Gabriella Cilmi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gabriella Cilmi
Cilmi in 2010
Background information
Birth name	Gabriella Lucia Cilmi
Born	(1991-10-10) 10 October 1991 (age 33) Dandenong, Victoria, Australia
Genres	Pop
Occupation(s)	Pop singer songwriter
Years active	2004–present
Labels	Island Mushroom Universal Republic Sweetness Tunes Kin Records Ferryhouse (GER)

Gabriella Lucia Cilmi (born 10 October 1991) is an Australian pop singer and songwriter. She is known for her special, slightly rough singing voice.

Her first album, Lessons to Be Learned, came out in March 2008. It became quite popular around the world. In 2008, Gabriella won six ARIA Music Awards, which are big music awards in Australia. These included awards for Single of the Year and Best Female Artist. She later released her second album, Ten, in March 2010, and her third album, The Sting, in November 2013. In 2019, she released a smaller collection of songs called The Water. Gabriella is a citizen of both Australia and Italy.

Gabriella Cilmi's Early Life

Gabriella Cilmi was born in Dandenong, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. Her parents have family roots in Italy and Italo-Albania. She went to Sacred Heart Girls College in Oakleigh. When she was fifteen, Gabriella moved to London with her family. She still lives there with her parents, Paula and Joe, and her brother, Joseph.

How Gabriella Discovered Music

From a young age, Gabriella loved many types of blues and rock music. Some of her favorite artists included Nina Simone, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Sweet, T. Rex, and Cat Stevens. She also looked up to Suzi Quatro. Even though she had a natural talent for singing, some people told her she wasn't disciplined enough for a music career. She admired Janis Joplin and sang with a band called Foucault, covering songs by groups like Led Zeppelin and Jet. Gabriella also recorded her own songs with writers and producers Barbara and Adrian Hannan.

How Gabriella Was Discovered

In 2004, when Gabriella was just 13, she caught the attention of Michael Parisi, a music executive from Warner Music. This happened when she sang the Rolling Stones' song "Jumpin' Jack Flash" at a festival in Melbourne. After this, she traveled to the US and UK with Adrian Hannan. She received offers from four major US record companies. Eventually, she signed a contract with Island Records UK.

Gabriella Cilmi's Music Career

Lessons to Be Learned (2005–2009)

Cilmi performing at the 2008 Godiva Festival

Two of Gabriella's songs, "Don't Tell Me" and "Sorry," were featured in the 2005 Australian film Hating Alison Ashley. She worked with the same manager and record label as the Sugababes. In 2007, she supported former Sugababe Mutya Buena at a concert in London. Gabriella first appeared on UK TV in December 2007, singing her song "Sweet About Me" on Later... with Jools Holland.

Her song "Sanctuary" was used in the 2007 film St Trinian's. She also recorded the theme song for the UK TV show Echo Beach, which was a cover of "Echo Beach" by Martha and the Muffins. In early 2008, she opened for the band Nouvelle Vague on their UK tour.

Album Success and Awards

Gabriella's first album, Lessons to Be Learned, was released in March 2008 in the UK. It was created with the famous production team Xenomania. Her first single from the album, "Sweet About Me," became very popular. It reached number six in the UK and number one in Australia. The song was also used in a worldwide advertisement for Sure/Rexona deodorant.

From March to May 2008, Gabriella toured with the Sugababes. She also opened for James Blunt on his Australian tour in June 2008. In 2008, Gabriella won six ARIA Music Awards in Australia. These included awards for Best Female Artist, Breakthrough Artist, Best Pop Release, and Single of the Year for "Sweet About Me." She also covered the song "Warm This Winter" for a Christmas advertising campaign. In January 2009, she was nominated for a BRIT Award and sang at the Rod Laver Arena before the 2009 Australian Open men's final.

Concerts and Festivals

In March 2009, Gabriella performed at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for Sound Relief. This was a big music concert to raise money for the Victorian bushfire crisis. All the money from the Melbourne concert went to the Red Cross. Gabriella also made her US television debut in March 2009. In June 2009, she performed on the main stage at the Glastonbury Festival. The next August, she won the Grand Prix at the Sopot International Song Festival in Poland.

Ten (2010)

Cilmi performing at Furia Sound Festival in 2009

The first song from Gabriella's second album, Ten, was "On a Mission". It was released in February 2010 in Australia and March 2010 in Europe. The song quickly became popular on Australian radio. It reached number 9 on the UK Singles Chart and number sixteen in Australia.

The album Ten had a new, more electronic and disco sound compared to her first album. Gabriella worked with producers like Greg Kurstin and Dallas Austin. She also helped produce the song "Love Me Coz," which she was very proud of.

Ten was not as successful as her first album. It reached number 17 in Australia and number 28 in the UK. The second single, "Hearts Don't Lie", was released in June 2010. The third single, "Defender", came out in August 2010. Neither of these songs became big hits. Gabriella's version of "Magic Carpet Ride" was used in the British film Soulboy. In 2010, Gabriella also supported English singer Leona Lewis on her UK tour.

The Sting, All Kings and Queens, and The Water EP (2010–Present)

Cilmi recording in London, 2012

By October 2010, Gabriella had already started working on her third album. She said she wanted to take more time with this record and explore different sounds. She mentioned liking artists like Dolly Parton, Tricky, and Enya.

In January 2012, Gabriella released an acoustic version of a new song called "Vicious Love." She explained that the song was about a type of love that is hard to escape. This song had blues influences, which was different from the disco sound of Ten. Gabriella said she felt pressured to change her image after her second album didn't do as well. This led her to leave her record label and management team. She learned to stand up for herself and make the music she truly wanted.

In March 2013, Gabriella performed "Sweet About Me" and two new songs, "Come Wander With Me" and "Sweeter in History," at the Moxafrica Festival. The video for "Sweeter in History" was filmed in Italy. In July 2013, Gabriella announced a new song called "The Sting," which was released in September. Her third album, The Sting, came out on 4 November 2013.

In April 2015, Gabriella announced that she would be performing with her brother Joseph under the name All Kings and Queens. They released the song "Voodoo" in September 2015. In 2018, she released another song called "Push."

In June 2019, Gabriella shared on Instagram that she wanted to return to music and was working on new songs. On 1 July, she teased her new single "Ruins," which was released on 5 July 2019 with a music video.

Gabriella announced her first solo concert since 2014 in London. She promoted her new music on TV and radio shows. Her EP, The Water, was released on 1 November 2019. She explained that for this EP, she wanted to go "back to basics" and focus on songs written before recording.

In 2020, she started "Chillin' With Cilmi" during the pandemic. She plans to tour again and celebrated her music streaming numbers at the end of 2022. She is also set to tour with Delta Goodrem and The Corrs in 2025.

Gabriella Cilmi's Musical Style

Gabriella Cilmi has a deep singing voice, and her style has been compared to singers like Anastacia and Amy Winehouse. She found out that a back problem, called hollow back or lordosis, affects how she uses her breathing muscles when she sings. This gives her voice a unique, slightly rougher sound.

Critics have praised her voice, calling it "powerful" and "brilliant." Gabriella describes her own music as "quite vulnerable." Her first album, Lessons to Be Learned, had influences from pop rock, jazz, blues, and soul music. Her second album, Ten, was a tribute to disco and electronic dance pop.

As she got older, Gabriella's voice became even raspier and deeper. This helped her develop her own special sound for her third album, The Sting. This album talks about relationships that didn't work out and her feelings about career and relationship challenges. Her EP The Water has a mix of soul, folk, swing, pop, and country sounds.

Discography

• Lessons to Be Learned (2008)
• Ten (2010)
• The Sting (2013)

Tours

Headline Tours

• 2008: Lessons to Be Learnt Tour
• 2014: The Sting Tour
• 2019–2020: The Water Tour

Supporting Act Tours

• 2008 – Sugababes – Change Tour (some dates)
• 2010 – Leona Lewis – The Labyrinth (UK dates only)

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Gabriella Cilmi para niños