks ago. I like her music a lot. Do you think there'll be more young kids coming into the business now? I hope so, because I've seen a lot of talented kids out there, a lot of whom could probably handle success even better than a lot of adults I've met in the business. It's already started -- Capitol signed a 13-year-old, Tracie Spencer, but her voice blows away half the adults around. It's tougher to get respect when you're younger, but I think you have more energy and, like, an honest ambition -- there's nothing like, "Oh God, I better have a hit 'cause I need to pay the rent." For me, it's just an enthusiasm I have for the arts. I haven't been tainted by going around the block for ten years. Do you have an image of your audience? I think they're the people who aren't too cool to have fun. Name me three heroes or heroines, not in music. Let's see.... Hmmmmm! I like John Hughes. And this might sound dumb, but I like Judy Blume -- she wrote Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, all those books. I think she helped a lot of kids get through high school; I don't think one kid reached the age of 18 without reading at least five of her books. It's nice to know there's an adult who went through all the stuff you're going through. And who else? I know I'm going to think of, like, eight million people when I hang up the phone.... I'm blanking. Do you believe in luck? To a certain extent, but I also believe pretty much you control your own destiny. I think anything based entirely on luck won't last, unless you had the ability to sustain it all along. There definitely is such a thing as being in the right place at the right time, but you can't base a whole career on it. Does it frustrate you that it's an election year and you're not old enough to vote? But I will be. I turn 18 August 21 -- Oh my God, in only a month and a couple of weeks! Do you feel you're approaching adulthood? No, because although I'm very disciplined when it comes to music and stuff like that, I'm a very young 17-year-old, I think. I probably won't feel I'm approaching adulthood until I'm, like, 25. But turning 18 is a bit traumatic. For some reason it sounds so much older than 17.... I thought of a hero: Walt Disney. When you were a little kid and you used to play, who would you play at being? I was always Annie. I always wanted to be Annie when I was little. Are you surprised to be a star at 17? The way I look at it is I've been working at this for 12 years, and now that's all paid off. I know it's hard work that got me here, and I know that it's hard work that'll keep me here. And there are a million different things that I want to do, so I feel like I need all the years -- I'm working on writing a screenplay, I'd love to get into films, I'd love to get into underscoring, I'd like to write for and produce other artists. And I want to learn how to play the drums! Are you ever worried? Not really. [Laughs] Usually no.
Copyright Robert Lloyd © 1988 and 2006