Sweet About Gabriella Cilmi

Mon 3rd Mar, 2008 in Features

Gabriella Cilmi (pronounced chill-me) is a fresh-faced sixteen year old Australian singer-songwriter who is one of the hottest new prospects in the global music industry. Up until a few years back, Gabriella was just your average school girl growing up in Dandenong, Melbourne with little ambition of a career in music. Things all changed the day she was discovered by Michael Parisi, president of A&R for Festival Mushroom Records, while belting out a version of The Rolling Stones classic, Jumpin’ Jack Flash for her uncle at an Italian festival. She was just 13 years old. Over the following years she developed and refined her talent, and the rest as they say is history.

Despite being just sixteen years old, the Aussie born UK based Gabriella has a voice that rivals a lot of established artists today, as well as showing diversity beyond her years. She has the charisma to be massive star and an astonishing maturity that belies her age.

Gabriella’s brassy, soulful voice has inevitably drawn comparisons with Amy Winehouse. The Winehouse comparisons however only lie purely in the voice and retro sound of her album. Gabriella unlike Amy is wholesomely pretty, younger and cleaner. There is no booze, no drugs for this refreshingly grounded Catholic girl. The only likeness the two share is the dark hair and the slight 1960s influence.

Gabriella has a gorgeous voice and it is no surprise to learn that in December 2007, she scored a coveted slot on UK TV being the first-ever unreleased singer on the BBC’s program Later With Jools Holland. That same year she also supported former Sugababe Mutya Buena at the Jazz Café in London.

“Sweet About Me” is Gabriella’s tantalisingly catchy debut single and from the sultry opening notes of the song, it’s hard to believe this girl is just sixteen years old. Her first studio album, titled Lessons to be Learned is due for release on 10th March in the UK. The album was produced by Brian Higgins, from the British production team, Xenophobia ( Girls Aloud, Sugarbabes, Cher, and the Minogue sisters). Lessons to be Learned contains a dynamic and diverse collection of songs, traversing all manner of genre from jazz inflected pop, blues, rock and beautiful balladry.

The album, set for release in Australia later this year, is destined to make Gabriella a household name at home as well as throughout the world. Although based in the UK at the moment, Gabriella is being tipped as an Australian music performer to make a huge impact throughout 2008. Gabriella’s soulful music is set to catapult this lovely youngster into 2008’s celebrity A-list. People in the music business are already predicting she will take every major ARIA Award in 2008, including Song of the Year.

For the time being, Gabriella is doing the rounds supporting the Parisian band Nouvelle Vague on their UK tour before its back to Oz for a short promotional trip in March. It seems the long flights and relentless touring is something Gabriella will have to get used to if she wants to make it all the way to the top. I have a strong feeling this Melbourne girl is going places edging slowly towards world-wide superstardom….Watch this space.