Gabriella Cilmi was just 16 years old when she landed a global smash hit in 2008 with her breakthrough single ‘Sweet About Me’. But just five years later, she retreated from the spotlight, tired from the pressures of the industry and trying to please everyone involved. Now armed with the confidence to know who she truly is as an artist, Gabriella Cilmi is set to make a long-awaited return, starting with the release of her new single ‘Pure Love’. Listen HERE.
‘Pure Love’ affirms that Gabriella still possesses a touch of that youthful flair that made her so engaging the first time around, but now it’s seasoned with a self-empowered attitude and the character that comes with life experience. Finding her own voice, the song sees Gabriella put a modernist spin on her storied influences: the sumptuous soul and classic R&B of Aretha Franklin and the Chess Records label together with the searing blues and emotional turbulence of Janis Joplin.
Gabriella says, “Pure love is a homecoming track for me, it’s about coming home to yourself. To me this song really feels like a mantra of surrender, and I wrote it as a reminder to get out of my head and back into the moment. I hope it can help others do the same.”
‘Pure Love’ was written by Gabriella and was produced by Peter Miles (Orla Gartland, dodie), who recorded live-to-tape at his Middle Farm Studios in Devon during a harvest moon. Raw, unfiltered and deliberately free of perfectionism, ‘Pure Love’ signals a grounded and self-directed return to the artist Gabriella was always meant to be. The final touch came with mixing courtesy of Vince Chiarito (Kali Uchis, Jalen Ngonda).
Originally from Melbourne, Gabriella Cilmi signed her first record deal when she was 13 years old. She was soon travelling to North America and the UK for showcases with labels, started working with pop producer extraordinaire Brian Higgins, and spent three years writing her debut album during downtime from school. ‘Sweet About Me’ then started a rollercoaster ride, flying up charts across the world including Number One on the ARIA singles chart and a seven week Top 10 run in the UK.
Her debut album, ‘Lessons To Be Learned’, made a similar impact and unforgettable moments were constant. She particularly remembers seeing Ronnie Wood tapping his foot as she performed on ‘Later… with Jools Holland’, playing Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage, and meeting Robert Plant. And back home in Australia, she won six ARIA Awards. Her second record, ‘Ten’, was home to another Top 10 single with ‘On A Mission’ before her third set ‘The Sting’ was her first independent release. She returned in 2019 with ‘The Water’ EP as well as a folky take on IDLES’ ‘Danny Nedelko’.
The idea of starting a new chapter started when she revisited a video of her full-throttle performance of ‘Jumping Jack Flash’ from her childhood. Her partner suggested that she needed to reconnect with who she was back then, so that’s what she did – resulting in new songs, the first of which is now here with ‘Pure Love’.
Gabriella Cilmi has returned to live shows in recent years, including this month’s War Child show alongside Jack Savoretti and Katherine Jenkins. There will be more announcements to come so stay tuned.
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