Disco will never die _{by Madelaine Empson}

Debora McLane’s mother, Lesley Evans, is the only sister of Barry, Robin, Maurice, and Andy… Gibb! Growing up as the niece of the Bee Gees, vocalist Debora is proud of her family’s legacy and excited to be travelling to Aotearoa for the very first time as a special guest performer in Best of the Bee Gees. This stage spectacular has 26 years of rave reviews under its sequin-studded belt, plus endorsements from members of the Gibb family and original Bee Gees musicians. In its debut New Zealand tour, it will turn The Opera House into a Disco Inferno on the 16^th of August. Accompanied by the legendary George Ellis Orchestra in Wellington, Best of the Bee Gees celebrates nearly 50 years of the 1977, GRAMMY®-winning soundtrack album Saturday Night Fever.

I caught up with Debora to do some Jive Talkin’ about the show, her musical collaboration Cousins Gibb, and all things Bee Gees!

What was it was like to grow up immersed in music and surrounded by the Gibb family?

Very normal! Everyone is quite disappointed to learn that [laughs]. It wasn’t until early teens that we realised just how big they were. Outside of that, my mum and dad raised us in Australia. The rest of the family moved overseas, so they would come here, or we would go there. Our family times were always very, very precious, because they were few and far between. Every time we were together was always beautiful and amazing. We were always in tears when we were leaving.

We kept it very low key for a very normal life and didn’t really broadcast that we were related. In saying that, it was a thrill to watch their success and just to see the craziness that goes on around it. Whenever they put out a song, it would go to number one straight away. It was always a chart-topper. And knowing how hard they worked. They did work extremely hard from a very early age, as everyone knows. It didn’t just come easily to them. We always acknowledge that.

Was it a conscious choice to not broadcast that you were related?

It was. People found out, and then from there, they looked at you differently. You know your genuine friends, because they know you for you and not for all the fuss that goes on behind the scenes. I think just to keep school normal, keep everything normal – growing up, teenage years, work life. In music, I didn’t [tell people]. I worked with one show for seven years before any of them knew the family background. Someone asked me one day, ‘Is anyone in your family musical?’ I said, ‘Yeah,’ and they were like, ‘Oh, do tell.’ So I told [laughs]. They all just looked at me and went, ‘What? What? Why didn’t you tell us?’ I said, ‘No one asked!’

Was music your expected career trajectory?

My family never expected it, and they kept it very, very real. My father always said, ‘I know you’ll do something musically throughout your life, but always have your education and have a career behind you, because one day you’re in, the next day you’re out, and you just never know which way it’s going to go.’ Success doesn’t last forever, and not everyone can be successful. Especially coming from a family of – I mean, they’re mega stars. You don’t get much bigger than them, or you can’t. When people do know, in the music industry, there’s all of a sudden this level of expectation. My family told me that. They said, ‘You’ll always be measured. You’ll always be judged. You may lose your identity.’ And that is so true. So growing up, I did know I was going to do something musical, but at the same time, I got my education as well. I have that balance now, and the people that I work for now are very, very supportive of what I do and encourage it every step of the way. They treat singing like my professional hobby. I get support everywhere, and I always have done throughout my work life – even before people knew the family connection. So, I’ve had it all! Well, I haven’t had success, but I haven’t chased success. I always thought you were successful if you got paid for work, for singing. To me, that’s success. 

How did you come to be involved with Best of the Bee Gees?

The Cousins Gibb came about [first]. Nick had been looking for his father for about 10 years. He found out by DNA who his father was, and it was Maurice. Maurice’s son, Adam, actually put up his DNA, and they were a perfect match. That cemented it. He matched many of us in the family as well, so there’s no doubting it. We found Nick about six years ago, and Nick and I connected: we had so much in common that we got talking and said we should do something together. As a joke, he said, ‘Just do some cover songs, Deb, I’d love to hear you sing Immortality.’ I did it. I hated it. I hated my version of it. I’m very critical of myself. But he loved it – he cried! On my birthday, he shared it, just as a joke to wind me up. I could have killed him! But it got beautiful responses, which was lovely. And then Evan [Webster, producer and creator of Best of the Bee Gees, who performs as Barry Gibb] reached out and said, ‘Hey, can you come and do a guest appearance at our 25^th anniversary show at The Star casino on the Gold Coast?’ I was like, ‘Wow, I’m really flattered. Yeah, absolutely.’ He said, ‘We want you to sing Immortality!’ I went, ‘Ohhh [laughs]. Okay, I’ll do it!’ The relationship with Best of the Bee Gees formed from there, and I’m still doing stuff with Nick (we’re recording at the moment). This was all like, my ‘coming out’ as a Bee Gees relative. Before, I was kind of hiding from that, because I wanted my own identity. Now I’m just so proud of the music and the legacy they’ve left, and I just want to share it. If I can be a part of that, I will.

Can you please tell me about the first time you saw Best of the Bee Gees?

They gave me goosebumps! I actually rang my mom and said, ‘You need to see this band. They have nailed it, even down to their mannerisms on stage. It’s so good!’ So I took Mum to a show. They were thrilled to meet Mum, and she absolutely loved it. She endorsed it. The rest of the family heard about it, and have all watched bits and pieces, and everyone loves what they’re doing. I feel flattered that I’m a part of this. When I’m on stage with them, when they’re doing backing vocals behind me, it’s chilling. It really is. It’s quite haunting, because it feels like I’ve got my uncles standing behind me. I never had that – I’ve never experienced that on a stage – so it’s quite weird to explain, but it’s beautiful.

What do you think has been key to the show’s success?

They’re perfectionists. If it’s not right, they won’t do it. It’s as simple as that. The amount of rehearsal time that they put into it as well: we do the whole show for every sound check. And they’re so in sync with each other, it’s almost like they are family. They read each other without even speaking, and it really, really shows in what they deliver.

The first half of the show is dedicated to Saturday Night Fever. What do you think made this album both genre and era defining?

The change. They absolutely turned the music world on its head, coming out with the falsetto and that disco. They were the first to really do it the way they did. They started a trend that will never, ever die. Disco fever, those moves! It’s just cemented. It was just so iconic and different, people gravitated to it and loved it.

If you’re going to come to the show, trust me, you will not be disappointed. You’ll dance, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry. There are so many more surprises, but I’m not going to say what they are!